The healthier, happier life of the home worker
sir – I must take issue with the letter (August 8) from Richard Kauntze, of the British Council for Offices, about working from home.
I worked from home as a freelance technical and scientific translator for more than 30 years, and never regretted one minute of it.
Mr Kauntze cites lack of space as a drawback. One of my colleagues had a large detached house, but preferred to work in a garden shed with electricity and telephone connections.
I needed a bit more space, so opted for a loft extension. This served as both a work room and a television room, which meant that I did not lose touch with the outside world.
The advantages for the individual working from home are obvious: no commuting stress, less exposure to pollution, massive savings in travel costs and a peaceful lifestyle. The advantages for the country and the environment are also obvious: no need for airport expansion, lower fossil-fuel consumption and no need for HS2. As far as working practices are concerned, this pandemic has presented us with a fantastic opportunity.
Peter Wareham
Coventry, Warwickshire sir – I agree with Flic Everett (Features, August 6) that the return to work will raise challenges for employers and employees alike.
However, valuable lessons can be learnt from the last few months. What is required is thorough research and analysis, rather than anecdotal evidence, to identify practices that have improved workplace efficiency. As Roger Bootle observes (Business, August 3), the virus has encouraged developments that should have happened anyway.
Major upheavals in society lead to new ways of doing things. We should neither expect nor desire a return to the status quo ante.
John Kirkwood
Sheffield, South Yorkshire
sir – I have spoken to several people who work from home, and none are being reimbursed for the additional costs involved, which will escalate when heating becomes necessary.
Companies have already passed administrative costs on to customers – through online shopping, for example – and now they are passing infrastructure costs on to employees.
Julian Tope
Portishead, Somerset