Ex-M&S Boss Lord Rose claims WFH 'not proper work'

Former Marks & Spencer and Asda boss Lord Rose has taken aim at remote work, blaming it for a "20-year regression" in UK productivity and workplace standards.

Speaking to BBC Panorama, Lord Rose said working from home is fostering a generation "not doing proper work" and contributing to the economy's broader decline.

His remarks follow a growing trend of companies ditching remote setups. Big names like Amazon, Boots, and JP Morgan are now requiring head office staff back on-site full-time.

“Productivity, working practices, even the country’s wellbeing have taken a massive hit,” Lord Rose said, as calls to bring workers back to their desks gain momentum.

This latest criticism on the WFH culture comes after WPP CEO Mark Read responded to criticism from employees who were unhappy with the introduction of a global mandate to return to the office four days a week.

He told PRWeek UK: "I know for some people this is going to be a change, but we are going to introduce this new policy cooperatively. It doesn’t come in until April, and we’ll use that time to talk to our people about how to implement it carefully and pragmatically.

"We appreciate that many people have responsibilities such as dropping their kids at school or caring for an elderly relative, and we’re going to continue much of the flexibility we’ve experienced over the last few years," Read said.

"That said, with many of our clients in the office three, four and increasingly five days a week, we think this is the right move for the long-term success of the company and people’s careers."

Internal memo

An internal memo of the global mandate was sent to staff last week in which Read addressed the focus on the culture of WPP.

He said: "I believe that we do our best work when we are together in person. It’s easier to learn from each other, it’s a better way to mentor colleagues starting out in the industry, and it helps us win pitches as a truly integrated team."

Read said that data from across the WPP agencies indicated higher levels of office attendance were associated with stronger employee engagement, improved client survey scores and better financial performance.

"For all these reasons, spending more time together is important to all of us, and we are making a change to help that happen. From the beginning of April this year, the expectation across WPP will be that most of us spend an average of four days a week in the office."

He added that flexibility and trust will be maintained while approaching the transition to four days in office with “pragmatism and an understanding of people’s different circumstances."

In response, concerned employees launched a Change.org petition against the global directive. Since its launch on 9 January, the petition, which is open for people outside the organisation to sign, has garnered more than 16,000 signatures.

The petition also included a short and anonymous survey asking responders about the effectiveness of returning to the office, the impact on growth and employee engagement.

Petition results

Results from the survey, which had 1,300 responders, found 98% agreed that the four-day return-to-office mandate should be revoked. The survey also found that 76% strongly disagreed the mandate will support the long-term growth of WPP, while 77% associated extreme negativity with the impact of mandate across the WPP employee network and engagement levels.

Crucially, 58% strongly disagree and do not believe in Read's vision and effectiveness, indicating a sense of waning confidence in the CEO among those who answered the survey.

See also: 

WPP enforces global return to office policy: Staff required on-site 4 days a week
WPP staff fight back: 10,000 sign petition against mandatory office return
WPP addresses staff backlash over office return policy
Holding companies not following WPP’s four-day work week mandate

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Top image: Lord Rose

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