Do the Public and Private Sector in the UK promote WFH or RTO?

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Frosty_Leg4438@reddit

The issue I have with this balance of WFH and RTO is it’s always presented as a universal rule (which is stupid). It should be up to individual managers to decide what will make their team/service more productive. If you’re a London based client facing team with swanky offices, I suspect a near full time office role would make sense AND be liked by staff. If you’re a developer in a small village in Wales and the company’s office is a hotdesk building in a business park in Cardiff, I doubt the team will get any benefit and the staff will hate it. Just leave it to managers to manage.

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Which-World-6533@reddit

>If you’re a London based client facing team with swanky offices, I suspect a near full time office role would make sense AND be liked by staff. I wouldn't say it's liked. Last time I was in a "swanky office" people would turn up for morning meetings and drift off by lunch time. The only reason for staying a full day was to get a few beers around 4. Travelling to and from an office and also getting lunch makes working in an office really unpalatable. The only people who seem to enjoy are those who have small children...

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quebexer@reddit (OP)

RTO for the "Culture" 😂 [https://www.tiktok.com/@jordanreviewsittt/video/7330300492813389102](https://www.tiktok.com/@jordanreviewsittt/video/7330300492813389102)

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quebexer@reddit (OP)

I work on IT and I hate going to the Office for the following reasons: * My company is a Managed Service Provider, so the people I deal with don't work for my company. Even when I go to the office, I still need to video-call my team-mates and clients. * I got a mini command centre at home with a large desk, multiple screens, fast Internet, etc. When I'm at work I need to cramp myself into a small cubicle with my laptop and a crappy external screen. * My productivity decreases from the office because when I'm at home I have time to stretch myself, work out, log-in earlier, read my emails, and if I'm working on something in the afternoon, I can stay an additional 30 mins to finish what I'm doing. but if I'm at the office, I leave right away because I need to catch public transport.

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Beartato4772@reddit

RTO will of course do absolutely nothing for "Downtown" outside of rent for the office buildings owned by the officials who write the legislation and the people who own the private companies but also real estate.

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quebexer@reddit (OP)

In Canada, the situation is different than the UK, because without mixed zones, people don't actually live in Downtown. If we had mixed zones, people will go in the morning to their local coffee shop, and hit the pub on Friday nights.

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MFA_Nay@reddit

According to research from the Office for National Statistics and Kings College London most sectors on average have settled on hybrid 2-3 days in the office and the other lot in the office. This has stabilised over last few years. Similar trends have happened across the USA. Arguably the USA has better longitudinal data than the UK annoyingly. Nicholas Bloom from Harvard is a good source on this stuff. Most the discourse in the UK on return to office or remote tends to be from one-off large employers, or industry specific, doomsters, or media framing. Or simply, unrepresentative and ungeneralisible bad insights.

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graeme_1988@reddit

Depends where you work. RTO mandate usually indicates company performance issues. It never really works. I think if the company culture is full of middle management types, then RTO works for them. Presenteeism often equates to working, so they need to be seen. If companies measure output and value, allowing flexibility works for them. I’m simplifying it a lot, but that seems to be my experience. Those who make a living by being there but produce little tend to prefer RTO

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continentaldreams@reddit

My company is super strict - but then again I work in finance and the industry is ran by old men who don't know any better. Thankfully in my role I can come and go as I please - but all the lower level staff are in the office 4 days a week. It sucks and stagnates recruitment, but they are stuck in their ways.

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Legitimate-Leg-4720@reddit

I imagine it depends on industry, but as an architect it seems like most places are full RTO or 1-2 day WFH at most.

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ResponsibilityOld372@reddit

Both full time WFH and RTO is rare. A mix is usually the case for offices with more percentage in office than WFH. Obviously if it's a front facing job then you won't usually have the option at all.

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Jezbod@reddit

UK Public Sector and we only work 2-3 days a week in the office, we have downsized the property to "enforce" the numbers in the office.

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fernofry@reddit

Most companies want Return to Office now If you're lucky, you retained one or two days from home. I know a few people that got lucky and have kept mostly WFH but they are exceptions not the rule as newer staff are back to the office

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Affectionate-Owl9594@reddit

It varies industry to industry and company to company. I’m private sector professional services and am free to come and go as I please, whereas my friend in the same sector at a company of similar size is mandated 3dpw in-office.

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Do the Public and Private Sector in the UK promote WFH or RTO?

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15 Comments

Frosty_Leg4438@reddit

Which-World-6533@reddit

quebexer@reddit (OP)

quebexer@reddit (OP)

Beartato4772@reddit

quebexer@reddit (OP)

MFA_Nay@reddit

graeme_1988@reddit

continentaldreams@reddit

Legitimate-Leg-4720@reddit

ResponsibilityOld372@reddit

Jezbod@reddit

fernofry@reddit

Affectionate-Owl9594@reddit

AutoModerator@reddit