Just 7pc of bosses say they go into the office full-time

Lucy Burton Employment Editor 13 July 2024 2:05pm BST Just 7pc of bosses say they go into the office full time despite a nationwide push to haul staff back to their desks.  A survey of more

than 500 UK chief executives led by workspace provider IWG revealed that a dearth of bosses were spending five days a week working from a central office. That is despite a quarter believing

that a return to the office full-time is a priority.  The findings could open bosses up to accusations of hypocrisy from angry staff who have been forced back to their desks.  A growing

number of companies are cracking down on office attendance, with some even going as far as to review swipe-card entry data to monitor who is coming in. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire

industrialist and co-owner of Manchester United, last month ordered the football club’s staff to return to the office full time or seek “alternative employment”. Calls to get people back

into the office have also been echoed by senior politicians. Last year, Jeremy Hunt, the former chancellor, said that British businesses face a creativity crisis unless working from the

office returns to being the “default”.  The Government is expected to continue the back-to-work push under Labour, particularly for civil servants.  Jonathan Ashworth, former shadow

paymaster general, who has become the chief executive of think tank Labour Together since losing his parliamentary seat, said just before the general election that Labour wants to see civil

servants spend most of their time in the office. When asked if he would remove the requirement brought in by the Conservatives for civil servants to spend at least 60pc of their week in the

office, he said it was “sensible” for them to be at their desks. Private sector bosses struggling to get staff back into work are growing frustrated with their lack of control, with one

manager saying that productivity is much worse and team culture is “not what it used to be”. Online forums and TikTok posts have revealed the tactics employees are using to bend the rules on

office attendance.  This includes “coffee badging”, which is where employees scan in at work to satisfy attendance before rushing back home. Two-thirds of respondents to IWG’s survey said

they would lose talented people if they insisted on their employees being present in a central office every day, as nine in 10 work flexibly themselves.  The research also found that

three-quarters of business leaders noted improvements in employee engagement and collaboration between teams as a result of flexible working.