Asda’s move towards flexible working for its head office staff is hardly a shock. Yet looking at the headlines over the weekend, you might think it was.

News that the 3,500 staff at its Asda House HQ in Leeds will be able to ‘work where it works’ garnered plenty of column inches. Essentially, employees can choose to come into the office, stay at home, or do a mix of both. It’s no different to the swathes of businesses that have decided to adopt a ‘hybrid’ way of working in the wake of the pandemic.

But the media coverage conveyed more than a hint of disapproval. The Daily Mail juxtaposed the newfound freedoms of head office staff with the fortunes of employees on the frontline, who “will still go into stores and depots”. The Guardian pointed out Asda’s “approximately 140,000 store and depot staff will not be affected by the change and will continue working as before”. Comments on The Times article bemoaned a growing division between white-collar workers, who can enjoy flexibility in where they work, and those on the shop floor who can’t.

There’s no denying the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ the pandemic has created in terms of workplace flexibility. Especially in the first throes of Covid-19, when shop floor staff were unvaccinated and especially vulnerable to the dangers of a high-footfall workplace. There was understandably some tension around the typically higher-paid staff in head office functions being able to safely work from home.

But the simple truth is store roles can’t be done remotely, and head office roles largely can. Forcing the latter to go back to the office in the name of a universally inflexible workplace wouldn’t be a popular move, either. So the key to making this arrangement work will be how it is executed.

Head office staff can’t simply shut themselves away in an ivory tower. They’ll have to show they’re in touch with what’s going on in the wider business and on the ground – and the new way of working could make that easier. As part of the plans, staff will be able to choose to work some days in stores or depots. It could be an opportunity to gain more insight into what is happening on the customer-facing side of the business. Even if they don’t spend entire days working from Asda branches, being freed up from traipsing into Leeds HQ every day could allow for more store visits.

Plus, the office environment isn’t being abandoned altogether. The new flexibility means employees will be able to use the head office space when it’s needed – for meetings, collaboration, or even as a place to concentrate – and ditch the commute when it isn’t.

So if executed well, Asda’s move could actually bring staff closer together. The key will be ensuring the head office staff get out and about, rather than just retreating into their home offices indefinitely. Otherwise, the resentment implied in the media coverage may start to build.

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