John Lewis has ordered commercial teams to work from the office more frequently, in a shake-up of its hybrid working policy.
Members of its commercial and buying teams will need to work from either a John Lewis office, store or visit a supplier at least three days a week. Previously they were allowed to work from home three days a week.
John Lewis has recently expanded its commercial teams as part of its turnaround plan. The shake-up would improve “collaboration” between teams, as well as help new recruits bed in, it said.
Partners were informed of the changes this week. The Grocer understands that Waitrose employees are unaffected by the change, which was first reported by Retail Week.
“Flexible working is an important part of our offer; everyone in our business can request to work flexibly, and most central office partners have hybrid working arrangements in place,” said a JLP spokesman, confirming the changes.
“A collaborative culture is critical to help create the best product ranges and store environment for our customers and we’re taking steps to encourage team members to spend time together in our offices, our stores, meeting brands and suppliers and balancing this with working remotely,” he said.
John Lewis has recruited around 50 new partners to its range development and store modernisation teams, the spokesman said. “Their training and development is vital to set us up for success,” he added.
Retailers rolling back work from home policies
Last year John Lewis moved its London headquarters from Victoria to a new office in Pimlico. The retailer rejected claims from some partners, reported by Retail Week, that the new site does not have enough desks to accommodate teams being in the office more frequently.
It follows a trend across the sector as retailers dial back on working from home policies introduced during the pandemic. Asda ordered staff to return to the office three days a week in February 2024, following a restructure of its head office. Health and wellness retailer Boots went further in March 2024, ordering staff back to its various offices in Nottingham, London and Surrey five days a week.
It’s the latest in a string of people changes rolled out by the John Lewis Partnership as it looks to kick on with its turnaround plan, following a tripling of profits last year. Earlier this month, the partnership confirmed it would slim down its partnership council, and reintroduce staff forums at every site in a shake-up of its democratic structure.
Shop floor staff are also undergoing additional training in order to improve customer service, following a restructure of in-store hours as part of the partnership’s ’Simpler Shops’ programme, at both Waitrose and John Lewis.
Ultimately, the retailer aims to strip thousands of roles from the business by 2029, as part of its cost-cutting plan, by improving its use of technology and by reducing the number of specialised roles to ensure partners work more flexibility across all areas of stores. However, the partnership has insisted that the reduction would come through “natural attrition”.
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