Law firm says staff can work from home - for 20% less pay

The convenience comes at a price, as a London law firm has offered staff the option to work from home permanently.

The firm said it would allow staff to work from home but pay them less than their current salary.

Since the start of the Pandemic, a debate has raged over who gains and who loses when staff work from home.

Employers can also save on office space and costs, as employees save time and money.

Some argue that workers are less productive when they are at home. Others say that without the commute they work longer hours, often spilling over into evenings and weekends.

Civil servants must stop working from home if Jacob Rees-Mogg is to be believed.

Studies show that remote working can boost productivity. Many private sector firms have found that hybrid working, which allows a combination of home and office work, frees up space and improves staff satisfaction.

During the Pandemic, Stephenson Harwood recruited some remote workers from outside London on a lower pay package, reflecting the lower cost of not having to commute into the capital.

He said remote workers could claim travel expenses if they need to go to the office.

The firm is applying the salary difference between the two packages to extend the remote working option to existing staff.

Full-time remote working is not available to partners in the firm.

Many people don't take up the offer to work remotely full-time.

A law firm's starting salary for a new lawyer is 85,000. The chance of them choosing to work from home was very slim, as their role required experience of the office environment.

Many of the firm's 1,100 employees in London, Paris, Greece, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea can choose to work from home for up to two days a week under the firm's current policy.

He said that the hybrid working policy works well for most of the people.

About 10% of employees will work remotely after the swine flu.

He believes homeworking could help blue-collar workers win more flexibility.

Even on a hybrid basis, some firms are resisting a return to the office.

A few Apple staff have told Tim Cook that his plan for them to work from the office three days a week will make the company more male-dominated.

In an open letter they said a compulsory return to the office will change the makeup of our workforce and lead to privileges deciding who can work for Apple, not who would be the best fit.

The office would be made up of staff who lived nearby, young people without family commitments, and parents who had a stay-at- home partner.

The firm has 165,000 staff and the letter has around 200 signatures.

It came in response to an email from Mr Cook which said returning to the office was a positive sign that we can engage more fully with the colleagues who play such an important role in our lives.

Mr Cook said that he was committed to giving his staff support and flexibility.