British women thrived under remote working
Summary
But rather than return to the office, some have quit
“Work Anywhere", an initiative at Nationwide, Britain’s biggest building society, was short-lived. In 2021 Joe Garner, the chief executive, ruled that staff could work wherever they liked. In 2023 Debbie Crosbie, his successor and Nationwide’s first female boss, changed tack. Too little time with colleagues would damage women’s careers, she said.
Yet flexibility seems to have helped rather than hindered women—professional women especially. The share of women in finance and insurance working full-time rose to 83% in 2023 from 75% in 2019, finds Public First, a research firm; the rate for mothers in finance rose by more than ten points. Overall, the share of mothers in work reached a record 79% in 2023. Similarly, in America, Australia and Canada mothers of young children powered a surge in female employment rates.
Women were still more likely than men to be in poor-quality jobs and less likely to become company bosses. Those starting their careers out of the office missed crucial mentoring. But ditching long commutes made it easier to manage work and family life.
Now bosses want people back in. Half of companies in Britain require staff to be in the office at least four days a week, according to the Virgin Media O2 Business Movers Index, which polled 2,000 bosses in 2024. Old attitudes are resurfacing. Alan Sugar, star of the British version of “The Apprentice", growls that Britons should “get their bums back into the office".
Many women have chosen not to. The employment rate for women with dependent children has receded from its peak, while men’s has stayed flat (see chart). By the end of 2023 the difficulty of juggling work and child care had pushed nearly 250,000 mothers out of jobs, says the Fawcett Society, a charity. Last year EngineeringUK, a trade body, reported a “worrying spike" in women aged 35-44 leaving the industry. Female police officers and teachers are also quitting. At Nationwide, Ms Crosbie insists office life has left women feeling energised. Just as well: the commute might be too draining otherwise.
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