Flexible working boosts productivity, Labour claim, as minister attacks Tories for 'declaring war on working from home'
17 September 2024, 09:06
A Labour minister has claimed that working from home boosts productivity, in a marked departure from the Conservatives' efforts to encourage workers back to the office.
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Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, said that the government wanted to end the "culture of presenteeism" in British workplaces.
Labour are set to bring forward a bill that would give workers more protections, ban zero-hours contracts and make flexible working a default right.
Mr Reynolds said that businesses' employees not having to answer emails or phone calls out of their normal office hours would make them more "motivated and resilient".
He also took aim at a Conservative predecessor, Jacob Rees-Mogg, who argued strongly in favour of people returning to the office more after the pandemic, when many had to work from home for public health reasons.
Read more: WFH council workers caught 'moonlighting' with second jobs by government fraud squad
Britain's productivity has grown slower in recent years than other comparable countries, such as Germany and France. Experts recognise productivity as a complex problem with many causes including low levels of investment.
Some also blame a culture of widespread home working in many organisations for low productivity. Others point to studies that suggest working flexibly - sometimes remotely and sometimes in the office may increase productivity for some people.
Speaking to The Times, Mr Reynolds argued that flexible working contributes to productivity.
He said: "We've had flexible working laws for quite some time in the UK.
"I think where people reach agreement with their employer ... it does contribute to productivity, it does contribute to their resilience, their ability to stay working for an employer."
"The UK has very significant regional inequality. It could play a significant contribution to tackling that," he added.
He did concede that there are situations when it is "legitimate to need the workforce in the office", such as when new employees need to learn from those more experienced.
On the Tories approach to workers' rights, he said: "Jacob Rees-Mogg made this big thing as (then) business secretary (in) declaring war on people working from home.
"That's pretty bizarre given the economic position the country was in and the real business agenda that needs to be pursued."
Mr Reynolds also told the newspaper there is "genuinely nothing to worry about" when it comes to Labour's plans to introduce rights for employees to disconnect, meaning they cannot be contacted outside of work hours.
He said: "These are popular changes, both with the public and actually with businesses themselves.
"Every time we have a session with business where we are able to talk candidly, they are reassured by what we are saying and actually they support it”.
