After a turbulent year, Spanish electricity provider Holaluz has become a national case study in workplace transformation—and not in the way its management intended. Detailed reporting from Xataka reveals how a decision to end remote work triggered mass resignations, a historic strike, and deep questions about trust in the workplace.
From Pandemic Flexibility to Forced Office Return
When the pandemic hit, Holaluz—a company built on a “green” image and selling renewable energy—quickly embraced remote work. This flexibility became a core part of daily life for many employees, helping some move to rural areas and reduce their environmental impact.
By late 2024, however, Holaluz was in financial trouble. The company’s internal review (never shared publicly) concluded that remote work was “incompatible” with its needs. Leadership abruptly announced a full return to in-person work, starting January 28, 2025.
That decision didn’t land well. Earlier, staff had overwhelmingly rejected a hybrid model (three days in the office), with 97.7% voting no in a survey (43.5% of employees participated). When management insisted on a full return, 77% of those at an employee assembly voted to reject it. Holaluz pushed ahead anyway.
Mass Resignations and an Unprecedented Strike
Employee pushback was immediate. Around 25%—about 50 staff—said they would leave rather than return to the office. Union sources warned the figure could rise to 30%. This exodus shrank the works council and left representation at the company weakened.
But resignations were just the start. Unions UGT and CGT called a full, indefinite strike beginning January 14, 2025, with employees protesting what they called a “constant loss of rights.” The strike escalated quickly from partial walkouts to a complete stoppage. Management downplayed the participation (16% at the start), but the impact on day-to-day operations and Holaluz’s public image was clear.
More Than Remote Work: Deeper Trust Issues
The situation at Holaluz isn’t just about working from home. When announcing the new policy, management also scrapped other longstanding benefits, such as language classes and private health insurance. For many, the unilateral approach and lack of transparency—management never shared the results of its remote work review—felt like a breach of trust.
Unions and staff accuse Holaluz of using the office return as a cover for a “hidden ERE” (mass layoff), pointing to an earlier redundancy plan that had already cut 27% of jobs in November 2023 (200 employees), followed by another 30 departures by April 2024, plus more later in the year. Since then, most salaries have been frozen. According to employee representatives, the “inflexibility” and “pressure to leave” were less about workplace culture than a covert attempt to shrink headcount.
Holaluz’s Financial Storm and Management’s Stance
The financial backdrop is hard to ignore. Holaluz narrowly avoided bankruptcy in 2024 after a €22 million injection from Icosium Investment, but that funding came with demands for strict cost-cutting. Management claims the end of remote work was part of a plan to save €250,000–300,000 in 2024, but hasn’t detailed exactly how those savings will be achieved. New job openings posted to replace resigning staff suggest the crisis is real, even as leadership insists operations are “normal.”
Publicly, Holaluz’s position is that the office return is about “team cohesion” and “revitalizing enthusiasm,” and the company says it’s maintaining some flexibility in working hours. Management flatly denies that this is a disguised layoff effort.