The topic of working from home in the Covid pandemic has always been a spicy one. From the moment that it was phased in, two springs ago, there have been people suggesting that telecommuting is a cushy little number and that working from home isn’t even really working. In recent months, with a vaccine freely available and people’s fear of the virus on the decline, there has been a renewed push to get people back into offices up and down the country. So, if you still haven’t gone back, should you be feeling guilty?
There are plenty of reasons why you might still feel that working from home is best for you. If you have been feeling the pressure from various media campaigns and people in high places, it might be worth acknowledging some of the following facts…
The call for a return to the office isn’t for your benefit
Although there will be a wealth of think pieces telling you that getting back in the workplace is what we all need, there is little reason to believe that’s the case. Very quickly, most arguments for a return boil down to the impact on business. And not your business. Continued telecommuting is bad news for commercial landlords, who face a loss of business if companies no longer need big offices. It could also hurt city centre cafes and bars, which get a lot of business from commuters grabbing a snack or drink on their journey. On the other hand, it can be great news for local stores, who’ll do more business as more people stay in residential areas. And online deliveries can help keep all cafes ticking over.
There’s no need to feel like you aren’t doing enough
One of the most pernicious lies about working from home is that it’s somehow “skiving”. If you’ve been working this way for nearly 20 months, you know enough to know that’s a misconception. In truth, a lot of people are getting more done – without the horrors of the commute to consider, they have more time to work, and their motivation isn’t hammered flat by the time they get to the office. We also don’t need to worry about the impact on B2B companies; as we continue to seek the right working from home model, plenty of us are consulting a trusted business listing site to seek equipment and modifications to our homes. And thanks to lack of commute, there’s often more money available for these moves.
Workers and bosses broadly agree
While there are some cases where businesses have made clear their insistence on getting workers back in the office, this is not uniformly the case. With productivity unharmed by work leaving the office, plenty of bosses are doing the maths and realising that they can save money on commercial rents while still seeing the same income. Unlike many things that are beneficial for employees, this is not a concession that need be wrangled from management. Increasingly, both parties are on the same side here. So it’s worth all of us considering the mutual benefits when making any decision on a return to the office.
