(Bloomberg) — A manager at the UK’s financial watchdog who sued the regulator for not being allowed to work from home full-time has lost her case at a London court.
Elizabeth Wilson, a £140,000-a-year senior manager, sued the Financial Conduct Authority at a UK employment tribunal after her request to work from home permanently was turned down due to her management responsibilities, according to the ruling.
Judge Robert Richter said the FCA was “right to identify weaknesses with remote working” and that technology is not well suited to the “fast paced interplay of exchanges” or for “rapid discussion,” in a ruling from December that was made public this week.
The Employment Tribunal decision is one of the first public UK court rulings on the roll back of pandemic remote working arrangements. Many global companies are now cracking down on employees who are staying away from the office, even though many workers favor flexible work arrangements.
Wilson requested to work remotely permanently following the easing of pandemic restrictions when FCA staff were asked to work from the office around 40% of the time. Her line manager refused the request because although she was high-performing, the arrangement would have a “detrimental impact” on her work.
Read More: RTO? WFH? Why Post-Covid Work Norms Are So Confusing: QuickTake
Wilson’s manager said working from home would mean she wouldn’t be able to provide face to face training or coach new joiners, according to the judgment. She also said Wilson played a vital leadership role and junior colleagues would want to meet her in person.
“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,” the judge said in the ruling.
The FCA declined to comment.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
