Morrisons has ordered staff at its Bradford headquarters to return to working five full days per week, abandoning its flexible working policy as the supermarket battles intensifying competition from discount rivals.

The change, which came into effect this month, reverses the retailer's previous arrangement that allowed head office employees to work 37.5 hours over four and a half days. The compressed hours pilot was introduced in 2020 during the pandemic.

Chief executive officer Rami Baitiéh, who took charge in late 2023, is spearheading a turnaround effort as Morrisons loses ground to competitors including Aldi. The retailer reported sales growth of 4.2 per cent to £3.9bn in the 13 weeks to April 27, with Baitiéh saying the figures showed it had "bounced back strongly" after cyber issues in November.

A Morrisons spokesperson said: "In the context of a relentlessly competitive UK grocery market and widespread increased cost pressures, we have taken the difficult decision to ask our head office colleagues to move their working pattern from 4.5 days to a full five day week."

The company said the change would improve customer service and ensure shelves are better stocked in stores as it faces mounting pressure from rivals engaged in aggressive price-cutting strategies. Both Asda and Tesco have indicated they expect profits to suffer this year as they invest heavily in price reductions.

Staff will retain the option to work both from home and the office during the week, with individual flexibility arrangements remaining possible where needed.

The move represents the latest shift in Morrisons' office working policies. Initially, the supermarket introduced a four-day working week for head office staff in 2020, with employees required to work Saturdays once every four weeks. This was later modified to a four and a half day arrangement following staff complaints about weekend working.

Morrisons joins other major retailers in scaling back flexible working arrangements. Asda scrapped its four-day week pilot last year after managers reported exhaustion from the 44-hour compressed schedule. Primark recently confirmed product teams must work four days per week in the office from September, whilst John Lewis has mandated commercial teams spend at least three days weekly in offices, stores, or with suppliers.

---