WFH: Blackrock orders managing directors to work full week from office May 8, 2025 Blackrock is ordering its most senior staff to work from the office five days a week in the latest example of financial institutions abandoning the flexible working from home (WFH) policies many adopted in the wake of the pandemic. The investment juggernaut will tell its workers that all of its approximately 1,000 managing directors across [...]
WPP: FTSE 100 giant offers free-lunch Friday to get staff into office April 13, 2025 The FTSE 100 advertising agency WPP has began offering free lunches to lure employees back into the office on Fridays. From April, WPP’s team of 108,000 people is expected to be in the office at least four days a week. The new rules require employees to work in the office at least two Fridays a [...]
‘Once you legislate, people will rebel’: Why a vibes-based WFH policy is working for Vitality February 13, 2025 The debate-stirring issue of working from home (WFH) has never been far from the headlines so far in 2025. The likes of FTSE 100 giant WPP, Lord Alan Sugar and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan have all made waves with where they stand on the topic. Now Neville Koopowitz, the chief executive of health and [...]
The Week in Business: is Reeves right to be an optimist? January 31, 2025 Rachel Reeves has been reset, but should we buy into this new optimistic Chancellor?
How many days a week is the FTSE 100 spending in the office? January 29, 2025 In an exclusive poll for Morning Wire, Joanna Hodgson surveys major firms to see if hybrid working is still king in the UK A three-day office week is dominant among some of Britain’s biggest companies, with employers spanning insurance, financial services and property continuing to embrace flexible working in 2025, findings from an exclusive City [...]
Former Asda and M&S boss Lord Rose: WFH is ‘not doing proper work’ January 20, 2025 The increase in home work has created a generation who are “not doing proper work,” according to the former boss of Asda and Marks & Spencer. Speaking to BBC Panorama, Lord Rose said more working from home was a part of the UK economy’s “general decline” and that productivity was suffering as a result. “We [...]
Civil servants to take indefinite industrial action after being ordered back to office January 8, 2025 Indefinite industrial action is to be taken by thousands of civil servants working at the Land Registry in a dispute over office attendance. Around 4,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) based in 14 offices across England and Wales will take part in the action from 21 January. The union said its [...]
Itsu: Return to the office helps boost sales September 13, 2024 The move by companies to encourage their workforce to return to the office helped sales jump at East Asian-inspired eatery chain Itsu during its latest financial year. The London-headquartered company has posted a turnover of £160.7m for 2023, up from the £137.7m it achieved in 2022. Newly-filed accounts with Companies House also show the brand’s [...]
PwC UK orders staff to spend more time in office and meet clients in person September 5, 2024 PwC UK has ordered staff to spend more time in the office and meet clients in person, as the accounting giant becomes the latest firm to adopt tighter rules on working from home. The Big Four firm told its employees and partners on Thursday that its new hybrid working policy would require them to spend [...]
London office property deals abandoned as sellers pin hopes on price recovery April 20, 2024 Abandoned property deals have driven investment volumes in the London office market down in the first quarter of the year, but green shoots are starting to emerge.