WPP mandates four days per week in office, tightens hybrid work policy

WPP, the global advertising agency, has announced a new workplace policy requiring its employees to work from the office at least four days a week. This move marks a significant shift as companies continue to reassess remote working arrangements post-pandemic.

In a memo issued on Tuesday, WPP CEO Mark Read stated, “From the beginning of April this year, the expectation . . . will be that most of us spend an average of four days a week in the office.” He emphasised the importance of in-person collaboration, noting that WPP’s “success still relies on the fundamentals of human connection, creativity and relationships” and that “we do our best work when we are together in person.”

Until now, individual WPP agencies had the flexibility to set their own hybrid working policies, while staff at the group’s headquarters were required to be in the office three days a week.

This announcement makes WPP, which employs approximately 110,000 people across its global offices, the latest major employer to call for a more extensive return to office-based work in the new year.

WPP has observed that increased office attendance correlates with stronger “employee engagement, improved client survey scores, and better financial performance,” according to CEO Mark Read. He noted, “More of our clients are moving in this direction and expecting it of the teams who work with them.”

However, as more staff transition back to office-based work, employers like WPP are encountering challenges such as limited office space. The company acknowledged that addressing capacity requirements and other related needs in its global offices would require “detailed planning in the coming months.”

As the world’s largest advertising group by headcount, WPP owns renowned agencies such as Ogilvy, Grey London, and GroupM, employing over 111,000 people. Its PR portfolio includes Ogilvy's PR network and Burson, which was formed through the merger of BCW and Hill & Knowlton last year.