Inside Frasers Group revocation of WFH

Frasers Group, a British retail giant which owns Sports Direct and House of Fraser, has decided to stop its staff from working from home on Fridays – so-called ‘Frasers Fridays’.

This initiative was introduced by at the end of 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It seems the option is available to all 25,000 staff, whether they work on the frontline or in head office.

But now Mike Ashley’s retail group is revoking the privilege – and calling workers back into the office five days a week – because it claims that workers are taking advantage and not actually working productively on Fridays.

In an internal memo, Frasers Group’s COO David Al-Mudallal wrote that “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”.In an internal memo, Frasers Group’s COO David Al-Mudallal wrote that “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”.

Al-Mudallal noted that, therefore, Fridays had become “an unproductive day of the week”.

A spokesperson for Frasers Group told the Guardian: “We have an incredible workforce of dedicated colleagues, and in-person collaboration is key to how we deliver value together.

"We believe that we are all at our best when we work together in an office environment.”"We believe that we are all at our best when we work together in an office environment.”

Frasers Group is far from the only employer in the UK and beyond that believes that remote work equals unproductivity and that the office is the solution.

But is the retail giant’s decision a sensible one given that the ‘Great Resignation’ is real, and raging on, particularly in frontline sectors? What are the legal implications of this decision? What else should the employer have done if they were worried about productivity on Fridays?

UNLEASH put these questions to HR experts to find out their advice for Frasers Group and other employers considering following suit.

Retracting flexible working in the ‘Great Resignation’

Chris Donnelly, CEO and co-founder of Lottie and founder at VERB, and Time Etc founder and productivity expert Barnaby Lashbrooke both see Frasers Group’s move as a “knee jerk reaction”.

Lashbrooke tells UNLEASH that “faced with staff underachieving on Fridays” the retail giant has leaped to the conclusion that remote working is to blame.

This approach is misguided in two ways.

First of all, Fridays are often the least productive, quieter days (irrespective of whether people are working from home or in the office), as noted by SVC Solutions’ senior HR business partner Katy Williams.

Second, it assumes that office working is inherently more productive than remote work. “We all know that just because you’re in an office doesn’t mean you’re being productive”, shares Lashbrooke.

In fact, researchshows that many employees were actually more productive when working from home during the pandemic.

For instance, a Qualtricsstudy found that 51% of workers were more productive when working from home during COVID-19 - just 15% were less productive at home.

55% of managers agreed on productivity; the reasons for being more productive at home were the lack of commuting time (26%) and having fewer interruptions (24%).

Lottie’s Donnelly sees this “knee jerk reaction”, that was “made from a state of worry and panic”, as something that Frasers Group “will come to regret”.

This is because the office mandate will lead to even more disengaged employees who do not feel trusted by their employer. None of this is good for productivity and could create a retention crisis.

“My guess is that [Frasers Group] employees are some of the best in the industry, and are desperately in mind”, so this revocation of flexible working will lead some to make a decision to look “for another job with a similar salary that does offer it”, notes Donnelly.“My guess is that [Frasers Group] employees are some of the best in the industry, and are desperately in mind”, so this revocation of flexible working will lead some to make a decision to look “for another job with a similar salary that does offer it”, notes Donnelly.

“All round I think it’s a bit of a disaster. Location is nothing to do with the quality of work that people produce”, adds Donnelly.

Diversity consultant Sheryl Miller adds: “Since the pandemic proved that virtually every office job can be done from home, many employees have come to expect it as a right. We don’t want to go back to the way it was.”

Therefore, Miller sees mandating a return to the office as a bad idea. “Don’t give your employees another reason to add to the ‘Great Resignation’ statistics".

The legal argument against office mandates

Unfortunately, this decision may mean Frasers Group will face more than just retention challenges, the retailer could be in legal hot water.

Sally Gwilliam, senior employment law solicitor at Harper James, tells UNLEASH that “companies should think carefully and take legal advice before making any blanket changes to their employees’ flexible working pattern”.

She adds that this change could be seen as a breach of contract, as well as potentially discriminatory - for instance, those with chronic conditions or caregiving responsibilities often thrive in flexible working environments.

This means that “making such changes without consultation or consent could lead to costly changes”. This is particularly the case as in the UK, any employee with 26 weeks of service “has the right to request flexible working, which could include a change to their days, hours or place of work (like working from home on a Friday).”

Ultimately, legally, it is sensible for employers to not make blanket changes, instead, they need to make room for employees and their individual needs.

From the reporting on the Frasers Group’s move, it seems to be a blanket policy against flexible working. However, this does not mean the company is not allowing for exceptions.

UNLEASH has reached out to Frasers Group to find out more detail, but is yet to receive a response.

How to drive productivity at work

We’ve established that revoking flexible working policies runs the risk of attrition and legal challenges. So, assuming that productivity issues are the genuine reasoning behind the office mandate at Frasers Group, what could the employer have done differently?

The experts that UNLEASH spoke to highlighted the importance of sitting down and listening to employees about their productivity challenges.

Former UK CEO of Porsche and BMW, turned leadership expert, Kevin Gaskell comments that businesses must make sure “people have the opportunity to do their job to the best of their capabilities” whether that is in the office or at home.

Therefore, “the question is how do we improve productivity, morale and motivation, and it’s not necessarily by insisting that people are either in or out of the office”.

Instead, “it requires a sophisticated discussion with staff to find the most productive way to organize the team”.

SVC Solutions’ Williams agrees. She recommends that companies implement an employee listening survey to find out why employees are struggling to be productive on Fridays (or any other day).

It could be they don’t have enough work to do, it could be that they have a bad relationship with their manager, or they don’t have the right tools to do their work well.

Miller agrees, and she continues that businesses can help here by “making sure there are clear daily or weekly tasks”.

Time Etc’s Lashbrooke continues: “Goal setting and creating accountability can work really well to keep people on track”. In his view this is much better than “mandating a commute”, and will have the serendipitous effect of staving off an attrition crisis.

Lottie’s Donnelly adds that managers have a crucial role to play (SVC Solutions’ Williams agrees), as do processes, particularly if you want to create that culture of trust that an office mandate would erode.

On the topic of processes, WorkJam’s managing director for EMEA Mark Williams notes that technology can help employees feel “heard, motivated and valued”.

He particularly argues that it can help upskill employees, and ensure they are being challenged at work. Those who “aren’t…allowed a chance to develop new skills are usually those who are unproductive. Technology that can track, reward and update employees’ skills is essential to the motivation of your team”.He particularly argues that it can help upskill employees, and ensure they are being challenged at work. Those who “aren’t…allowed a chance to develop new skills are usually those who are unproductive. Technology that can track, reward and update employees’ skills is essential to the motivation of your team”.

SVC Solutions’ Williams agrees on the role training can play in employee engagement.

Ultimately, for Miller, Frasers Group needs to do “some serious soul searching [and] a lot of listening”.

It is important to treat employees as adults, and not make snap decisions about their productivity challenges without talking to them first.

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