Dyson workers asked to continue office working

Electronics manufacturer Dyson has asked its researchers and IT staff to come into the office, despite a recent change in Government guidance which asks for employees to work from home where possible.

The company said it needed to ensure that some of its workers were still coming into their place of work.

It cited “practical, confidentiality and security reasons”.

The statement came as the Guardian revealed that workers in the firm’s research, IT, security, development, commercial and estates management departments, and some others, were being asked to come to work.

However others – including those in the chief executive’s office and financial, legal, communications and human resources workers – will be allowed to work from home.

These workers might however be asked to come into work if it is seen as necessary to collaborate with others, according to an internal letter seen by the newspaper.

In a statement to the paper, Dyson said: “The latest Government guidance states that employees ‘should continue to go into work’ if they need to access equipment or complete their role in person.

“Dyson is asking select groups to continue attending our campuses for practical, confidentiality and security reasons; and others may work at home.

“We have gone beyond the Government’s guidance throughout the crisis to keep our people safe – introducing mandatory mask-wearing long before the guidance required it, and these measures have remained in force since.”

The firm’s billionaire founder, Sir James Dyson, has long been a critic of working from home.

In August, he wrote: “Glib statements from ministers about home-working being ‘here to stay’ show a lack of understanding of the detrimental impact that it is having. Where is their output-based evidence?

“We risk creating a two-tier workforce with those at home becoming less and less effective, leaving those diligently attending the workplace to drive the business forward.”