Remote working tribunal cases in Great Britain fall for first time since Covid

Last year’s drop may reflect rising unemployment and improved right to request flexible working, experts say The number of workers in Great Britain taking their bosses to employment tribunals over remote working fell last year for the first time since Covid hit, with a tightening labour market making some more reluctant to leave roles despite return-to-office mandates. There were 54 employment tribunals decided in England, Scotland and Wales in 2025 that cited remote working, according to an analysis of records by the HR consultants Hamilton Nash: down 13% compared with 2024. It was the first time the total has fallen in six years, bringing an end to a period during which the number of complaints reaching a hearing rose tenfold from the pre-pandemic level in 2019. Only six cases related to remote working reached tribunal that year, but this hit a peak of 62 cases in 2024. The shake-up of the world of work triggered by Covid changed many office-based jobs for good. More than a quarter (28%) of working adults in Great Britain now work in a hybrid fashion, splitting their time between the office and another location such as home, according to figures from the Office for National Stati