Working from home criticism sparks anger: ‘We are not lazy’

The BBC has heard from hundreds of people who have been angered by comments by the former boss of M&S and Asda that working from home is “not proper work”.

In an interview with Panorama, Lord Rose told the BBC that home working was part of the UK economy’s “general decline” and employees’ productivity was suffering.

More than 350 people, the majority of whom support working from home, contacted the BBC with their stories.

One of them was Alba, 52, from Dorking, who is currently searching for a remote job. “We are not lazy. We don’t want to golf all day.”

Alba, who previously worked as a business administrator, lives with chronic pain, travel sickness and migraines, and says she needs to work from home to manage her condition.

“I just want a comfortable environment where I can deal with my health issues,” she says.

Out of 357 responses submitted by individuals who chose to contact the BBC, 250 people said working from home was essential, with many citing health issues as a key reason for flexible working

“I’m not in senior management, I’m not asking for a high salary, I just don’t want to be on sickness benefits and that’s what will happen if I can’t work from home,” says Alba.

She adds that her health issues once resulted in an ambulance being called at work.

Clare McNeil, director at Timewise, a consultancy specialising in flexible working policies, highlights that the benefits of remote work extend to employers as well, with such policies reducing staff turnover and sickness absence.

Mark Mortensen, associate professor of organisational behaviour at the business school INSEAD, says defining productivity can be challenging, particularly in creative and collaborative roles.

But Rebecca Mitchell, 38, a software engineer from London, says the difference in her productivity at work has been “drastic” since she started working from home 10 years ago.

Rebecca, who has ADHD, says that before working remotely, she struggled to stay employed.

“Working from an office adds too much stress and leads to a wealth of mental health issues for me,” she says.

She says that whereas before, she felt overlooked for career progression because of her disability, since working from home her salary has tripled.

“Autism and ADHD are only now being accepted. People understand neurodivergence now like they didn’t before.

“People like me rely on working from home in order to be a productive part of the workforce.”

The shift towards working from home has increased in the UK since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

While the trend in working only from home has fallen since 2021, a hybrid-working model – some days travelling to work and some days working at home – has become the new normal for many people.

According to a snapshot survey from the Office for National Statistics, 25% of working adults in Great Britain were hybrid working in January 2025, while 15% were working from home. The data shows where people said they were working on the day they completed the survey, rather than their wider working pattern.

But, of the BBC’s responses, 50 were against working from home.

One of those was Hannah, 31, a technical support manager in Birmingham.

After the pandemic, her employer shut down all its offices so she had to work remotely full-time. She says this has taken a toll on her mental, physical and financial health, prompting her to consider changing careers and moving house to improve her situation.

“It feels like I’m in a lockdown that’s never going to end,” she says.

Lord Rose, who recently stepped down as Asda’s chairman, told the BBC: “We have regressed in this country in terms of working practices, productivity and the country’s wellbeing.”

For Hannah, who is single, remote work has left her feeling isolated.

“All the people who love working from home are in relationships, or have children, live with family – they’re not 100% alone all the time like me.”