The Lawdown Episode 43: 200 Companies adopt a permanent 4-day week; Lord Rose claims working from home is not proper work; Marcus Rashford publicly criticised by manager; and can/should lawyers compete on the BBC’s hit show “The Traitors”?

In our latest episode of The Lawdown, Partners Beth Hale and Emma Bartlett and Senior Associate Wonu Sanda discuss the following:

1. 200 companies implement a permanent 4-day week and Tokyo’s 4-day working week plans to increase the fertility rate. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a 4-day week without a reduction in pay, including the potential impact on productivity and possible overworking; flexibility for caring responsibilities; and reducing personal expenditure.
    
2. Lord Rose claims working from home is not proper work. We dive into whether there is any truth to this claim, the considerations for neurodiverse individuals and other diversity needs; and our views on adopting working from home, office working and the hybrid model in different circumstances.
    
3. Marcus Rashford and other players publicly criticised by their managers. We consider how publicly undermining staff can impact performance and confidence, reflect poorly on a workplace’s culture and give rise to potential legal liability for employers. 
    
4. Can/should lawyers compete on the BBC’s hit show “The Traitors”? We discuss whether competing would breach regulatory standards and whether lawyers would be stereotyped and “banished” early on.