Advertising executives at a FTSE giant are the latest set of workers to be told to come back into the office as working from home policies continue to fade across the UK.
Staff at London-listed ad giant WPP, which owns agencies including Ogilvy and Wunderman Thompson, will now be expected to come into the office at least four days a week.
Employees working at WPP headquarters in the capital had previously only been required to go into the office three days a week, but will now be expected to come in more often and also work in the office at least two Fridays each month.
In an email written to everyone in the company, chief executive Mark Read said he believed ‘we do our best work when we are together in person’.
He also wrote: ‘It’s easier to learn from each other, it’s a better way to mentor colleagues starting out in the industry, and it helps us win pitches as a truly integrated team.’
WPP becomes the latest employer to move away from the pandemic-era of working, as companies across the UK continue to crack down on working from home.
On Tuesday, Scotland Yard vowed to get tough on those who won’t return to their desk after mass industrial action started this week because workers were told they couldn’t remain working at home all the time.
Elsewhere, America’s biggest bank JP Morgan was reported to be preparing to order staff back into the office five days a week, while major rival Goldman Sachs changed its policy in 2023 by demanding staff come in for the full working week.
And global brands such as Amazon, Google, Meta and Apple have also clamped down on home working in recent years.
WPP bosses said data from across its agencies had shown that higher levels of office attendance resulted in ‘stronger employee engagement, improved client survey scores and better financial performance’.
But the company, which employs 114,000 worldwide, said it would not be returning to pre-pandemic ways of working and individual agencies within the group had been permitted to set their own policies for flexible working.
The company also said it take individual circumstances into account, with a formal approval process for exceptions to the new rules.
Mr Read said: ‘For all our technological sophistication, we remain a people business. Across everything we do, our success still relies on the fundamentals of human connection, creativity and relationships.
‘More of our clients are moving in this direction [working in the office] and expecting it of the teams who work with them.’
WPP currently has two London sites at the Sea Containers building and Rose Court, but is currently preparing to open new London offices on the site of the former Financial Times building by Southwark Bridge.
It recently lost its crown as the world’s largest advertising agency to rival Publicis, while its rivals Omnicom and Interpublic are gearing up to merge in a $30bn (£24bn) deal.
Speaking about this agreement in the email, Mr Read said: ‘While industry mergers and jostling for status may distract our competitors, focus will be paramount for us in 2025.’