Week in Review: We’re working out of the office
IT PRO is fully behind flexible working - and we're putting words into action.

You might be aware that this was Work Wise week, where businesses have been encouraged to make the UK as progressive as it can be by adopting flexible working practices.
IT PRO acknowledges the benefits of remote working, and we have put actions into words by using National Work From Home Day as an opportunity to share our own experiences of remote working.
As well as blogging, we've also published some reasons why your business should be [a href="
https://www.itpro.com/610867/top-10-working-from-home-distractions" target="_blank"]implementing good flexible working practices[/a] already, but also some of the pitfalls to avoid.
Blogging debate
One of the most active blogs this week was from Davey Winder, who revealed that Microsoft was going to shut down anybody using the Release Candidate of Windows 7 every two hours starting from 2010. Whatever your point of view, please join the debate.
Another blog that got a lot of attention was news and feature's editor Nicole's view of Dell trying to create a retail site for the ladies' called (and I still can't believe the marketing people got away with this) Della. Unsurprisingly you might think it's in pink.
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Glorious gadgets
Readers were also very interested in a new Asus netbook carrying a swivelling tablet screen, and the same was true with our review of the Android enabled HTC Magic although not quite the 'iPhone killer'- our tech ed Benny was very impressed.
Major IT glitches
Were you one of the Tesco shoppers unable to buy groceries due to tills breaking down? It was apparently the fault of a misbehaving IT update. If the biggest supermarket in Britain can lose business thanks to a glitch, it's probably wise not to complain too much about your IT department today.
Talking of which we at IT PRO noticed that Google had been running slow yesterday, and indeed the big daddy of the internet was suffering an error affecting users around the world.
Scary to think that any problem like this with Google is not just its own problem its an internet wide problem...
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Thousands of exposed civil servant passwords are up for grabs online
News While the password security failures are concerning, they pale in comparison to other nations
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Global PC shipments surge in Q3 2025, fueled by AI and Windows 10 refresh cycles
News The scramble ahead of the Windows 10 end of life date prompted a spike in sales
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Microsoft could be preparing for a crackdown on remote work
News The tech giant is the latest to implement stricter policies around hybrid working without requiring a full five days in the office
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Who is John Roese?
Dell's CTO and Chief AI Officer John Roese brings pragmatism to AI
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IT professionals aren’t budging on flexible work demands – and more than half say they’ll quit if employers don’t meet expectations
News Analysis from Randstad shows 40% of UK-based IT pros have quit over a lack of flexible work options, while 31% of workers globally have done the same.
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'The tide seems to be turning towards office attendance': 64% of hybrid business leaders want staff back in the office – but many worry that enforcing RTO mandates will drive employees away
Analysis Many UK business leaders want their staff back in the office more frequently, but they’re scared to implement return to office (RTO) mandates in fear of worker revolts.
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Employees are dead set on flexible working arrangements – three quarters would turn down a role that didn't offer hybrid options as work-life balance becomes more important than pay
News New research shows workers are increasingly demanding flexible working arrangements from employers.
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Nearly half of tech workers are seeking new roles – declining employee benefits and reduced flexible working options have staff looking elsewhere
News While salaries are rising for tech workers, other benefits are in decline, leading to a fall in job satisfaction
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Meta layoffs hit staff at WhatsApp, Instagram, and Reality Labs divisions
News The 'year of efficiency' for Mark Zuckerberg continues as Meta layoffs affect staff in key business units
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Business execs just said the quiet part out loud on RTO mandates — A quarter admit forcing staff back into the office was meant to make them quit
News Companies know staff don't want to go back to the office, and that may be part of their plan with RTO mandates