Flexible Working – How Long Will It Last?

Flexible working was one of the few bonuses for retail workers that emerged out of the pandemic. However, fast-forward 5 years and it seems that retailers are reminiscing on the earlier years when working 5 days a week in the office was simply a given. Over the last year, "the number of retailers issuing return to office orders has picked up pace." Companies once praised for flexibility are now scaling back.

Take John Lewis, for example, which is one of the latest retailers to require its commercial teams to be in the office "at least three days a week." Primark has set an even higher bar, asking staff to be on-site "four days a week," while Boots, THG, and Morrisons have gone further still, mandating full "five-day office weeks" for their head office employees. For employees who are already paid less than staff at bigger corporate tech, finance and consultancy firms, this is simply a "body blow to their already bruised morale". Workers argue they are facing