Home truths on new working life

I am disappointed to learn of the Government’s wish for workers to return to the office. Surely we are at a point when we should make every effort to increase rather than decrease remote working.

There are a number of issues. Firstly, climate change and the threat to the environment is as much of an emergency now than before lockdown. Will all those workers who used the bus or train to commute now use their cars?

Secondly, many workers have discovered working from home helps with childcare issues, while those who do long- distance commuting must surely see an improvement in general health.

Finally, new life will be breathed into smaller communities while there could be local worker hubs equipped with high-speed internet too. There will be some workers who will prefer to work from an office while empty office buildings could be converted into housing for key workers.

An enormous amount of work needs to be done but if we don’t do it now what sort of nightmare future do we face?

Ann-Marie Simpson Brundall, Norfolk

So, while we still have Covid restrictions governing many aspects of our lives, the Government is now pushing those who have been happily working from home to return to the office. But how will people get to and from their place of work? They can’t use their cars as it is too expensive to park in our towns and cities, and if

everyone used public transport it would be unsafe, especially at peak hours. I, for one, won’t feel happy returning to the office until there is a vaccine, and even then perhaps only for one or two days a week. Gillian Fletcher, Manchester

If people don’t return to their workplaces soon, our towns and cities will become like ghost towns, and all the cafes, businesses and shops, which have grown to serve office workers, will go to the wall.

Surely people don’t want this to happen? It is very sad seeing all the boarded-up premises in our towns and I feel strongly that something must be done.

Also, what will happen to all the empty office buildings?

C Butler, South London

The civil service and public sector have a grade structure in place with many levels of management above t he general workforce.

With so many public sector workers working from home, do we still need all these managers?

If staff keep working effectively without managers, will there be a cull of public sector management grades? If they have no one to manage, what are they doing?

Keith Langley, Nottingham

I can’t help but notice that while the Government is advocating that people should return to work and children should return to school, they still haven’t decided it’s safe to return to the House of Commons.

The phrase, “I’m alright, Jack” seems to fit the bill here, I’d say.

Roy Tandy, Liverpool

It seems the real reason the Tories want people back in offices is because if these companies work out how to get everyone to work from home instead, they won’t need to rent an office, causing a collapse in rental prices. This will hit the Tories’ rich landlord friends hard. Robert Round Bewdley, Worcs

Is this a joke? Jeremy Corbyn ranks as the best PM we’ve never had (Mirror, Sept 1). My choices would be John Smith, Margaret Beckett, David Miliband and Neil Kinnock. As for the Tories, Michael Heseltine for standing up for Liverpool after the 1980s riots.

J R Williams, East London