London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 14, 2025

Law firm says staff can work from home - for 20% less pay

Law firm says staff can work from home - for 20% less pay

A London law firm has offered staff the option to work from home permanently, but the convenience comes at a price.

The firm, Stephenson Harwood, said it would allow staff to work remotely but pay them 20% less than their current salary.

Since the start of the pandemic a debate has raged over who gains and who loses when staff work from home.

Employees save time and money, but employers can save too, on office space and costs.

Some argue workers are less productive when unsupervised at home. Others say without the commute they work longer hours, often spilling over into evenings and weekends and face fewer distractions.

Most recently cabinet office minister Jacob Rees-Mogg sparked controversy when he said all civil servants must stop working from home. and left notes on empty desks saying "I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon."

Academic studies suggest remote working can boost productivity. And many private sector firms have found that hybrid working, allowing a combination of home and office work, frees up space and improves staff satisfaction.

Stephenson Harwood told the BBC that it had recruited some remote workers from outside London during the pandemic, on a lower pay package, reflecting the lower cost of not commuting into the capital.

But if they do need to go to the office remote workers could claim travel expenses, he said.

The firm is now extending the remote working option to existing staff, but also applying the salary difference between the two packages, the firm said.

The choice of full-time remote working is available to all employees but not to partners in the firm.

Stephenson Harwood said it didn't expect many people to take up the offer to work remotely full-time.

A newly qualified lawyer, for example, starts on a salary of £90,000, at the law firm. But the chance of them choosing to take £72,000 instead to work from home were "very slim" as their role required experience of the office environment, he said.

Stephenson Harwood have decided staff who do not travel into London regularly will be paid less


The spokesman said the firm's current policy, where people can choose to work from home for up to two days a week, suited many of its 1,100 employees across offices in London, Paris, Greece, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea.

"For the vast majority of our people, our hybrid working policy works well," he told law firm news website RollOnFriday which first reported the story.

Stanford University academic Nicholas Bloom estimates that post-pandemic about 10% of employees will work fully remotely.

He argues that homeworking could boost productivity, narrow regional inequalities and help blue-collar workers win more flexibility.


'Male and pale'


However, some firms are encountering resistance to a return to the office, even on a hybrid basis.

A handful of Apple staff have reportedly told boss Tim Cook his plan for them to work from the office three days a week will make the company "younger, whiter and more male-dominated".

In an open letter they said a compulsory return to the office "will change the makeup of our workforce" and "lead to privileges deciding who can work for Apple, not who'd be the best fit."

It said the office would be made up of staff who lived nearby, young people without family commitments and parents who had a stay-at-home partner.

The letter has around 200 signatures, just 0.1% of the firm's 165,000 staff.

It came in response to an email from Mr Cook which said returning to the office was "a positive sign that we can engage more fully with the colleagues who play such an important role in our lives".

Mr Cook said he was "deeply committed" to giving his staff support and flexibility.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
×