It is being reported that the retailer Frasers has reversed it’s previous rule change allowing staff to work from home on Fridays after some employees were caught posting too often on social media.
The ‘Frasers Friday’ initiative had become an ‘unproductive day of the week’ according to the company’s operating chief who wrote in an internal memo that there were “too many examples of people or teams not being contactable when they need to be… and colleagues who via their social media profiles are demonstrating they’re not treating Friday as a working day”.
Since the pandemic home working has become a ‘marmite’ issue within workplaces with some staff loving being able to work from home and some (often senior management) disliking it. Many employers such as Frasers have moved to a hybrid model over the course of the last 2 years and are still adapting to this ‘new normal’. A key argument for working from home has always been that employees can be working during time they would otherwise commute. However there is growing evidence that this is not always the case and that home workers are often logging in earlier and logging off later but taking more time out during the day. Productivity is not therefore increasing, it is simply that staff are plugged in to work for longer which may work for some people but not necessarily others.
When staff are seen by managers and colleagues on social media or walking the dog during the working day it can lead to conflict and there has been a notable spike in Employment Tribunal claims around bullying by managers.
If you are facing challenges in managing the move to hybrid working and would like some professional advice as to your situation please contact our Employment Team on 0345 646 0406 or fill in our online enquiry form and a member of our Team will be in touch.