How should HR handle staff who refuse to return to the office?
To continue reading please register or login to your OHW+ account. Yesterday evening, Boris Johnson confirmed that all remaining Covid-19 restrictions including working from home guidance will be removed on so-called freedom day. [pullquote]If someone just doesnt want to come back because they like that they dont commute and love that they can just work in their pyjamas then an employer could take disciplinary action and potentially dismiss them"  Tracey Hudson, the HR Dept[/pullquote] Although the news is likely to be welcomed by business groups such as the CBI and London First, who have pushed for the government to encourage staff back to offices in order to get towns and cities buzzing again , employers could face significant resistance from employees who are asked to return. Workday and Yonder Consulting research found that 56% of employees felt they were more productive while working from home and 53% were less stressed, while Benenden Health found 6% have a significant fear about returning to the office at this stage of the pandemic. Nevertheless, 62% of business owners and directors intend to ask home workers to return to the physical workplace even if employees feel uncomfortable doing so, according to Benenden Healths survey. Kate Palmer, director of HR advice at Peninsula UK, advised organisations to determine why employees are reluctant to return to the office and have a conversation with them bearing in mind their circumstances, government advice and business needs. It comes as no surprise that employers may face a situation where employees refuse to return to the office after 18 months of working from home, Palmer said. Employers should be careful not to force staff to return to the workplace as this could lead to a decline in staff retention and/or morale or even cases of automatic unfair dismissal if health and safety issues are raised and found to be unlawfully practised in the workplace. "But if staff are still reluctant to return to the workplace for non-health-related reasons, discipl