Embracing working from home

In a marked shift from the previous Conservative government’s stance, the Prime Minister has thrown his weight behind working from home, with Downing Street warning that a “culture of presentee-ism” is bad for productivity. 

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds described how he believes that embracing working from home will give a boost to British businesses, arguing that it allows them to access the best talent across the country. He said that in his own government department, he champions working from home, citing inequality in the housing market.

“For this department, which employs nearly 8,000 people, I want it to be a department where people can, as much as possible, live in any part of the UK and work for it,” he said. “It’s a UK-wide department with an international remit, but also one that is UK-wide. I think it’s incredibly important.

“Sometimes, I’ve got people in the room, sometimes I’ve got people at home. Sometimes I’ve got people in many of the different offices that we have – I often have people who are in completely different time zones. I think being open to that kind of talent makes the organisation I lead far more effective. I think a lot of business leaders recognise that.

“Look at the UK compared to other European countries – we do have a very pronounced regional inequality housing market that’s very different in different parts of the UK. So where businesses can be open to UK-wide talent and have the opportunity to access that talent, I think that’s got to be a good thing.”

He acknowledged that there are “legitimate business reasons” why people may need to be in the office, and that in some jobs it is not possible to work at home.

There has been growing concern in the City over Labour’s agenda, with business leaders warning they could end up “drowning” in red tape or being penalised for emailing workers outside of office hours. 

But dismissing criticism of his workers’ rights package, Mr Reynolds insisted the “right to switch off” would not harm UK competitiveness.

“You do your best work when you’re happy at home and when you’re happy at work, you’re happy at home,” he said. “It is a much better labour market in terms of how you can balance the complexities of life today.

“I want people to be in a position, as lots of people are but I think too many people are not, where they can have the kind of work and prosperity and opportunities that can be part of modern life in terms of family and caring responsibilities,” he said.

“I think people are happiest at home when they’ve got fulfilling work. And I think that’s the objective. It’s not about a tick box of measures that have been composited together. It’s about how I can work today in the UK and fit in with what people’s lives are like.”