Boss of electrical retailer sends out warning to staff working from home
THE boss of electricals retailer AO World has banned hybrid working.
John Roberts told staff they were either in work — or at home — all the time.
And he has warned those working from home that their jobs could be outsourced.
He told his 3,000 employees that hybrid working — coming in intermittently — was banned.
And he added: “Working from home, well you might as well be working abroad, which is only a step away from outsourcing.
“So you’re training me to outsource your roles abroad.”
Lockdowns led to the rise of so-called TWaTs, employees who only come in to the office on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays.
But Mr Roberts, who founded the Bolton-based business in 2000, insisted the company would choose who worked from home or not from now on.
He told The Sun: “If interaction with colleagues is important for you to do your job then you should be interacting with them, every day in the office.”
Mr Roberts warned workers were cheaper in places such as Bangalore, where many call centres are based.
Other bosses are privately concerned that those who do not come in, particularly younger workers, fail to make an impression and risk being passed up for promotion.
Amazon boss Andrew Jassy has called staff back three days a week saying they will be more “engaged”.
Wednesday is now the most popular day to be in the office, according to Virgin Media O2 Business.