Looking around at the state of businesses in Britain, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the way we work now isn’t working. According to the Office for National Statistics, 2.8 million people in the UK are off work with long-term sickness – 700,000 more than before the pandemic. Employees at Deliveroo and Uber Eats are striking over pay and conditions. Teachers complain that the hours of unpaid overtime they are expected to work amount to “daylight robbery”. In February, the government responded to a huge trial of reduced working hours by 61 organisations by saying, “We have no plans to introduce a four-day working week,” regardless of how successful the pilot had been. It seems that, across sectors, many workers are feeling disrespected and burnt out, and neither bosses nor policymakers can imagine doing anything differently. But in my experience, work doesn’t have to be this way.
Timpson, the business I joined in 1995, is both successful and takes care of its employees. In fact, I’d argue that we are successful precisely because we take care of our employees. This year we will open 50 new shops, on high streets and in retail parks, recruiting an extra 160 colleagues. I believe that in any business, if you have a strong culture and keep investing in your colleagues, you can survive disruptive times.
