The Straw Which Will Break The Camel’s Back – Working From Home Until The New Year

Posted by LDG - The Creative Property Agency on 30th June 2020 -

There’s a lot of chatter about working from home becoming an indefinite way of working, something I have touched on in a blog previously (The Impact Of Mass Home Working), however as the weeks go by, it’s becoming increasingly clear that no one truly believes offices are dead.

Sure, we have all coped, but I don’t think anyone (okay, 95% of anyone) want to live in a Black Mirror episode where they find themselves confided to their homes, with little escape or external interaction. With this in mind, I am confident that in the long run offices will continue to be the norm for businesses. The medium and long term will feel like the good ol’ days and you will return to breaking (pizza) bread around a Homeslice table, or sharing cocktails at Mr Fogg’s on Fridays with your work buddies without worrying where their hands have been.

However, I am most concerned the effects of continuing to promote working from home in the short term.

By this, I don’t mean to suggest disregarding Government advice, but the many company announcements to their staff that they can continue working from home until (at least) the end of the year.

Whilst I am sympathetic to the reasoning and sentiment, such promises were made prematurely and without considering the ancillary businesses that hold up their own, be it the suppliers, contractors but also shops and restaurants who cater your staff, and rely the surrounding micro-economy.

These businesses need your support, and this can only truly be done by increasing demand and having workers return back to work. Anything short of this, will continue to cripple your favourite lunch spot, cripple the economy further, and will make it harder to recover.

The argument against me, will be health and safety, something I am not disregarding. In fact, I myself have my concerns, not about being in Central London or at my desk, but the commute in. However precautions can be made to reduce risk, not just on your commute but in the workplace.

I am not suggesting that Coronavirus should not be taken seriously, but we all know that people, your staff, are taking risks every week for their own agendas. In fact, we’re doing it ourselves, even if we won’t admit it!

When the sun came out, people disregarded the rules to flock to the parks and beaches. 

When the evenings were warmer, people disregarded the rules to have BBQs with people not from their households, or visited their elderly and vulnerable family members.

When the shops opened, people have been returning, in need of some retail therapy, forget their health worries.

When we witnessed a social injustice, people disregarded their concerns and came together in unity to protest systemic racism and police brutality.

And the moment we can book a holiday, you can bet that people will be jumping online to plan a week by the pool, and not worrying about flying in a packed tinned can.

The positive is, Government are easing restrictions weekly (sometimes daily), in order to boost the economy, however this is mulled if businesses decide to keep their staff away from the office.

So I guess I am asking, nay pleading, that businesses start to encourage their employees to return to the office. For many, like ourselves, this will be done rotationally, but at least it gives the businesses who support your business a fighting chance.

Afterall, Amazon will still be Amazon at the end of this, but 4 Market Place, Fitzrovia, might not be Honest Burger if we don’t chomp their delicious rosemary salted chips for 6 months.