INEOS statement to Man United staff after Sir Jim Ratcliffe ordered permanent office working

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team have taken the decision to order all Manchester United club staff to return to office working permanently.

According to The Athletic, from 1 June, all staff have been ordered to return to the offices following a period of flexible working arrangements.

Ratcliffe believes that there will be higher levels of productivity with United staff returning to the offices.

The aforementioned report added that an email sent by the club’s internal communications team on Thursday this week said that INEOS “are taking the time to review all aspects of how we operate as a club.”

The email also said: “Part of this is looking at how we work—how we create a high-performance environment where everyone can be their best, working together towards our common goal of football success.

“The key to achieving this goal is connection and collaboration. Everyone coming together as a collective to share skills, knowledge and ideas, building on the best of what we already do and looking at where we need to change and innovate.

We believe this connection and collaboration is best achieved when everyone works together in close proximity. Although hybrid working has some benefits, it cannot replace the value of people being physically together.

“With this in mind, we will be asking all colleagues who currently have hybrid working arrangements to return to the office permanently.”

The Athletic also mentioned that there is an issue with office space currently, with there not being enough space for all staff members in Manchester or London after spaces were reconfigured to suit those more flexible working arrangements over the past year.

Interim CEO Patrick Stewart attempted to push back on the INEOS movement, but his end-of-season departure was announced last week.