The UK government, under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, appears to be throwing its weight behind remote work, saying RTO attempts are hurting productivity.

RTO (return-to-office) attempts continue in some industries, despite pushback, lost employees, and ongoing evidence that remote and hybrid work is highly effective. UK phone company Nothing is one of the most recent to pass a full RTO mandate.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Downing Street is calling out a “culture of presenteeism,” saying it hurts productivity. The government is working to add a “right to switch off” as part of workers’ rights reforms Sir Keir hopes to pass.

“The focus behind that is on improving productivity,” said Sir Keir’s spokesperson.

“Good employers understand that for workers to stay motivated and productive they do need to be able to switch off and a culture of presenteeism can be damaging to productivity.

“So it’s about making sure we have the right balance between making the most of the flexible working practices that we saw following the pandemic, with also having appropriate arrangements in place to ensure that people can stay productive.”

The new reforms are aimed at making sure employees don’t burn out.

“It’s about ensuring that we’re not inadvertently blurring the lines between work and home life and about ensuring that people have some time to rest,” the spokesman added.

The proposals are a refreshing acknowledgment of what has become the new normal—and the fact that the new normal works well—rather than a blind drive to return to the past.