Get back to the office! But why?

The company I work for occupies 3 separate office buildings across a town. Immediately prior to lockdown, we were days away from signing a 3 year lease on a 4th building, due to workforce expansion. Because 90% of our workforce are working from home, the lease on the new offices has been cancelled. We have also notified the landlords of 2 of the existing office buildings that our leases will not be renewed in December of this year.
The small independent sandwich shop where most of us bought our lunches has already shut down. As has the men's barbers where many of our staff went for a quick lunch time trim. The wine bar that many of us met up in on a Friday after work, has said that it's closing it's doors at the end of September, when its lease is up. I suspect that the dress shops and shoe shops where many of my younger colleagues spent quite a lot of their wages is also suffering.
So it's not just about pension funds and international coffee shop chains; it's about the small independent retailers and hospitality venues where many office workers went to socialise at the end of the week.

I wouldn't be sad to see lots of coffee chains close down especially the corporate foreign owed ones, who seem to think they are immune to paying their fair shares of taxes to this country. I very rarely use a cafe but, if I do, I always look for a local independent or one in a garden centre.

I was also wondering about Europe and thinking that perhaps their transport was a more pleasant experience than here, and their commuting time less. I have also read that the German Govt. is subsidising some employees to work less hours, to try and prevent mass redundancies.

Or maybe more people live in small flats? Just speculation,

Oh I forgot travel expenses saved!

There is not a one size fits all solution but killing off the office culture in the UKs cities would be disastrous on many levels.

It's already dying in some businesses. The economy will just have to adapt. It has no choice.

My offspring are all working from home and find that productivity has risen, pollution has lowered, Commuter stress is Zero, and they gain time by not travelling.

What’s not to like?

Both have been told that this will carry on for the foreseeable future. One works for one of the biggest pharmaceuticals, the other works for a government agency.

Both have been in discussions as to whether to encourage everyone to return to the office and the decision was made that it made no sense to do so at the moment.

No one is taking the government seriously.

It's been very hard on ancillary businesses in the centre of cities The worst aspects are that many will go to the wall and that wonderful after work life that I remember from working in London will be diminished, to be expected, sadly. I think there are a lot of fears it won't come back, thinking of theatres and the like.

I have had conversations with my son about it, as he is affected, hasn't been into the office for months. He and his girlfriend both work in publishing, their employers are quite happy with staff working from home and for them all to continue like this for a while. Depending on the type of business a company is involved in, if it has been viable for them to not have their employees in the office, I think it's safe to say they will have saved a lot of money in what they have to provide for the working environment. So much so, I imagine they must aske themselves do they need very large, prestige offices, or could they manage with smaller spaces, particularly if they are to stagger how many staff they have in at any one time, which will leave a hell of a lot of empty office space I imagine.

The upsides from working from home my son tells me is that he and his girlfriend are saving a lot of money they would have spent on their commute, most people who work in London have to go a good few miles out to afford to buy, or even rent, the cost of season tickets are ridiculously expensive. He also tells me they have a better work/life balance, previously they were usually out of the house from 7 am to 7 pm. A few downsides at times he misses the dynamic of working with colleagues and the after hours get togethers, and when working from home it's can prove difficult to have a proper division between work life and home life. They both tell me that the "Zoom meetings" can be continuous and intense some days and it's hard to wind down.

Clearly Covid has exacerbated the writing on the wall, I think there will be a limited return to the office in due course not sure things will go back to the way they were.

Oopsminty

*Yes, some of the jobs could go abroad, but some companies have actually been "repatriating" call centre jobs.*

Actually yes, that reminded me. Friend works for a major utility company and their call centres are now UK based after many years in India.

We'll have to see how it pans out. But I'm still in the dark as to why Europe seem to have all embraced the office again.

Totally agree with your last sentence.

I don't know the reason for that either. However, I know Germany quite well. There is no city the size of London and there are various regional centres scattered around the country. Local transport is much better and better integrated than in any of the UK's metropolitan areas. Germany also has more manufacturing and successful small businesses, which are the backbone of the economy. Maybe there are some reasons there, although I admit it's only speculation.

suziewoozie

GG it’s not an either/or. There are many models being used which don’t involve kitchen tables. Some involve spending some time in and some time out of the office, some have those who want to going in, some involve hub and spoke with the use of serviced offices close to where the worker lives.Some businesses have already found that increased flexibility has increased their recruitment base and many report increased worker satisfaction. Too many people are trying to frame this discussion in the usual tedious dichotomous either/ or - all at home or all in the office. That’s just silly - we are going to see a much more flexible, varied situation. As for pension funds, it’s their responsibility to find other things to invest in which will develop the economy in different and more sustainable ways.

I did not say it was an either or situation, I said different people are comfortable with / need different ways to work according to their situation/health whilst Covid is still around.

I am an employer and have had to adapt over the last 5 months. Some employees need to be in the office full time some do not, one now comes in once/twice a month and works from home the other days.

There is not a one size fits all solution but killing off the office culture in the UKs cities would be disastrous on many levels.

SueDonim

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Can we "grannies" form some kind of cross-party action group? It all makes so much sense. It would be good for the environment and people's wellbeing and would rebalance the economy.

Yes, some of the jobs could go abroad, but some companies have actually been "repatriating" call centre jobs.

Actually yes, that reminded me. Friend works for a major utility company and their call centres are now UK based after many years in India.

We'll have to see how it pans out. But I'm still in the dark as to why Europe seem to have all embraced the office again.

Totally agree with your last sentence.

I agree ayse there must be some middle way which rejuvenates town centres etc. Part time working from home and part of the time in the office.
All government depts should get back to work even in a part time capacity. There are of course many groups of people for whom working from home is not an option.

*Whatever happens, though, someone needs to take the long view and not let things just 'happen'. This is a rare opportunity to reshape the way we live, and it would be such a shame to let it go.

...

Unfortunately, this would need a government less interested in profit and more concerned about the happiness of the people, so there is a real risk that the opportunity will be lost. We, as voters and citizens need to make our voices heard, and to come up with some imaginative and innovative ideas for how to make the most of the changes that have been forced on us - who knows? Our grandchildren might look back on 2020 as the year things changed for the better.*

Oh! If only ...

I can’t see how working life can possibly go back to how it was, taking into account social distancing and public transport. It’s not as though pre-pandemic everyone was living an idyllic life, enjoying their daily commute and working in packed offices where presentee-ism was king.

It could be a chance to reset people’s work/life balance and to reset our city centres, by moving people into homes converted from offices and stopping them from being night-time deserts. New services will be required for that and having seen what independent businesses have achieved in recent months, I’m sure they will innovate to bring in new ideas.

The opportunity to work in the office should be made available to those who want it, but WFH should also be available, where possible. I don’t see why we can’t have both.

Oopsminty

What is concerning is that many of these jobs that can be done from home could be done from abroad. Cheaper staff. We've seen it with call centres. Is this why British employers are reluctant to re-open offices? It isn't just coffee shops that will suffer either.

Found an article from early August which shows just how behind Europe we are.

Only 34% of UK employees have gone back to the office, lagging behind the rest of Europe which averages 68%, AlphaWise, the research arm of US bank Morgan Stanley, has found.

*In particular, Germany, Italy and Spain have seen return rates of around three-quarters, while France leads the way on 83%.*

Yes, some of the jobs could go abroad, but some companies have actually been "repatriating" call centre jobs.

The jobs can only go abroad if there are the staff to do the jobs. Some of the jobs now being done at home are by very highly trained and experienced professionals. Countries with low wages have some way to go before their education systems catch up - although they're heading that way! (Watch out for Estonia and software development.) That's why it's short-sighted not to invest in high quality education in the UK - and teachers.

It would be a shame to see city centres clogged up with commuters again. From the people I know who have been working from home, they have been given the option of carrying on with that and going into the office 2 or 3 times a month or full time in the office. Most have decided to work at home with just around a third back at the office.
We need to think of the environment and keep cars off the road as much as possible.

My first thought was that city property prices would be the driver in getting people 'back to work'. They are already working at home, so even the slogan is flawed.

I understand the psychological perspective, and (profits aside) there is a lot to be said for people feeling less stressed, but on the whole I think that if the fear of losing their livelihood is removed, a lot of people will be happier working at home, and stress levels will drop quite markedly.

This feels like a case of 'we need to do things this way because this is the way we've always done them', rather than a sensible assessment of the situation, which is that the world has changed and is likely to be different for the foreseeable future.

Whatever happens, though, someone needs to take the long view and not let things just 'happen'. This is a rare opportunity to reshape the way we live, and it would be such a shame to let it go.

High Streets have been on the decline for ages, and even more people are now buying online, so that decline is likely to gather pace. Instead of having boarded-up wastelands, we can move towards community hubs, where people go for leisure and companionship, rather than consumerism.

Unfortunately, this would need a government less interested in profit and more concerned about the happiness of the people, so there is a real risk that the opportunity will be lost. We, as voters and citizens need to make our voices heard, and to come up with some imaginative and innovative ideas for how to make the most of the changes that have been forced on us - who knows? Our grandchildren might look back on 2020 as the year things changed for the better.

I agree with ILoveCheese that our economy needs a better balance between service and manufacturing. This was initially a decision made by the Thatcher government. A case in point! Round Oak Steel in the Black Country had full order books when it was closed by Thatcher in c.1980-81. I know because me DH was employed by them. They made top quality steel, like Redcar and it was in great demand! Standing on the site now is Merryhill shopping centre. The steel works supported rolling mills and a huge number of smaller metal industries.

Consuming, IMO has lead to huge waste problems! As a country we should be investing in sustainability. A French energy producer has a whole department setting up to do just that. I’d prefer to pay more tax and see investment in sustainable industries, public transport and manufacturing. Instead we continue to believe that buying more stuff will save our economy.

SuzieWoo, the Tory government is more akin to Fascism as this was based on a Capitalist economy. The USSR was based on a planned economy. Having said this Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin seem rather akin to North Korea, USA and Britain right now.

This situation has forced companies like mine to allow working from home, when they were very anti the idea before. They have found that for some employees it works well. ^ Others need supervision and cannot be trusted to work properly alone, others need the stimulus of the office.

I know people working in London advertising companies. They are now giving up their premise. People work from home, and have meetings when needed in a rented office suite.

Now this change has been experienced, some companies will not go back to the old way, in spite of what the government want.

In future, people buying a house may well consider the need for an office or extra room so they can work from home easily. There are savings on fuel, car costs, clothing and food. If people can work from anywhere, that presumably will affect house prices in London and big cities. Huge consequences, not all evident yet.

What is concerning is that many of these jobs that can be done from home could be done from abroad. Cheaper staff. We've seen it with call centres. Is this why British employers are reluctant to re-open offices? It isn't just coffee shops that will suffer either.

Found an article from early August which shows just how behind Europe we are.

Only 34% of UK employees have gone back to the office, lagging behind the rest of Europe which averages 68%, AlphaWise, the research arm of US bank Morgan Stanley, has found.

In particular, Germany, Italy and Spain have seen return rates of around three-quarters, while France leads the way on 83%.

Many people in offices have been "hot desking", which many dislike because they don't have a permanent work station. A "hot desk" could just as easily be on the kitchen table, a spare room or a remote hub.

I agree with you 100%. Working in serviced offices and "hubs" closer to home was already beginning to happen and will continue. One of the problems in some semi-rural areas is poor broadband, which is why pension funds might want to look to investing in it.

GG it’s not an either/or. There are many models being used which don’t involve kitchen tables. Some involve spending some time in and some time out of the office, some have those who want to going in, some involve hub and spoke with the use of serviced offices close to where the worker lives.Some businesses have already found that increased flexibility has increased their recruitment base and many report increased worker satisfaction. Too many people are trying to frame this discussion in the usual tedious dichotomous either/ or - all at home or all in the office. That’s just silly - we are going to see a much more flexible, varied situation. As for pension funds, it’s their responsibility to find other things to invest in which will develop the economy in different and more sustainable ways.

How many office workers do you honestly think will go back to working in an office to keep pension funds afloat?

People shouldn't be "shamed" into going back to work in an office and having a long commute. It will work for some people, but not others.

Maybe pension fund managers should think of investing in superfast broadband in all areas of the country.

A collapse in commercial property values will hit the pension funds as well as the grasping Tory capitalists. But why should the pensioners on Gransnet worry about pension funds getting into difficulties?