'We are not lazy' - Working from home criticism sparks anger - Voice of Asia

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has received feedback from hundreds of people expressing anger over comments made by the former bosses of Marks & Spencer (M&S) and Asda, who claimed that working from home is "not proper work." In an interview with the "Panorama" program, Lord Rose told the BBC that working from home is part of a "general decline" in the UK economy, with employee productivity falling.

Over 350 people contacted the BBC to share their experiences, with the majority supporting working from home. Among them was Alba, a 52-year-old resident from a well-to-do area, who is currently seeking remote work. "We're not lazy, we don't want to play golf all day," said Alba, a former business administrator who suffers from chronic pain, motion sickness, and migraines. She stated that she needs to work from home to manage her conditions. "I just want a comfortable environment where I can manage my health issues," she said.

Of the 357 individual responses submitted to the BBC, 250 stated that working from home was crucial, with many citing health issues as the primary reason for needing flexible work. "I'm not a senior manager, I'm not asking for high pay, I just don't want to claim sickness benefits, which would happen if I couldn't work from home," Alba said. She added that her health problems had previously led to ambulances being called to her workplace.

Claire McNeill, director at Timewise, a consultancy specializing in flexible work policies, emphasized that the benefits of remote work also extend to employers, with such policies potentially reducing employee turnover and sick leave. Mark Mortensen, an associate professor of organizational behavior at INSEAD Business School, stated that defining productivity can be challenging, particularly in creative and collaborative roles. However, Rebecca Mitchell, a 38-year-old software engineer from London, said her productivity has seen a "massive" change since she started working from home 10 years ago.

Rebecca, who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), said that before remote work, she struggled to hold down a job. "Being in the office was too stressful for me and caused me a lot of mental health issues," she said. She stated that she previously felt overlooked in her career development due to her disability, but since working from home, her salary has tripled. "Autism and ADHD are only now being accepted. People are now understanding neurodiversity, as they didn't before," she said. "People like me rely on working from home to be a productive part of the workforce."

The trend of working from home in the UK has increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. While the trend of working solely from home has decreased since 2021, hybrid working patterns—spending some days at work and some days at home—have become the new normal for many. According to a snapshot survey from the UK's Office for National Statistics, in January 2025, 25% of working adults in the UK were using a hybrid working model, while 15% were working from home. These figures indicate where people were working on the day they completed the survey, rather than their wider working patterns.

However, 50 of the responses received by the BBC were against working from home. One of these was Hannah, a 31-year-old tech support manager from Birmingham. After the pandemic, her employer closed all offices, so she was forced to work remotely full-time. She said this had been detrimental to her mental, physical, and financial health, prompting her to consider a career change and a move to improve her situation. "It feels like I'm stuck in a lockdown that will never end," she said. Lord Rose, who recently stepped down as chairman of Asda, told the BBC, "We've gone backwards in terms of working practices, productivity, and the well-being of the nation."

For single Hannah, remote work has left her feeling isolated. "Everyone who likes working from home has a partner, or has children, or lives with family—they're not 100% alone all the time like I am."