Publishers take mixed approach to new government home-working policy

Following the government's new advice on office working this week, Hachette UK and Simon & Schuster have followed Penguin Random House's lead issuing guidance that staff should work from home instead of the office, unless their role is critical or there are personal reasons for why they need the space.

Staff at Quarto and Pavilion however will carry on dividing their time between working from home and the office, "as long as the government allows", with management citing the importance of the office to colleagues' overall wellbeing as well as productivity. 

Publishing staffers have told The Bookseller the reversal of the government's "return to the office" policy is "really challenging" to handle.

Hachette UK staff have been returning to Carmelite House on a voluntary basis for the past two weeks, but this will now change. “We are asking our staff to work from home from tomorrow, in line with government guidance," HUK's spokesperson told The Bookseller. "However, this isn’t a lockdown situation and our offices will remain open for critical support services, certain roles which can’t be performed from home, and for the use of any staff who can’t work productively from home for personal reasons. We will continue to review the government guidance and we may bring in further restrictions to our offices if the virus escalates over the coming weeks and months.”

​S&S UK c.e.o. Ian Chapman said: "We have been and will continue to follow the government guidelines and that of ViacomCBS and most of our staff continue to work from home and will continue to do so, whilst closely monitoring the situation as it develops. Our office has been prepared to meet the current Covid health and safety guidelines ahead of our phased return."

But Quarto's c.e.o. Polly Powell emphasised the importance of office space to her staff, some of whose books are particularly tactile, necessitating in-person collaboration, as well as to their overall wellbeing, pointing out loneliness is a real issue. As such, she said Quarto and Pavilion would be keeping their offices open for "as long as the government allows".

She said: "We have come to really appreciate how important these spaces are not just to the business but to people’s wellbeing. A lot of people simply don’t have the luxury of space at home, and loneliness can creep in too.

"Our business is in physical books, as well as digital content, which requires an element of touch-and-feel, something which cannot be replicated on Zoom. So, we will carry on dividing our time between working from home and in the office, providing it is safe to do so."

The government issued its latest advice, including a raft of new restrictions to tackle Covid, on Tuesday (22nd September). As part of this, the prime minister backtracked on former encouragement to come back into the workplace, saying that office workers should now work from home "if they can", leaving publishing houses among other employers to revisit their stance on blending home and office working.

PRH UK was among the first to issue revised guidance that "unless it is essential for you to attend the workplace to undertake your work, you should work remotely". Exceptions however are to be made for those who find a home set-up "extremely challenging". 

Reacting to the news, one PRH staffer told The Bookseller: "We were all just gearing up to a new hybrid office/home working style and we’ve now had to revert back to staying home unless absolutely necessary. It’s a shame and feels like a backward step, but it’s clearly necessary and I think broadly people understand that."

Another said: "It's exhausting. We are such a people industry and we are missing that in-person contact, it's such a hole. Even in the short time I was in the office yesterday, connecting face-to-face you pick up so much more ... A lot of my colleagues are in shared accommodation and that's really hard for them – wifi connectivity, hearing themselves think, all of that – so it's really challenging.

"The company has been very mindful of the individual though and their personal challenges, whatever they might be. Those people can come into the office and work in a socially-distanced safe environment, which is great. Everyone has a different perspective. I have a good set-up but I have colleagues who were really feeling crushed again. The notion that they'll be able to go in, at least for a day or two during the week, is a good one."