Mr Kipling maker Premier Foods offers staff hybrid working

Premier Foods, the owner of Mr Kipling cakes, has told its 800 staff members they will be able to decide where they work, as it adopts a new hybrid model.

The offer applies to staff at its St Albans head office, as well as its Manchester, Lutterworth, Southampton, and High Wycombe locations.

It follows an earlier trial of more than 100 office workers.

Premier said office staff could work "wherever they work best" starting from this month.

The FTSE 250 company, which also owns brands such as Bisto, Ambrosia, Oxo and Loyd Grossman sauces, said its offices would not be "somewhere colleagues have to be for the sake of showing their face".

It hopes that the hybrid model will be "transformational", with an aim to boost personal well-being and productivity.

David Wilkinson, group HR director, said: "This isn't about getting rid of the office altogether, it's about shifting our mindset on what it means to be flexible.

"Work is a verb, not a place, and whether it's for a team meeting or just personal preference, our office remains open for anyone who wants to use it."

Office workers account for about a fifth of Premier Foods' workforce, and company managers are set to be given bespoke training to support the transition. However, the changes will not apply to Premier's 4,000 factory workers.

Premier joins a string of other companies embracing hybrid working after more than 18 months of remote working due to the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic.

High Street retailer Primark has also introduced a hybrid system, while Deloitte has said that its hybrid model should "bring the best of both worlds", balancing the flexibility of remote work and safe in-person collaboration.

"This is a fundamental reshaping of the way that society goes about work and integrating that into life," US chief executive Joe Ucuzoglu said.

In contrast, PwC has said that businesses have a responsibility to get staff back into physical offices. Earlier this month, Kevin Ellis, chairman of PwC in Britain, said there was an "economic need" to bring staff back to the office.

"It's our responsibility as employers. What the government do, the government do, but I think there's a business advantage to investing in our people and a business advantage to our people being trained to work in a collaborative way," he said.

Meanwhile, US Google employees who opt to work from home permanently may get a pay cut after the tech giant developed a pay calculator that determines the effects of working remotely or moving offices.