Firms slam plans to give staff the right to ask for remote working when they start new jobs

Plans that will give millions of employees the right to demand to work from home on the first day of their new job have been criticized by company bosses.

The proposal the government revealed today as part of a new series of laws being drafted by ministers.

Whitehall wants to enable more flexible working, including job sharing, flextime and staggered hours to improve work-life balance.

But critics last night condemned the scheme saying it could hit small businesses and continue to deprive city centers of the influx of commuters, which has not fully recovered since the Covid-19 pandemic.

But plans to allow workers to demand to work from home on the first day of starting a new job could lead to a further reduction in passenger traffic, killing businesses that rely on the passenger trade. In the photo, people on London Bridge.

And today, employers launched a new attack on the scheme, with industry bosses claiming that workers could abuse the right to work from home.

Luke Johnson, a serial entrepreneur and president of the Gail’s bakery chain, told MailOnline: “Many millions are unable to work from home (WFH): garbage workers, store staff, delivery men, surgeons, etc. Many business leaders they feel that some employees abuse WFH and are less engaged, motivated and aware of their work.

‘All the regulations that tie the hands of businessmen will discourage investment. Britain is now a high-tax, high-regulation, high-debt, high-cost, low-growth economy. Why would anyone invest here?

The government hopes the new plans will be seen as a boost for employees, particularly those juggling work to care for children or an elderly relative.

Currently, workers can only demand to work from home after six months in a new job. The proposed legislation would bring this forward to day one.

Small Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake (pictured) said last night: “Giving staff more say in their work pattern makes employees happier and companies more productive.”

Small Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake said last night: ‘Giving staff more say in their work pattern makes employees happier and companies more productive. Simply put, it’s a no-brainer.

‘Greater flexibility over where, when and how people work is an integral part of our plan to make the UK the best place in the world to work.’

But the former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith also condemned the proposal, saying there was “no evidence” for what Hollinrake was saying.

He said: ‘For small businesses there are real problems here. They’re worried about these kinds of things, because what you end up with if you’re not careful is that small businesses have a hard time getting certain jobs done because people just say “I’m going home.”

“The government needs to make it clear that there is a way that small businesses will be able to deal with this.

Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith (pictured) said: “What you end up with if you’re not careful is small businesses finding it hard to do certain jobs because people just say ‘I’m going home’.”

“If you’re a big big multinational that has tons and tons of people around it, it’s not that much of a problem.”

Billionaire inventor Sir James Dyson has been among those calling on British workers to return to their offices.

The 75-year-old businessman, best known as the inventor of the Dyson bagless vacuum cleaner, warned that the work-from-home ‘revolution’ was ruining productivity.

The business magnate spoke out against the government’s flexible working proposals earlier this year, warning that the economy “cannot afford such indifferent approach’.

Accusing ministers of trying to decide in favor of business and ignoring the potential financial cost this could have for business, Sir James told the Telegraph:’Ministers seem determined to decide for us and go ahead with ‘making flexible working the standard’, the title of a recent government ‘consultation exercise’.

Billionaire Sir James Dyson, pictured in March 2015, has been among those demanding that work-from-home rules not be imposed on businesses.

In London, almost half of the city’s businesses have seen a boom in demand for remote work, according to the capital’s chamber of commerce.

But activists have hit back, demanding that job postings list the flexible work offer and give them the legal right rather than simply request it.

The head of the Trades Union Congress, Frances O’Grady, said: ‘Flexible work should be available to everyone.

“This is how we keep moms at work, close the gender pay gap and give dads more time with their children, and this is how we keep disabled workers, older workers and caregivers in their jobs.

“Allowing workers to apply for flexible work from day one on a job would be a small step in the right direction, but we would like to see the government go much further to ensure that flexible work now becomes the norm.”

‘Where’s the taxpayer value?’: Data reveals 90% of Welsh government staff still work from home

Around nine in ten Welsh government employees are still working from home, it recently emerged.

The Labour-led Welsh government will now offer office space to other public sector workers. This will ensure taxpayer-funded buildings are put to good use and “maximize the benefits of office, remote and hybrid work,” a spokesperson said.

But Welsh Conservatives said more should come in to ensure taxpayers’ money is not wasted heating nearly empty office buildings.

A general view of the Welsh seat of government in Cathays Park, Cardiff, in January 2021

In September, 10.4 percent of staff reported to Welsh government offices daily, an average of 549 staff out of more than 5,200. The Welsh government said this rose to 11 percent in October.

Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies asked if entire floors were being heated for just a few workers.

And he added: ‘We have exceptional facilities for our public servants to work.

‘If they are not used, where is the value for money for the taxpayer?’

Gareth Hills, national officer for the FDA Cymru Wales civil servants union, said the current number of staff working from home shows that “the pandemic has changed the world of work and I believe the change is permanent.”

“We are seeing an increase in hybrid work and that may allow for even more savings for taxpayers as less office space is needed,” he added.

It comes after huge delays have accumulated at DVLA, which is based in Swansea, South West Wales, partly due to remote work during the pandemic.

Tens of thousands of drivers were forced to wait months for documents if they sent them by mail.