Published October 2021 and kept as a record. The figures and the law have moved on since it was written. For the current position see the current blogs. Note added 21 October 2026.
Recruitment business owner, James Cox, trolled on LinkedIn after passing remarks on people who prefer a work-from-home lifestyle. James commented people who want to work from home are lazy, describes them as people ‘who want to doss on the sofa with laptops in dressing gown/PJs.’
Mr Cox shared his strong opinions on LinkedIn as more and more candidates rejected office-based roles and want to work from home. He claims during his career journey, nobody wanted to work from home until lockdown opened the option of staying home and saving money on travel.
After receiving abusive messages online, James still holds his belief that people want to work from home as they are lazy, and people are ‘turning down job offers because they have to go back into the office 5 days a week.’
The latter said, ‘I don’t know what they’re thinking, they’re unemployed and have no income. People say it's a better work life balance if you've got children or pets, they want to see their children in the morning, or their sister can have their children at certain hours but deep down I'm just seeing a lazy mentality.’
Mr Cox explained that throughout the pandemic, he decided his employees should usually work in the office. He says that business for cafes in central London will be at a detriment due to a reliance on commuters preferring a work-from-home trend.
He further comments, ‘how are we going to get our economy back to how it used to be? If you go into a new role, you want to see what your manager is doing. If your manager is at home, you can't make the most out of your employment.'
However, the general public gave him criticism, claiming his views are traditional and narrow-minded. Also suggesting he had not felt the pressure of managing a school run before work. Melanie Darlington, an HR technical manager, said: 'This is possibly the most offensive, small-minded post I have ever seen. 'Your job as a recruitment consultant is to support your clients but also your candidates. Frankly embarrassing. Wishing you all the best though - it's nice to be nice.'