Key facts
- UK bosses must now meet with employees to discuss flexible working requests.
- Bosses must justify any refusals for flexible working requests.
- Narcissistic leaders are more likely to resist remote work.
- Resistance to remote work by leaders is linked to motivations for power and status.
- A study by Wharton School researchers examined the link between leaders' personalities and their views on remote work.
UK bosses are now legally obligated to hold discussions with employees regarding requests for flexible working arrangements, including working from home. Any denials must be accompanied by a clear justification. This new requirement aims to provide a more structured and transparent process for employees seeking to alter their work arrangements.
A recent study by Wharton School researchers Marissa Shandell, Courtney Elliott, and Adam Grant explored the reasons behind leaders' resistance to remote and hybrid work. Their research, conducted over six years with over 1,000 executives, managers, and supervisors, found a consistent link between narcissistic traits in leaders and their opposition to flexible working. The study concluded that such arrangements can interfere with these leaders' motivations for power and status.
The researchers used various methods to assess narcissism in leaders, including analyzing CEO photographs in annual reports, the size of their signatures, and their relative compensation. They also employed the 'short dark triad' scale and conducted experiments where participants were primed to think about self-centered, visionary CEOs. Across all studies, narcissism emerged as the sole consistent predictor of objections to remote work.
The findings suggest that leaders who hold higher opinions of themselves and covet power and status are more inclined to mandate a full return to the office. This contrasts with the reality that a significant percentage of employees continue to work remotely or in hybrid arrangements globally, with data from early 2025 showing around 28% of UK working adults in hybrid arrangements and 36% of employed Australians working from home in August 2025.