Exclusive Vodafone is warning staff in the UK to work onsite at least eight days a month or be subject to disciplinary action from April.
Group UK employees were last week sent the “Hybrid Working at Vodafone” memo - seen by The Register - to highlight the policy and tell them to expect a year-end conversation with their line manager.
"You will have read in Get Ready for Year-End Conversations and a Hybrid Working Reminder [documents] that your line manager may discuss hybrid working with you as part of your year-end conversation.
"We therefore want to remind everyone of the Group UK Hybrid Working policy. It's essential that all employees adhere to the expectation of being in the office 2-3 times a week, or at least eight days a month," it states.
"Employees who are not fully compliant with our hybrid working policy by the end of Q1 may be subject to disciplinary action in line with policy. Continued non-compliance with attendance expectations could result in a final written warning, which would mean individuals are not meeting the minimum performance standards and therefore would not be eligible for a bonus in 2026 or in subsequent years in which a final warning is given."
Line managers can ask team members to attend the office on a specific day if reasonable notice is given and are advised to set team days to "help teach members to form a pattern." Vodafone has operated a hybrid work policy since 2021 "following the pandemic."
Vodafone, which promotes how to "implement a remote working policy and overcome obstacles" in its marketing material for customers, starts its new financial year on April 1, otherwise known as April Fools' Day.
Insiders told us that in the past six to nine months, Vodafone had encouraged people to come back. "It is now a mandate," said one.
"This is despite reducing office space at their offices in Newbury and Paddington, offshoring roles to Málaga [Spain], Romania, India, and other countries, and having some colleagues on legacy contracts based at home in the UK.
"This means that when you attend the office, most collaboration is spent on video calls with people in other offices around the world, or in the same office at different desks because there aren't enough meeting rooms."
The telco's UK operation, which is merging with Three UK, insisted there is no change in corporate policy.
"Vodafone's hybrid working policy has been in place since 2021, with all employees expected to be in the office 2-3 times a week, or at least eight days a month. This allows flexibility for staff, and for them to benefit from in-office collaboration."
It did not comment on the threat to bonuses or the mandate.
The memo confirms staff on home-based working or field-based working contracts do not need to comply with the eight-day policy.
For context, other tech vendors have insisted on getting staff back into the office even more frequently, including Amazon and Meta. There is some flexibility in Vodafone's model, though clearly not everyone is happy with it.
Last week it emerged that Google co-founder Sergei Brin dispatched a memo to engineers working on AI, saying they should expect to be in the office "at least" every weekday as part of a hardcore 60-hour working week.
Studies have shown that there is no discernible rise in productivity from demanding employees return to the office, though there are some that found people had threatened to look for a new job in response, and it had an impact on morale.
According to McKinsey research, published in February, it polled thousands of employees in the US working in person, hybrid and more models who said their overall "work experience needs improvement."
"In fact, respondents across working models say their organizations are doing a poor job of supporting five core practices that drive performance and strengthen organizational health: collaboration, connectivity, innovation, mentorship, and skill development. Leaders frequently cite these practices as top reasons for getting their people back in the office."
McKinsey found a "surge in RTO" (return to office) in 2023 and 2024. "We tested the perceptions of employees who work mostly in person, hybrid, or mostly remote, as well as the relationship between the working model and certain outcomes related to productivity.
"The results show that there is no clear winner when it comes to a working model that provides a high level of employee experience and productivity. In-person, remote, and hybrid workers all report mostly similar levels of intent to quit, burnout, effort, and satisfaction.
"This pattern largely holds true regardless of gender, though there are slight differences across generations and caregiving status." ®