Thousands of people have signed a petition asking the world’s largest advertising agency, WPP, to repeal a new rule requiring employees to come into the office four days a week.
Mark Read, the chief executive of the group which employs 111,000 people worldwide, wrote in a January 7 memo: “From the beginning of April this year, there will be an expectation within WPP that most of us spend an average of four days a week. in the office. »
Staff criticized Mr Read for “burying” the news in the ninth paragraph, towards the bottom of the newsletter, with most only learning of the change when it was reported in the trade media.
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Sky News has also learned that a number of senior executives are considering exits from various WPP-owned companies following the news.
One said: “It’s hard enough in the industry to find and retain talent, and this mandate will only make it more difficult. »
“We can only expect more people to choose to leave. As a result, staff morale has already taken a big hit…in a month where many are already feeling negative, both financially and mentally.
An executive looking to leave another WPP-owned agency said: “There is deep dismay at how this has been handled. A certain degree of consultation and debate was required.
The insider said the move “does not give an indication that the WPP leadership cares about its people.”
Staff speculate that “this is a way of pushing people out the door, thereby saving WPP from paying redundancy terms once AI takes hold.”
“If I were a potential client, I would ask myself: will WPP retain its staff? If they have doubts, they might look elsewhere. This may seem positive for shareholders, but it will have long-term consequences. »
A WPP spokesperson told Sky News: “We believe this is the right policy for the long-term interests of the business as a whole, recognizing that it will not be popular with everyone. And we will take the time to implement it in a collaborative and pragmatic way with our teams.
Warren Johnson, founder and chief executive of public relations firm W Communications, which has 200 employees and imposes a four-day work week, recently suggested that companies might now cut pay for those who do not wish to return to work. desk.
He told the PR Week podcast: “If you’re a bit more industrious, you’re quite happy to get through your to-do list but you don’t really get stuck into the rest of the business, working from home is great , and you will start to see compensation evolve accordingly.
The petition’s authors shared the results of an employee survey, which suggested that of the 1,294 respondents, 98% wanted the mandate revoked, while 58% strongly disagreed with “the vision and ‘efficiency’ of Mark Read as Managing Director.
The petition argues that “the mental and social effects on employees due to such rigid work regimes can be considerable.”
They ask the director general to adopt a “conscious and inclusive” approach to work.
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When asked how they could prove to management that all the signatories were genuine WPP employees, organizers said they would be able to validate the list.
They later told Sky News: “WPP has carried out a significant number of recruitments during the post-COVID ‘remote first’ period.
“As well as long journeys, this mandate effectively represents an indirect pay cut for many employees who will suddenly have to pay potentially thousands of pounds to cover their transport costs each year.
“Leaders, line managers and employees across the WPP network have been scrambling to find answers that don’t exist while HR teams are scrambling to react reactively.
The WPP share price has fallen more than 12% since the start of the year.