WFH: Office workers in line for quicker promotions and higher pay
Staff who attend the office regularly can expect bigger pay rises and faster promotions than peers who prefer to work from home (WFH), a fresh survey of top employers has found.
According to research from recruitment shop Reed, over two thirds (68 per cent) of UK companies are more likely to compensate office regulars with career-progressing rewards, including better pay and quicker career progression.
The finding is a further sign that bosses are tiring of excessive remote working, but their preference remains in stark contrast to the overwhelming desire of workers themselves, the same poll found.
Over seven in 10 employee respondents said they would like to retain partial or full flexibility over their working arrangements, while a quarter declared their work cadence of choice would involve just two days a week in the office.
But bosses’ plans to incentivise office attendance with better pay and promotions reflects an accelerating rejection of working from home across many of Britain’s blue-chip employers.
An increasing number of top white-collar employers have been ordering staff back into the office as the pandemic moves further into employers’ rear-view mirrors. Earlier this month, City broker Panmure Liberum joined the likes of Deutsche Bank, UBS and Peel Hunt by vetoing staff from working at home on consecutive Monday and Fridays.
And several investments banks – including Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan – have been operating blanket five-day office policies for months, with bosses feeling increasingly emboldened to rail against home working patterns which they feel have hampered productivity and office culture.
In other sectors return-to-office mandates have sparked a fierce backlash from staff, many of whom have become accustomed to the greater flexibility and inexpensive lifestyle that WFH affords them. Over 20,000 people signed an open petition calling for FTSE 100 advertising giant WPP to revoke its global mandate for staff work four days a week.
James Reed, chairman and chief executive of the Reed Group said the findings exposed an “increasing mismatch” between the attitude towards remote working held by staff versus that of employers.
“What we call the ‘in-person premium’ will be increasingly important in determining who succeeds and who doesn’t,” he said.
The same study also found younger workers have the least favourable view of home working, in a sign junior staff are eschewing WFH for the more valuable learning environment the office provides.
Just 16 per cent of 18-34-year-olds chose working from home full-time as their preferred arrangement, compared to 22 per cent of 55-64-year-olds.
Reed added: “Despite the challenging jobs market, our research shows that many people are still keen to move jobs in the coming months.
“There are opportunities for workers across the board despite the economic headwinds companies are facing, but the best roles and most rapid progression are likely to go to those people who are willing to be more present in the workplace.”