To: M&S Board of Directors
Tell M&S: Burnout Is Not Leadership. M&S Staff Deserve the Right to Switch Off.
Marks & Spencer should publicly commit that no employee will be pressured to work while on annual leave or made to feel that switching off is unacceptable.
Why is this important?
Recent comments by Marks & Spencer CEO Stuart Machin have raised serious concerns about the culture being created at one of the UK's biggest employers.
Mr Machin has publicly criticised the idea of work-life balance and said he does not like senior leaders being “completely switched off” while on holiday.
Many people are concerned that comments like these risk creating a workplace culture where employees feel they cannot properly rest, take annual leave, or set healthy boundaries between work and home life.
Burnout, stress and poor mental health are already major issues in UK workplaces. When senior leaders send the message that taking a proper break is a weakness, that culture can spread throughout the whole organisation.
No employee should ever feel that their job depends on answering emails on holiday, working through illness, or sacrificing their wellbeing.
We are calling on Marks & Spencer to:
- Publicly confirm that all employees have the right to switch off outside working hours and during annual leave.
- Commit that no employee will be penalised, formally or informally, for taking breaks, annual leave or time away from work.
- Introduce a clear “right to disconnect” policy across the company.
- Carry out an independent review of staff wellbeing and workplace culture.
- Publish the findings of that review and an action plan to improve employee wellbeing.
Marks & Spencer is one of the UK's best-known companies. It should lead by example and show that success does not have to come at the cost of workers' mental health.
Until Marks & Spencer publicly commits to protecting the wellbeing of its staff, we urge shoppers to consider taking their custom elsewhere.
