Rush to work from home must be halted

JAWS dropped, social media went into meltdown and the unions blew a gasket, when in a haughty attempt to end Working from Home (WFH), the UK Government’s quintessential top Tory toff Jacob Rees-mogg, Minister responsible for government efficiency, marched to the Cabinet Office and left notes on empty civil service desks that said, “Sorry you were out when I visited, I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon”

He was described as taking a Dickensian approach by his own Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries and accused of using passive aggression by union leaders.

The entitled Rees-mogg doubled down and warned London’s 110,000 civil servants that unless they returned to work their offices would be sold.

With his bespectacled beady eyes no doubt fixed on London’s commercial property market, the multi-millionaire minister denied he was trying to scare people. “We have very expensive property. People either need to be coming in to work or the office space can be reallocated to those who will use it.”

Defending Rees-mogg’s call for “a rapid return to the office”, Downing Street’s spokesperson said: “The PM will support any initiative that encourages people to return to pre-pandemic working.

“We are not putting an end to flexible working, which continues to have a place in the modern workplace.”

Regardless of the very low opinion I and many others have of this divisive, aloof, and conceited man, something must be done to fill the void that WFH has created.

Post-pandemic, there is no doubt that blended, hybrid or flexible working, call it what you may, has had a devastating effect, not only the economy of London, but other UK cities reliant on a commuting workforce.

Sprawling footfall-dependant Glasgow has suffered more than most. Its plethora of sandstone office blocks and modern glass

The charge to working from home has had a harmful impact on job security, investment and the economy

edifices now lie empty and forlorn, monolithic reminders of better days in its recent past.

The beating heart of its inner city, which once pulsed with life and was rammed with commuting office workers who provided vital support and means of employment to a whole range of businesses, industries, and services, now barely raises a murmur.

A concerned Stuart Patrick, of Glasgow Chambers of Commerce, said: “While the Centre for Cities’ research using mobile phone data shows Glasgow is slowly grappling its way back to pre-pandemic levels, the recovery is unbalanced.

“There is a clear contrast between activity during the working week, where current experiments in hybrid working are suppressing footfall”.

While the arguments over employee productivity, wellbeing, social interaction, and commuting costs continue to rage, it’s clear that a balance between remote working and a return to the office must be found if Glasgow’s day and night-time economy is to ever recover to pre pandemic levels, let alone grow.

The headlong charge across the WFH rubicon, encouraged by the Scottish Government and many within local authorities, without fully assessing the harmful impact it has on job security, investment and the local economy must be halted, and a comprehensive appraisal carried out.

In London, the huge costs associated with running a large office has already deterred many from the private sector from continuing to keep the lights on, with many companies now opting for the cheaper option of forcing staff to work from home permanently.

The devil is in the detail, as the offer might only apply if you accept a 20% pay cut, which law firm Stephen Harwood put on the table. Equally, I suspect it won’t be long before employers decide it doesn’t matter where an WFH employee is based and start exporting those jobs abroad, to save even more money.

Blended working might sound like a great concept, but it will only work if the mix is correct, and at the moment it is a recipe for disaster.