Advertising group WPP will require more than 100,000 employees to return to office work at least four days a week in the latest sign of employers tightening work-from-home policies since the end of the pandemic. I told him.
WPP CEO Mark Read said in a memo to staff on Tuesday: . . Most of us will spend an average of four days a week in the office. ”
He added that WPP’s success “remains reliant on the fundamentals of relationships, creativity and relationships,” adding: “We do our best work when we are together in person.”
Previously, individual WPP-owned agencies had set their own hybrid working policies, while group headquarters staff were required to be in the office three days a week.
The news makes WPP, which employs around 110,000 people in offices around the world, the latest major global employer to ask employees to return to the office more fully in the new year. Starting this month, Amazon is telling employees around the world they should work in the office five days a week, with Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy saying the previous three-day work week policy has “benefits.” “I have strengthened my confidence in this,” he said. I’m in the office.
In the UK, BT asked its 50,000 office workers to return to the office at least three days a week from the start of the year. Other UK employers tightening rules on working from home this month include PwC, Santander and Asda, with companies’ attitudes to working set to change since the pandemic ended around the world. It shows that there are widespread changes.
WPP found that improved office attendance was associated with “stronger employee engagement, higher client survey scores, and improved financial performance,” Reid said, adding: Ta. “Many of our clients are moving in this direction and expect it from the teams they work with.” ”
Employers may now face a new challenge: a lack of office space as they bring more staff back from working from home.
WPP said it will “detailed plans in the coming months to address capacity requirements and other related areas” for its global offices.
The UK-listed advertising group will soon open new offices at One Southwark Bridge Road in London, which will house mainly GroupM media agencies and around 2,500 employees. This was the former headquarters of the Financial Times.
The new office will join the company’s headquarters across the road at Rose Court and nearby Sea Container House as one of three office campuses in London employing around 10,000 people.
In his New Year’s note, Reed also referenced the merger of two of the company’s biggest rivals, IPG and Omnicom, announced last month, noting that “industry consolidation and competition for position may distract competitors. But in 2025, focus will be paramount for us.” .
