Working from residence criticism sparks anger: ‘We will not be lazy’ | EUROtoday

The BBC has heard from a whole lot of people that have been angered by feedback by the previous boss of M&S and Asda that working from house is “not proper work”.

In an interview with Panorama, Lord Rose instructed the BBC that residence working was a part of the UK economic system’s “general decline” and staff’ productiveness was struggling.

More than 350 individuals, the vast majority of whom help working from residence, contacted the BBC with their tales.

One of them was Alba, 52, from Dorking, who’s at present looking for a distant job. “We are not lazy. We don’t want to golf all day.”

Alba, who beforehand labored as a enterprise administrator, lives with persistent ache, journey illness and migraines, and says she must work at home to handle her situation.

“I just want a comfortable environment where I can deal with my health issues,” she says.

Out of 357 responses submitted by people who selected to contact the BBC, 250 individuals mentioned working from residence was important, with many citing well being points as a key cause for versatile working

“I’m not in senior management, I’m not asking for a high salary, I just don’t want to be on sickness benefits and that’s what will happen if I can’t work from home,” says Alba.

She provides that her well being points as soon as resulted in an ambulance being referred to as at work.

Clare McNeil, director at Timewise, a consultancy specialising in versatile working insurance policies, highlights that the advantages of distant work prolong to employers as properly, with such insurance policies decreasing workers turnover and illness absence.

Mark Mortensen, affiliate professor of organisational behaviour on the enterprise faculty INSEAD, says defining productiveness may be difficult, significantly in artistic and collaborative roles.

But Rebecca Mitchell, 38, a software program engineer from London, says the distinction in her productiveness at work has been “drastic” since she began working from residence 10 years in the past.

Rebecca, who has ADHD, says that earlier than working remotely, she struggled to remain employed.

“Working from an office adds too much stress and leads to a wealth of mental health issues for me,” she says.

She says that whereas earlier than, she felt missed for profession development due to her incapacity, since working from residence her wage has tripled.

“Autism and ADHD are only now being accepted. People understand neurodivergence now like they didn’t before.

“People like me depend on working from residence in an effort to be a productive a part of the workforce.”

The shift towards working from home has increased in the UK since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

While the trend in working only from home has fallen since 2021, a hybrid-working model – some days travelling to work and some days working at home – has become the new normal for many people.

According to a snapshot survey from the Office for National Statistics25% of working adults in Great Britain were hybrid working in January 2025, while 15% were working from home. The data shows where people said they were working on the day they completed the survey, rather than their wider working pattern.

But, of the BBC’s responses, 50 were against working from home.

One of those was Hannah, 31, a technical support manager in Birmingham.

After the pandemic, her employer shut down all its offices so she had to work remotely full-time. She says this has taken a toll on her mental, physical and financial health, prompting her to consider changing careers and moving house to improve her situation.

“It appears like I’m in a lockdown that is by no means going to finish,” she says.

Lord Rose, who recently stepped down as Asda’s chairman, told the BBC: “We have regressed on this nation by way of working practices, productiveness and the nation’s wellbeing.”

For Hannah, who is single, remote work has left her feeling isolated.

“All the individuals who love working from residence are in relationships, or have youngsters, dwell with household – they don’t seem to be 100% alone on a regular basis like me.”