Civil servants should lead – and leave home

WORKING from home on a large scale was intended as an emergency measure during the pandemic.

But for many it has become a way of life – with ruinous consequences for the economy as it struggles to recover.

More than half of employers in Scotland have seen an increase in staff working from home since March 2020.

Town and city centres were dealt a devastating blow during the lockdowns, with many turning into desolate spaces as offices emptied.

Ministers are keen to promote hybrid working, where staff split their time between the workplace and home.

Civil servants are among the least likely to have made it back to the office – with only one in three Scottish Government desks set up for workers to use.

It’s a real lack of leadership, and it means businesses dependent on commuter footfall are still clinging to survival.

Yet working from home is endangering not just the economy but also workers’ mental health. Isolation was widespread in the lockdown years as staff spent much of the time in a virtual world, physically cut off from workmates and managers.

Frankly, the standard of service offered by public bodies where staff are based at home is often abominable.

We simply can’t afford a perpetuation of the working from home culture at a time of soaring inflation, as the cost of living crisis spirals out of control.

True, as the Mail reports today, there are worrying indications of a rise in coronavirus cases, but this is a disease that we will have to learn to live with.

Urban decline will be accelerated if the trend for avoiding the office continues.

That means public transport must be a priority, with an end to disruptive rail strikes. But change must start at the top.

Isn’t it about time the SNP Government set an example – and ordered homeworking civil servants back to their desks?