UK Office Staff Could Be Given a "Default" Right To Work From Home
The proposal would make it illegal for employers to insist staff on coming into the workplace.
The UK has recently recorded 9,055 new COVID-19 cases, the country’s highest since February. As the number of cases doesn’t seem to be decreasing, the government has proposed to give office staff the “default” right to work from home.
According to the Daily Mail, a Whitehall source stated: “We are looking at introducing a default right to flexible working. That would cover things like reasonable requests by parents to start late so they can drop their kids at childcare.” They added: “But in the case of office workers in particular it would also cover working from home – that would be the default right unless the employer could show good reason why someone should not.”
Meanwhile, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove suggested earlier this week that a “hybrid model” will become the “new normal” for many. “We won’t go back to the status quo,” Gove said. In addition, a Cabinet Office presentation was leaked, stating how the government shouldn’t recommend the public to go back to the office despite social distancing measures being lifted on July 19.
Stay tuned as we learn more about the situation.
