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Everywhere you look, there are businesses demanding a return to office (RTO). After years of embracing flexible working, large UK companies including Boots and Asda are jumping to outdo each other by introducing stricter RTO mandates.

Research shows that employees are overwhelmingly in favour of flexible work. To many, the string of RTO adopters will be concerning. But, while big names such as Manchester United FC and Dell make headlines for their punishing policies, plenty are holding onto hybrid work.

Below, we list seven big tech businesses that have refused to introduce an RTO mandate so far. We’ll explain their motivations for doing so, and the impact it has had on the workforce.

1. Spotify

It’s apt that an app which lets you listen to music on-the-go would also let its employees work on-the-go too. Chief human resources officer at Spotify, Katarina Berg, has made clear that the business will not be saying goodbye to its work from anywhere policy anytime soon.

“You can’t spend a lot of time hiring grownups and then treat them like children,” Berg told Raconteur in October, adding: “Work is not a place you come to, it’s something you do.”

Like many tech firms, Spotify has had to make layoffs in the wake of falling revenue. Some 1,500 staff lost their jobs at the end of 2022. Pointedly, however, it didn’t blame remote work for the decision. Instead, Spotify leant on WFH as a way to streamline operations and save money.

Staff turnover has benefited. Attrition rates have reportedly dropped by 15%, at a time when talent shortages are stifling growth and causing pay to inflate at tech companies.

2. Airbnb

Airbnb’s leadership team and board have outright rejected RTO mandates, with CEO Brian Chesky decrying them as hypocritical.

“I guarantee you that many of these CEOs who are calling people back to the office in New York City are going away to the Hamptons for the summer or going to Europe in August,” Chesky said in an episode of the “Decoder” podcast last year.

With a core value to ‘be a good host’, Airbnb lets staff work at home, or, in one of 170 countries for up to 90 days a year (and no pay cut) CNBC reports that 800,000 people flocked to Airbnb’s careers page when this news was shared.

Chesky admits that fully remote work was more feasible during COVID. Still, he remains anti-office. “A giant sea of desks probably isn’t the most effective thing”, he told Decoder.

3. Revolut

As with many tech companies, Revolut switched to a fully flexible work model in February 2021, in the midst of the COVID pandemic. Unlike rival banks and fintechs such as Lloyds, however, it has remained steadfast in its commitment to the policy.

“Ten months of remote working has fully demonstrated that flexibility is good for employees and good for the company”, Revolut has said. According to an employee survey, 92% of employees said their productivity levels had not been compromised by the move online.

Impressively, Revolut has listened to the mood in the room. It has allowed staff to choose how many (if at all) days they want to work in-office — even after it committed to a much larger office building with a ten-year lease in the expensive hub of Canary Wharf.

That remote-first approach has enabled Revolut to hire a crack team of techs-perts, and the business announced plans to increase its headcount by 40% at the start of this year.

4. Microsoft

Given the business first started life in Bill Gates’ garage, we’re not surprised that Microsoft team leaders have allowed its staff to work from the sanctuary of their own homes. For now.

Microsoft has made it clear that it does not plan to introduce an RTO mandate so long as staff remain productive. According to a report by Fortune, the software company is keeping an eye on output. If it starts to drop, the brand could put an end to the remote work perk.

Nonetheless, this is likely a tactic to motivate employees rather than scare them. Higher-ups such as IT director Keith Boyd have written extensively about the positive impact that flexible working can have to improve employee engagement and retention.

“If you make the time to do it right, your employees will be more engaged, more productive, and more connected, even when they’re miles away,” Boyd wrote in a blog post.

5. Dropbox

Cloud storage firm Dropbox has been one of flexible working’s strongest allies since the war against remote work began. Back in April, CEO Drew Houston ranted against RTO threats, warning they were likely to foster a “really toxic relationship” between bosses and their staff.

In an interview with The Verge, Houston recalled shifting to a remote-first working model and discovering “it worked a lot better than we thought. People loved not commuting and the flexibility to live anywhere. [Now] we allow people to self-organise”.

It’s not been all smooth sailing for the business. In recent weeks, it’s had to cut its staffing by 20%, blaming the slowing of cloud storage uptake, and the need to pivot towards its AI developments.

For remaining staff, they’ll still be able to enjoy the WFH perk. Dropbox remains 90% remote, and Houston has vowed not to implement a RTO policy. That missing 10%, he told The Verge, is enough to ensure teams can still work together and ensure Dropbox colleagues don’t “lose the in-person part”.

6. Shopify

Shopping around for a new flexible working job? Why not head to a Shopify store? The ecommerce website builder has been vocal about its anti-office, anti-meeting organisational culture termed ‘digital by design’ which has seen it employ fully remote work since 2020.

Digital is the key word. In an interview, Andy Wood, lead technical producer at Shopify, says the firm has leaned on platforms such as Slack to replicate the intimacy of the office.

“[It] feels a lot more like the office days,” he said, “when you could just turn around in your chair and chat with someone.”

While some decry home working as “anti-ambitious”, Shopify has found the opposite to be true. Despite switching to a remote-first office, newly-published financial figures show the business achieved 26% revenue growth in Q3 2024.

7. Atom Bank

Back in 2021, Atom Bank, a challenger fintech, managed to dodge the hybrid versus remote debate by taking the secret third option; switching to a four-day working pattern.

Having spotted that return to office policies invite a culture of “rebelliousness” within the workforce, Atom boss Mark Mullen decided against an RTO as it would make managers “afraid to ask employees to come back” (a prediction which has proved right on the money).

Instead, the firm switched to a four-day week. Mullen says this has given the business more control over employee work hours while still offering better work-life balance than a 9-5.

“We planned the shift patterns, we planned the changes.. [That is] not what happened with flexible working,” Mullen said. Employees are clearly supportive. As a result of the policy, Mullen reported that turnover had lowered among Atom staff, while morale had also lifted.

Flexible work better for business

SMEs who have seen the slew of Big Tech RTO mandates announced this year may be surprised by how many successful firms are quietly continuing with flexible working. But many employers that backtracked on the policy may have done so out of a herd mentality.

Home working brings plenty of benefits. For example, remote firms are less likely to have made layoffs than office-based businesses. By fixating on companies that are clinging to the office, bosses risk missing out on these and other upsides of embracing remote work.

Are RTO mandates even legal? Read about the legal issues of a return to office

Question 1 – name two pricing strategies that can be used when launching a product.

Answer: C.) Promotional Pricing and Penetration Pricing.

Promotional pricing is when a new business sets the price of product lower than market price. As it has just been launched, this lower cost helps to generate interest in the product.

Penetration Pricing is used when breaking into a crowded market. The business sets a low price for a specific amount of time to attract customers away from competitors. Once a significant market share has been achieved, the price will increase. You can learn more about these and other pricing strategies in our full guide.

• Click here for Question 2.

Question 2 – describe a strategy an organisation could use to extend the life cycle of a product.

Answer: C.) Sell in a new country or region

Expanding into a new geographical region is a smart way to diversify your markets. This will create a longer lifespan for your product and help you to gain more sales. Read more about how to expand internationally in our full guide for startup owners.

• Click here for Question 3.

Question 3 – choose the way an organisation would promote positive employee relations.

Answer: D.) All of the above

None of these policies would improve employee relations. Quiet quitting can make morale worse, while Return to Office (RTO) mandates are known to promote worker rebellion. Rewarding staff for not taking sick leave can also endanger their health and wellbeing.

• Click here for Question 4.

Question 4 – complete the following: “cash budgets are useful to”..

Answer: A.) See where a negative cash position/deficit is expected

Cash flow forecasts estimate the amount of money your business will bring in and pay out in a set period. This enables you to see where there might be shortfalls, so you can plan for future. That said, the data specifically relates to finances. You can’t use it to plan for everything (which is also why our red herring answers are wrong).

• Click here for Question 5.

Question 5 – which of the following is NOT a method of appraisal?

Answer: D.) Upward feedback

As the name suggests, upward feedback refers to employees giving feedback to managers, instead of higher-ups appraising their reports. It is a way to improve employee engagement, and foster a positive company culture that prioritises improvement over criticism.

• Click here for Question 6.

Question 6 – describe the factors a business would consider when choosing a method of production.

Answer: D.) All of the above

Production methods can feel like a ‘down-the-line’ problem when a firm is starting out. But your production process can significantly impact your profitability and operations. The chosen method must align with your sales strategy, hiring plans, and business structure.

• Click here for Question 7.

Question 7 – which of the below is NOT a method that can be used to ensure product quality?

Answer: C.) Lead qualifying

Lead qualification might help you to better target customers. However, it does not necessarily mean that the quality of the product or service will improve (although you may see an increase in sales).

Ever woken up after a night out, looked at your bank account, and thought – ‘how much’? Sometimes it can seem like your usual round of drinks cost a lot more than normal. And it might be because of dynamic pricing strategies.

Dynamic pricing is where businesses set flexible prices based on customer demand. One common form is surge pricing (where prices automatically rise when demand is high).

Brits may assume that dynamic pricing is reserved for the aviation or real estate sectors. Once you look out for it, though, it’s everywhere. I recently bought a ‘Pre-2pm Entry’ ticket to London nightclub, Drumsheds. I wasn’t psyched to do the two-step in a warehouse, sober, at midday — but the early bird wristband cost £30 less than a standard ticket.

As more sectors struggle with tight profit margins, restaurants, clubs, and bars are all getting creative with the final bill. Below, we list the new fees you could soon encounter on the UK high street, and explain why businesses will lean further into dynamic pricing in 2025.

1. Watershed charges

In June, experts reported that the average cost of a pint in the UK had tipped over £5 for the first time. It was already well above this in London, but dynamic pricing there means it could soon cost drinkers a tenner.

According to The Independent, O’Neill’s on Wardour Street will apply a £2 surcharge to any drink served after 10pm to pay for late-night door staff. That means even those who have switched to soft drinks won’t be rewarded for struggling through a glass of soda water.

Only the eagle-eyed (unlikely to be anyone in an O’Neill’s pub after dark) would have seen the A4 sign outlining the fee. But after it was shared online, the news caused outrage. “No proper pub would ever adopt surge pricing — shame on O’Neill’s”, wrote one X user.

2. Dinner rush

Running a restaurant or gastropub costs much the same amount of money, whether you have bums on seats or an empty dining room. Owners will often be savvy by offering incentives such as a pub quiz or happy hours, to entice customers in during quieter times.

Now, however, all discretion has gone out the window. Many businesses are flat out charging more at peak dinner times, in order to capitalise on Saturday date-nights and to make an impromptu night out on a Tuesday seem more economical than waiting until the weekend.

Stonegate Group, which owns Slug & Lettuce and Yates bars, has said it will charge about 20p more per pint during busy evenings and weekends. US fast food chain Wendy’s, which has outlets in the UK, has debated raising prices at busy moments for customers.

Third-party providers are also helping to plug gaps in booking sheets. For example, reservation app Ambl allows restaurants to contact users with promotions if a table opens.

3. Automatic tipping

In the UK, most of us are used to giving a tip at the end of a meal. Tipping your bartender is a less common practice that’s associated with our crazy neighbours across the pond.

Not anymore. The Scotsman Group, which owns over 50 venues in Scotland, has adopted a US-style tipping culture which automatically adds a 2% charge on drinks. That means a Mojito, which appears as £9.95 on the menu, would actually cost customers £10.14.

Thanks to the new tipping law introduced this October, the money will go to wait staff, not businesses. But according to The Telegraph, many customers don’t notice the fee. They could be adding another tip on top, considerably hiking the final bill.

4. Checkout fees

Checkout fees will be familiar to anyone who shops online. These fees are typically to cover the merchant’s own processing costs (essentially an added charge for taking payments online). But at some establishments, they have crawled off the screen and into real life.

Italian restaurant Gloria, based in Shoreditch, east London, made headlines earlier this year when it appeared to charge customers for “the privilege” of paying for their meal. One disbelieving eater snapped a photo of the bill which showed they were charged a £2.99 checkout fee on top of a 13.5% service charge, increasing their bill by £29.14.

This rotten, checkout-cherry on top appears to have originated from Gloria’s owner, Big Mamma Group. Restaurants in the group must use their own payment app called ‘Sunday’ to settle up with customers, which applies an automatic checkout fee to the bill.

Big Mamma has since clarified that “only those who want to use the fast and efficient payment option through the QR code are charged a small fee.” Having added ‘costlier’ to that list of adjectives, we suspect customers won’t be rushing to use the Sunday app soon.

5. What the heck is a brand charge?

London-based Chinese Dim Sum restaurant Ping Pong is probably regretting its decision to introduce a 15% ‘brand charge’ at the start of the year.

Source: reddit.com/user/Rowmyownboat/

In a statement, the eatery said it wanted to ensure a fairer, more stable side income for wait teams. But at the same time, it also scrapped its service charges and banned card tips, blocking one of the most common routes for customers to reward service staff.

Speaking to the Guardian, Unite the Union organiser Bryan Simpson criticised the charge as “disingenuous”, adding, “no matter what senior management calls it, customers will assume that this 15% is a tip that should go to workers, but it won’t.”

Why is dynamic pricing on the rise?

It’s no secret that hospitality businesses are struggling. Labour shortages, combined with rising taxes, have drawn a bitter pint for many to swallow.

Since July 2023, Wetherspoons, the UK’s most successful pub chain, has sold or surrendered the lease on 26 of its pubs in the last year. Even celebrities like Paul Hollywood and Jeremy Clarkson have reported struggling to pay the bills on their pubs.

But the biggest nail in the coffin for many has come from a surprising source. In October, the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act came into force, ensuring that 100% of tips and service charges will go to service staff, not businesses.

It’s hard to argue against the law change. But an indirect consequence is that many organisations have lost a key revenue stream (data shows that just one third of hospitality firms were giving 100% of tips to the workforce before the act was introduced).

Without tips to top up cash flow, brands have been forced to introduce new customer fees. Some, such as Stonegate Group, have been clear about the change. But others, such as Ping Pong or The Scotsman Group, have used murkier tactics to push up prices.

That’s the key differentiator that can make dynamic pricing a trick or tonic for buyers. When consumers are aware of new fees and the reasons behind them, they are more likely to accept them — which is why being upfront about the charges is so vital for businesses.

Considering dynamic pricing? A more transparent option is to increase your prices. Our guide to raising pricing will help you weigh up the pros and cons.