The number of workers in Great Britain taking their bosses to employment tribunals over remote working has fallen for the first time since Covid hit last year, with labor market tightening making some people reluctant to leave roles despite orders to return to the office.
According to an analysis of records from HR consultant Hamilton Nash, remote working was cited by 54 employment tribunals in England, Scotland and Wales in 2025: 13% fewer than in 2024.
It marked the first time in six years that the total number had declined, ending a period during which the number of complaints reaching hearings increased tenfold from pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Only six cases related to remote working reached the tribunal that year, but this reached a peak of 62 cases in 2024.
The disruption to the world of work caused by Covid changed many office-based jobs forever. According to figures from the Office for National Statistics, more than a quarter (28%) of working adults in Great Britain now work in a hybrid manner, dividing their time between the office and another location such as home.
However, many employers have sought to prohibit home working in recent years, in some cases which caused a lot of opposition Within the workforce. Large employers in the financial sector, including investment banks Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, have led the way in bringing employees back to the office, some of which require attendance five days a week.
Employment lawyers and consultants suggested that several factors may be responsible for the unexpected decline in remote work tribunals last year.
In particular, the rising unemployment rate, which reached a nearly five-year high of 5.2% in the last quarter of 2025, and the decline in job vacancies indicate that the balance of power is tilting back in favor of employers.
This may have prompted some workers to keep their heads down rather than risk a fight over the right to work remotely, while others may have already changed jobs if they did not agree with their employers’ return-to-office orders.
Jim Moore, employee relations specialist at Hamilton Nash, said there was a “period of turbulence” after the easing of pandemic restrictions. “Top talent voted with their feet for a while, but that has changed because of broader issues in the labor market and people saying: ‘I’ll stay in there and keep my head down.’
The introduction of the right to request flexible working from the first day of a new job, which came into force in April 2024 as part of the amended Employment Relations Act, has resulted in more employees trying to resolve disputes within their own organizations rather than through tribunals.
According to Moore, the number of employment disputes reaching the tribunal is “the tip of the iceberg”: “There is an enormous amount of conflict within the business that no one outside ever hears about, because it never reaches the tribunal.”
Some bosses have also become bolder, after an employment tribunal threw out a senior manager’s case in 2024, according to lawyers who Sued the Financial Conduct Authority Because she wanted to work at home full time.
Padma Taddy-Booth, a partner in the employment team at law firm Hill Dickinson, said the outcome of the case against the city watchdog “may have given some encouragement to employers”. “They may feel a little more empowered by these types of decisions to put forward some arguments as to why they want people back in the office, whether for supervision or because of the quality of work.”
As a result, some companies are planning to increase their office attendance requirements, Taddy-Booth said, whether asking employees to come in three times a week instead of twice, or for a certain percentage of their work hours.
If employees are reluctant to give up more remote work, tribunal cases could rise yet further. However, those who are pleading a case can expect to wait a long time for it to be heard. Backlog of open employment tribunals crossed 500,000 last yearAnd workers who have already submitted claims may have to wait up to three years before getting a hearing.
