BBC star and business magnate Lord Alan Sugar has hit out at PwC after the professional services firm confirmed it would be reducing working hours for staff over the summer.
PwC has said from June 1 to the end of August employees will be able to condense their working week to finish at lunchtime on Fridays. The Big Four firm employs more than 580 staff at its offices at Glass Wharf in Bristol.
The shortened summer hours were piloted by the company in 2021 as part of its hybrid working policy - and are now being offered again this year. The firm's approach to hybrid working also includes flexible bank holidays, allowing staff to take up to two bank holidays at a time that suits them.
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According to a PwC survey of 6,000 staff, more than 90% said they thought the policy of summer working hours was a good idea; 73% said it positively impacted their general wellbeing; and 93% said it positively impacted their day-to-day working experience throughout July and August.
But Lord Sugar, who founded computer company Amstrad, has slammed PwC over the move, writing on Twitter the plan was a "total joke".
He wrote: "Call me old fashioned but all this work from home BS is a total joke. There is no way people work as hard or productive as when they had to turn up at a work location. The pandemic has had long lasting negative effect."
Kevin Ellis, chairman and senior partner at PwC UK, said: “We knew summer working hours would be popular with our people, but the positive impact on wellbeing surpassed expectations. Not everyone could take every Friday, but they benefited from less email traffic when they did and a chance to switch off properly.
“We’ve had another exceptionally busy year and as we approach the summer holiday period, we hope our policy gives people more time for themselves, their friends and their families.”
The issue of flexible working has divided opinion since Covid restrictions were lifted completely in February.
Vaccuum cleaner tycoon James Dyson has been highly vocal about the subject, saying last year the chances of the next generation would "suffer” if British workers did not return to the office.
Alex Davies, founder and chief executive of Bristol-based investment firm Wealth Club, agrees. He told BristolLive that allowing staff to work from home could have a negative effect on a company.
He said: You can spend more time at home, potentially more time on your own things but overall for most businesses it is a negative thing and if it is negative for businesses it will end up being negative for employees too.”
But Bristol-based Alice Stephenson, founder of law firm Stephenson Law, believes remote working is here to stay. She recently criticised a London law firm that allows staff to work from home full time - but only if they take a pay cut.
“Times have changed and remote working is here to stay. For the business, remote working can result in a decreased environmental impact, reduced overhead costs, and a widened recruitment pool," she said.
“I believe the future of the working world should be a people-first enterprise, and remote working is a key part of facilitating that.”
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