A senior manager at the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK had her requests to work from home full-time denied by a judge because of the “weaknesses” remote work poses.
Elizabeth Wilson, a senior manager at the FCA earning a salary of £140,000 ($178,000) a year, sued the regulator after it rejected her request to work remotely full-time.
However, Judge Robert Richter ruled against her in a judgment made in December that was published on January 18. His decision comes as other major companies roll back on remote work policies and enforce return-to-office mandates.
The judge stated in the court ruling: “It is the experience of many who work using technology that it is not well suited to the fast paced interplay of exchanges which occur in, for example, planning meetings or training events when rapid discussion can occur on topics.
“Similarly there is, as has been identified, a limitation to the ability to observe and respond to non-verbal communication which may arise outside of the context of formal events but which nonetheless forms an important part of working with other individuals,” he added.
Wilson’s request was submitted in December 2022 — after pandemic restrictions eased and the FCA asked staff to come back to the office 40% of the time, while continuing to work remotely 60% of the time.
Wilson’s line manager agreed that she had “performed very well” when she was working from home in a decision letter sent in March 2023, but ultimately wrote that it “could have a detrimental impact on performance or quality of output” — specifically because she would be unable to attend meetings and train new team members in person.
“I believe this would have a negative impact on the department,” the letter said.
According to the ruling, Wilson directly manages four employees and has indirect responsibilities for another 10.
But Wilson said during the tribunal that working from an office wasn’t better than working remotely and that the disadvantages mentioned were “not real.”
She said the FCA had excellent technology and she couldn’t recall a single management meeting that did not have the option to attend virtually. She also pointed out that there was a lack of physical meeting space in the office.
The judge agreed with the FCA about the “weaknesses with remote working,” and ruled that it was within its rights to deny her request.
Major UK banks are cracking down on remote work including Citigroup which requires hybrid workers to be in the office three days a week at least, and is monitoring office attendance data.
PWC and Lloyds are also asking workers to come back to the office.
The FCA declined to comment.
