John Lewis asks staff to spend more time in the office than working from home
John Lewis has told staff that they must be in the office more often as it looks to keep up with rivals who have implemented a return to the office policy.
According to The Telegraph, the partnership has told head office staff said that they are expected to be working “more in person than not” either in the office or out with suppliers and clients.
Subscribe to TRBIn an internal memo seen by The Telegraph, John Lewis said: “Many organisations have noticed improvements in collaboration and culture alongside improved business performance as a result of a hybrid model – one that allows for more time in person while still enjoying the benefits of working time at home too.”
It also said that teams at central office should be “spending (more) of their working week collaborating face to face with (their) team and others they work alongside”.
After the pandemic, John Lewis took a “blended approach” to where staff worked which resulted in it halving the size of its central London offices in 2023.
The partnership is now understood to be looking at options to create more space in its existing offices so that staff can come in more regularly. However, John Lewis stated that this did not signal a change of policy as it remains committed to hybrid working.
A spokesman for John Lewis said: “While some in our industry are returning to the office full time, our policy hasn’t changed and we are committed to the flexibility that comes with a hybrid approach.
“To drive collaboration, faster decision making and creativity, our goal is for central teams to be in the office, with suppliers and visiting shops more than they are at home, so we are working with them to make this happen.”
