Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Hybrid workingOfficesApprenticeshipsLatest NewsFlexible working

Alan Sugar insists employees ‘get their bums back to the office’

by Kavitha Sivasubramaniam 30 Jan 2025
by Kavitha Sivasubramaniam 30 Jan 2025 Shutterstock / PeopleImages.com - Yuri A
Shutterstock / PeopleImages.com - Yuri A

Lord Alan Sugar has called for workers to return to the office, emphasising the importance of in-person interaction for learning and development.

The Apprentice star and businessman, who has estimated personal wealth of more than £1bn, joined the debate over remote working, insisting office attendance is the best way to achieve professional progression.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast to mark the launch of series 19 of the show, he said: “They’ve got to get their bums back into the office.”

The 77-year-old, who owns offices in London, expressed concern that many young people “just want to sit at home”, adding, “I’m a great advocate of getting them back to work, because the only way an apprentice is going to learn is from his colleagues”.

Return to office

Advertising giant WPP demands return to office

Return to office ‘more about appearance than purpose’

Amazon workers push for reversal of return to office policy

He highlighted the value of small interactions with more experienced colleagues, which he believes are lacking in the current work-from-home, Zoom culture.

Lord Sugar’s comments came after Lord Stuart Rose, former boss of Marks & Spencer and Asda, described working from home as “not proper work”.

In a BBC Panorama documentary, Should we still be working from home?, Rose suggested that home working was damaging productivity and formed part of the UK economy’s “general decline”.

Many big employers, such as Boots, JP Morgan, Barclays Bank and Amazon, have recently increased pressure on staff to attend the workplace more frequently. Earlier this month, advertising giant WPP demanded that employees return to the office for a minimum of four days a week from April.

While Lord Sugar acknowledged exceptions for software writers and the physically disabled, he emphasised the advantages of being present in the office, especially for those starting their careers.

He also criticised the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in job applications, calling it “a bit cheating”.

“If you’re going to use it to write your CV and big yourself up, then that’s wrong, isn’t it?” he said.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

 

HR business partner opportunities on Personnel Today


Browse more HR business partner jobs

Kavitha Sivasubramaniam

Kavitha Sivasubramaniam is an experienced journalist, editor and communications professional who has been working in B2B publishing for more than 17 years. After graduating from Bournemouth University with a degree in Multi Media Journalism, Kavitha started her career in local and regional newspapers, before moving to consumer magazines and later trade titles, as well as PR. Specialising in pay and reward, she has been editor of a number of HR publications including Pay & Benefits, Employee Benefits, Benefits Expert, Reward and CIPP’s membership magazine, Professional. In June 2024, she won Pay, Reward and Employee Benefits Journalist of the Year at the Willis Towers Watson media awards. She was also named one of Each Person’s top 20 influential HR bloggers and managed a highly commended content team of the year in 2019.

previous post
British employees work nearly 216 extra hours annually
next post
Sharp rise in people identifying as gay and bisexual

You may also like

Workers ‘wait and see’ as companies struggle to...

16 May 2025

Senior execs at BlackRock to work in office...

8 May 2025

Employers urged to do more to tackle loneliness

1 May 2025

Post-pandemic starters seek more pay for on-site working

10 Apr 2025

One in seven experience workplace abuse, finds major...

2 Apr 2025

Remote working isn’t bad – it just needs...

1 Apr 2025

Hybrid workers less sick and less stressed

28 Mar 2025

Dog owners more likely to want to work...

24 Mar 2025

Disabled workers disadvantaged by return-to-office mandates

13 Mar 2025

Five years on: how has work changed since...

12 Mar 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+