London, Europe Brief News – A British law firm has offered its employees the option to work from home permanently. But, they will take a 20% pay cut.
The British firm, Stephenson Harwood, said it would allow staff to work remotely but pay them 20% less than their current salary.
Many companies are struggling to encourage their workforce back into the office as COVID restrictions are increasingly being eased in cities all over the world.
A recent survey found that 76% of Apple employees are unhappy with the tech giant’s return-to-office policy, which requires corporate workers to be in the office once a week.
Meanwhile, only around half of Goldman Sachs employees showed up to work at the company’s Manhattan headquarters when the office reopened in March, despite CEO David Solomon’s famous belief that remote work is “an aberration that we’re going to correct as quickly as possible.”
Some argue workers are less productive when unsupervised at home. Others say without the commute they work longer hours, often spilling over into evenings and weekends and face fewer distractions.
Most recently cabinet office minister Jacob Rees-Mogg sparked controversy when he said all civil servants must stop working from home. and left notes on empty desks saying “I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon.”
Academic studies suggest remote working can boost productivity. And many private sector firms have found that hybrid working, allowing a combination of home and office work, frees up space and improves staff satisfaction.
