Macmillan in the US and its sister company Pan Macmillan in the UK are the latest houses to announce a post-Covid back-to-work policy. Both branches are to take a flexible approach to returning to the office with employees in the US whose work can be done remotely choosing whether, or how often, they return to the office to work. In the UK, Pan Macmillan is not specifying how many days need to be worked in the office.
Macmillan US CEO Don Weisberg said: “There is unquestionable value to the office being the nucleus of our business. With that said, getting the reopening wrong will have the opposite effect. We believe that allowing employees more flexibility to choose how they return and engage with the office in the future will likely make the office more dynamic, more frequently used, and a stronger hub for our business.”
In the UK, Pan Macmillan CEO Anthony Forbes Watson is favouring a similarly fluid approach. “Our approach to future working embodies the conviction that our consistent success has been based on an open, trust-based operating model, which attracts and energises exceptional people and prioritises the development and wellbeing of everyone who works here.
“The opportunity now is to apply what we have learned over the last year in the context of our business goals, to improve our effectiveness as a company, and this includes offering greater flexibility to each of us in the way we work. This roadmap is designed to move us into the next phase of Pan Mac’s story as an outperforming, distinctive and special place to work.”
In the UK, HarperCollins and Bloomsbury have both announced that staff will be required to work from the office at least two days a week.
Gradually, the post-Covid work pattern is emerging.
