Currys Brand and Marketing Director Dan Rubel hits back in defence of flexible working practices

Currys Brand and Marketing Director Dan Rubel has taken to social media to defend flexible working practices, following comments made by Stuart Rose.

Rose, who was Chief Executive at M&S for six years until 2011 and then Executive Chair at Asda until November, told BBC One’s Panorama: “We have regressed in this country in terms of working practices, productivity and in terms of the country’s wellbeing, I think, by 20 years in the last four.”

He added: “I personally am an unreconstructed get back to work man. I think people are more productive in the office, but we have to be flexible. We have to understand some people have particular needs and worries, and concerns and health issues.”

In a LinkedIn post, Rubel said: “You will be unsurprised to hear that I don’t agree with the headline doing the rounds today. Sort of. At Currys, we are on the extreme end of the flexible working spectrum. In HQ people tend to work mostly from home (most people I work closely with come to the office once per week… some less, some more …. although only a handful come in only the minimum mandatory two x days per month). And for us, it’s clear to me that this model is working well and driving competitive advantage.”

Speaking for his own department (100+ people) and comparing to pre-Covid time, Rubel said that he is observing: better productivity; better customer/commercial outcomes; better retention of top talent; better meeting effectiveness; better recruitment (the retailer can aim UK wide); and better colleague engagement.

He continued: “Plus it enables my marketing department (and the wider HQ) to recruit and retain more diverse talent (which brings with it a whole raft of additional wins for our business and for our people). It also makes it easier to bring colleagues from a store background into the HQ roles which is particularly appealing for an omnichannel model like ours.”

There are, however, also downsides, Rubel conceded. “But we work hard to mitigate those, and right now, I’m convinced the pros outweigh the cons, and confident this will remain the case for the foreseeable (albeit we are constantly reviewing and challenging ourselves).”

“And finally, the thought of government legislating on this topic (as aluded to in a BBC News article today) I personally see as a worry. For some businesses our model wouldn’t work at all. In my opinion, businesses should be free to choose how much they embrace WFH without too much red tape - and then people should be free to choose which businesses they want to work for.”

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Currys was among the winners at the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering.