Laing O’Rourke staff are being told to return to the office full time from April.

O’Rourke employees were given the news in a company-wide email from Group Chief Operating Officer Cathal O’Rourke this week.

It said: “Our 2023 engagement survey results told us that engagement across our  business is dropping.

“Coupled with the challenging FY2023 financial performance, there is a need to change the way we go to work.”

Latest results for the year to March 31 2023 showed a £288.1m pre-tax loss from a turnover of  £3.4bn.

The email added: “Our offices are too often sparsely populated and our lack of face-to-face connectivity and collaboration has added to the challenges the business is navigating.”

A Laing O’Rourke spokesperson said: “As a construction company with a significant portfolio of active project sites around the UK, most of our people attend a workplace in person every working day.

“Like other frontline workers, during Covid we managed to keep our construction teams operating safely on our sites. During this time, some of our support roles moved to various working from home arrangements – we were grateful for their agility and resilience.

“We want to make sure that the culture Laing O’Rourke is known for is maintained, and that our people can continue to develop through face-to-face learning opportunities on our sites, in our depots and offices. That is why we have decided we will no longer support working from home as a standard arrangement from 2 April 2024.

“We will continue to support other types of flexible working, and any request for working from home as a standard arrangement will be considered on its merits and in line with all local laws.”