Kuoni is to allow its head office staff to choose whether they work from home, the office, or a mix of both from January 2022.

It says its new ‘fully flexible’ working initiative has been designed to boost productivity, attract talent and support staff well-being.

Staff will only be required to spend up to three days a month in the Surrey office, for specific tasks such as team meetings and training.

CEO Derek Jones said: “As a Board, we’ve spent a long time thinking about the unique opportunity that this COVID crisis has given us to completely rethink the way we work. 

“We didn’t want to rush into re-opening our head office and simply return to how things used to be.  We wanted a dynamic working style which retains many of the positive lifestyle aspects of home-working whilst maximising the benefit of our office workspace.”

HR Director Nicola Sadowski said: “We respect that everyone is different; different things motivate us individually and we thrive in different environments.   We’ve briefed staff on our proposal and will be taking time to discuss it with them so we fine tune our guidelines, policies and communications ready to take effect in the New Year.”

Kuoni said allowing staff to work from home, rather than requiring them to travel to its Surrey premises, would mean better career progression for store-based agents throughout the UK, who might previously have been put off head office roles by having to relocate.

The company hopes the WFH flexibility will also allow it to attract the best external candidates.

It is planning a soft re-opening of its head office in Dorking on 11 October, providing staff with an early opportunity to try out the new approach.