Employers are increasingly pushing for a return to the office, with some companies advocating for a full five-day workweek, while others set a minimum number of required in-office days. In some law firms, office attendance has even become a performance metric, motivating partners to spend more time at the office.
This has riled employees, resulting in a rise in employment tribunal cases. According to HR consultancy Hamilton Nash, tribunal claims involving remote working increased from 27 cases in 2021 to 47 cases in 2022, compared to just six cases in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, employers were thankful after an employment tribunal earlier this year rejected the case of a senior manager who sued the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) because she wanted to work at home full-time.
A survey conducted by KPMG predicts that 63% of UK-based global leaders will have their staff return to office-based work by 2026.
