Founder of Pimlico Plumbers Charlie Mullins has been left furious after it was revealed that millions of Britons are taking a snooze on company time, and claimed that "if they worked for me they would be gone".
A survey found nearly one in 10 home workers confess to napping on company time, with the hour between 3pm and 4pm the most popular time to disappear for a siesta.
Speaking to GB News, Mullins said: "First of all, we wouldn't be working from home. If you should be working, then you'd be gone.
"Some of these people want to fall asleep at the desk if you're not there.
Charlie Mullins has been left furious at Brits who are "sleeping on company time"
GB News
"If he's being paid to work and he's sleeping and he won't be working for me no longer."
He added: "When I'm trying to contact you in the afternoon and I want some information, if I'm the boss or I'm a customer I'm going to want you to answer the phone.
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"You're saying you're having to sleep? I mean, it's bad. It's hard enough now to get the information from somebody, you have to wait ages.
"You've got kids screaming in the background, you've got mums and dads arguing with each other.
"TV's blaring, and now you're going to be asleep. Look, it's just not going to work.
"It's not the way to run the economy."
Millions of Brits take a nap in the afternoon
PA
The latest study was commissioned by Reign Storm, a sugar-free energy drink company, and comes as businesses are increasingly urging staff to come back into the office post pandemic.
Civil Servants have been told that they must be in three days a week and some companies have taken to using monitoring apps to check that their staff are online when working from home.
The Briton is paid £17.40 an hour, so if each worker who admitted to napping did so for just one hour this would equate to £24billion a year in loss.
Charlie Mullins said that he would fire people who did fell asleep
Labour's Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has claimed that there are “real economic benefits” to more flexible working.
Speaking to The Times, he said that promoting flexible working would increase productivity, spread economic growth across the country and boost employer loyalty among staff.
He also criticised Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, his predecessor, for taking a harder line on home working, which saw him leave notes on empty desks in Whitehall.
Commenting on the new Employment Rights Bill that was revealed earlier this month, he said it would provide “real economic benefits” and help the country to level up through default rights to request flexible working, a right to switch off and the ability to work from home.
