Business tycoon Lord Alan Sugar has criticised PwC after the professional services firm announced plans for shorter working hours for staff over the summer.
From June 1 to the end of August, PwC’s employees will be able to condense their working week to finish at lunchtime on Fridays. The summer working 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.
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 The Apprentice 's Lord Sugar has slammed the company over the move, writing on Twitter the plan was a "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."
This is a bloody joke. The lazy gits make me sick. 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. pic.twitter.com/MvS2cX9K8C
— Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar)
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.
North East Somerset MP Jacob Rees-Mogg was recently slammed after he left controversial notes on the desks of civil servants in an effort to stop them working from home. The notes said: “Sorry you were out when I visited. I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon. With every good wish, Rt Hon Jacob Rees-Mogg MP.”
Vaccuum cleaner tycoon James Dyson has also 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, told BusinessLive that allowing staff to work from home could have a negative effect on a company.
But Alice Stephenson, founder of law firm Stephenson Law, believes remote working is here to stay. She 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 told BusinessLive .
“I believe the future of the working world should be a people-first enterprise, and remote working is a key part of facilitating that.”
