20-06-2025
Primark orders staff back into the office for four days a week to improve productivity - but they can still WFH on Fridays and finish at 2pm
Primark has ordered employees in its product teams to be in the office for four days a week, as it becomes the latest major company to crack down on working from home.
The change will impact staff at its Arthur Ryan House global head office in Dublin from September 15, which is the start of the clothing retailer's next financial year.
But the 650 affected employees at Primark, whose parent firm is Associated British Foods (ABF), will still be allowed to work from home on Fridays and finish at 2pm.
Primark began a hybrid working model in September 2021 after the pandemic, when employees were told to return to the office for an average of three days per week.
But bosses are now upping this to four days, telling Drapers that their protect teams being together in-person 'strengthens productivity, creativity and development'.
Primark is the latest company to tighten its hybrid working policy, following others such as Barclays, Santander, PwC, Amazon, Boots, Asda, JP Morgan and WPP.
A spokesman said: 'After experiencing remote, hybrid, and full-time models in recent years, we will be reintroducing a four-day in-office work week for our product teams.
'We know when our product teams are together in-person, it strengthens productivity, creativity and development, ultimately delivering the best offering for our customers.
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows the proportion of workers carrying out hybrid working has increased since the early days of the pandemic
'We understand how important balance is and we will continue to offer flexible working hours, and remote working on Fridays with a 2pm finish.'
The move comes as it was revealed this week that John Lewis is asking some head office staff to be in the office or out on the road for at least three days a week.
The department store chain said its commercial teams working in buying and merchandising were being asked to only work from home for two days a week.
They were previously allowed to work at home for up to three days a week.
John Lewis cited training and development for 50 new members of staff as being a key reason for bringing commercial employees back into the office for more days each week.
Staff can also still request flexible working, but it needs to be agreed with their manager - and there is no impact on employees at Waitrose, which is part of the same business.
But some John Lewis workers have been unimpressed by the changes amid concerns over office staff at the company's new London head office in Pimlico, according to Retail Week.
A John Lewis spokesmand told MailOnline: 'Flexible working is an important part of our offer; everyone in our business can request to work flexibly, and most central office Partners have hybrid working arrangements in place.
'A collaborative culture is critical to help create the best product ranges and store environment for our customers and we're taking steps to encourage team members to spend time together in our offices, our stores, meeting brands and suppliers and balancing this with working remotely.
'We've also recruited around 50 new team members to help spearhead our range development and store modernisation - and their training and development is vital to set us up for success.'
Remote working policies were introduced by most companies during Covid-19 lockdowns, with office employees the most affected by them.
The most recent official data showed more than a quarter of the UK workforce is in hybrid work, meaning spending some days at the office and some at home.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said earlier this month that 28 per cent of working adults in Great Britain were hybrid working between January and March 2025.
Data also revealed the proportion of hybrid workers had gradually risen since March 2022, but those who only travel to work had declined.
Workers with a 'degree or equivalent' qualification are ten times more likely to hybrid work than those with no qualifications, according to the ONS which added that the proportion of workers engaged in hybrid work increased with higher income bands.
