Workers are more likely to be more productive if they work from the office, Rachel Reeves has said.
Asked by LBC’s Nick Ferrari how many Treasury staff work from the office, Ms Reeves said: “I don’t have the exact number to hand, but we are a pretty good department for getting colleagues in, but it’s a real mix across government, and I do want civil servants in the office.
“I lead by example, that first weekend when I was appointed Chancellor, I arrived at the Treasury at about three or four on a Friday afternoon. We work well into the evening, not just me and my political team, but civil servants. And we came in on a Saturday and a Sunday.
“We did that in the office, not on Zoom, because I do think there is real value in bringing people together and sharing ideas. You’re challenging each other.”
Challenged on why Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, had warned against “presenteeism”, Ms Reeves replied: “Well, I think that there is certainly a case for flexible working…. I think that if someone has got, you know, a school play of their kid or sports day, or they’ve got an elderly parent, they’ve got to take to a doctor’s appointment, I am all for being flexible and making sure that people can be able to balance work and family life.
“But I do think that productivity gains are more likely to happen when you have that sharing of ideas and bringing people together, and I lead by example on that in my department, and I think that it’s, it’s ripping dividends.”
