WPP employees push back on return-to-office policy with petition

Employees at WPP are pushing back against a recently announced return-to-office policy, requiring staff to work in the office at least four days a week, with the launch of a petition.

The Change.org petition was started by "Concerned WPP employees".

The public petition can be signed by anyone online, including non-WPP employees, but at the time of writing, it had reached more than 650 signatures in fewer than 24 hours.

The policy, announced in an internal memo by chief executive Mark Read, will come into force in April and affects WPP’s 111,000 employees worldwide. Headcount was 114,000 at the end of 2023 and dropped to 111,000 by June 2024, according its H1 results.

The petition reads: "WPP, the world-renowned advertising company, has recently implemented a policy of making employees return to the office for at least four days a week. This mandate comes from CEO Mark Read and impacts all 114,000 [sic] staff under the WPP umbrella. 

"In a post-Covid world where many businesses have embraced flexible working styles, WPP's decision seems to be a step backwards in supporting employee wellbeing and work-life balance, citing anecdotal data that either does not exist or has been misrepresented. 

"The mental and social effects on employees due to such rigid work regimes can be extensive. Therefore, we call on Mark Read and the decision-making body at WPP to reconsider this mandate and adopt a policy that respects and prioritises the well-being and preferences of its employees. It's time to move towards a future of work that's flexible, mindful, inclusive, and evidence-based. Please sign this petition to support our cause."

In his memo, Read emphasised the benefits of in-office collaboration, writing: "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."

Acknowledging concerns around flexibility, he added: "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."

Read 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."

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

Those behind the petition argue that such data lacks transparency and may not reflect the realities of employee experiences, especially in a post-pandemic world, where remote work has become an integral part of many people’s lives.

The petition’s authors call for a rethink of the mandate, urging leadership to prioritise employee well-being and embrace a more flexible and inclusive approach.

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

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”.

A WPP spokesperson said: “We believe this is the right policy for the long-term interests of the company as a whole, knowing that it won’t be popular with everyone. And we will take the time to implement it in a collaborative and pragmatic way with our teams.”

Campaign has been in contact with the originators of the petition who chose to remain anonymous.