Working from home 'not proper work,' ex-Asda and M&S boss says

The former boss of Asda and Marks & Spencer has said remote working has created a generation who are “not doing proper work”.

Lord Stuart Rose told BBC One’s Panorama that working from home made people less productive and led to the “general decline” of the UK economy.

“We have regressed in this country in terms of working practices, productivity and in terms of the country’s wellbeing, I think, by 20 years in the last four,” he said.

Remote working became widespread during the Covid-19 lockdowns, with the number of people working from home more than doubling from 4.7 million in late 2019 to 9.9 million by early 2022.

The latest official figures show that 28% of the UK workforce now works in a hybrid model, 13% work fully remotely, and 44% commute to a workplace.

But recently a growing number of companies including Amazon, Boots and JP Morgan have called their employees back to the office to work full-time.

Lord Rose claimed working from home makes people less productive, linking it to the “general decline” of the UK economy. / Credit: PA

Lord Rose called Asda’s 5,000-strong team of head office workers back to the office for at least three days a week in 2024.

A biography of the former chief on Asda’s website says: “Stuart appears to have no hobbies apart from work and has a dog called Bruce.”

Rebecca Florisson, principal analyst at the Work Foundation at Lancaster University called the recent rollback on hybrid and remote work “unhelpful”.

“For many workers, remote work is not a ‘nice to have’ but a key element to their ability to get into and remain in work. Disabled workers have indicated that working from home allows them to better manage their condition and report maintained or improved productivity.

“Ultimately, there is no convincing evidence that remote and hybrid working is affecting companies’ productivity or bottom line.”