WPP mandates four days per week in office

WPP has announced a new policy requiring staff to work in the office at least four days a week.

The changes were confirmed by chief executive Mark Read in an email sent to staff today (7 January) and will take effect in April.

The updated global guidelines will apply across WPP's operations in dozens of markets.

Employees will also be required to work from the office on at least two Fridays per month, with flexibility to choose which other days they work remotely.

In the memo sent to WPP staff, chief executive Mark Read wrote: "Spending more time together is important to all of us, and we are making a change to help that happen. From the beginning of April this year, the expectation across WPP will be that most of us spend an average of four days a week in the office.

"This doesn’t mean we’re going back to old ways of doing things. During the pandemic we all learned the value of greater flexibility in our working lives and of being trusted to balance work and personal commitments. We need to keep that spirit of flexibility and trust, and will approach this transition with pragmatism and an understanding of people’s different circumstances. There will be a clear process to request additional flexibility – including for those with caring responsibilities, health issues and other considerations. Some roles that have always been fully or largely remote will continue as they are."

Justifying the decision, he added: “The data from across WPP agencies shows that higher levels of office attendance are associated with stronger employee engagement, improved client survey scores and better financial performance. More of our clients are moving in this direction and expecting it of the teams who work with them.”

WPP, which owns agencies Ogilvy, Grey London and Group M, among others, is the largest advertising group by headcount, with more than 111,000 staff. 

The change to working arrangements makes WPP the first major advertising holding company to implement a four-day office attendance policy. Two of its rivals, Publicis and Omnicom, currently maintain more flexible three-day office policies.

Publicis Media laid off dozens of workers in the US after they did not adhere to its return-to-work policy in October last year. This came a year after Publicis tightened its rules on working in the office by introducing a policy stating that all staff had to be in the office for a minimum of three days per week, with attendance mandatory on Mondays.

In addition, Publicis Groupe chief executive Arthur Sadoun said in an interview during Campaign Live that people needed to come back to the office “because culture matters”.