Working from home

[Optimistic Nick]

For me working from home is alright sometimes and convenient spending 20 hours in a bedroom a day isn't what I want.

I think it has a big impact on other businesses and whilst we all have to pretend we care about emissions and things like that. It's going to hit the car industry hard, shops and food places. There's plenty of already empty office buildings, we need people who have got money to be spending it and working from home won't do that.

My employer has made clear that we have a responsibility to spend money with the businesses that are set up to ensure office life functions - the Sandwich shops, coffee shops, pubs etc. Basically- when it's safe and convenient to do so we should work from the office and supporting those businesses is a reason for this. I agree. It really saddens me to see these places all boarded up now

[Fatty Thornton]

Will it work long term?

Timing wise this all kicked off as I begun a new job where I am on a home-based contract for the first time in my career, with an (then) expectation to travel to either Dublin, London or elsewhere in Europe 2-3 days a week.

I've left the house 10 times on business in the last 11 months, and have done my job almost entirely from home, which without going into detail, I am surprised at, but to everyone's credit, it has been embraced by the company I work for and our advisors too.

I suspect my travel will be much curtailed once things return to normal because a) there will still be face-to-face contact needed for negotiations and b) we've proven we can do everything else remotely, and have saved a fortune in the process (what the shareholders want to hear!)!

[chris lee]

My employer has made clear that we have a responsibility to spend money with the businesses that are set up to ensure office life functions - the Sandwich shops, coffee shops, pubs etc. Basically- when it's safe and convenient to do so we should work from the office and supporting those businesses is a reason for this. I agree. It really saddens me to see these places all boarded up now

With respect it is none of your employers business where and how you spend your own money, and to tell you you have a responsibility to do so is out of order imo.

[Optimistic Nick]

With respect it is none of your employers business where and how you spend your own money, and to tell you you have a responsibility to do so is out of order imo.

I disagree
They are saying that those businesses depend on a working population in city centres. We are part of that. If we value those businesses and want them to survive then we have a collective responsibility to use them, or they won't be there any more.

[Tuerto]

I disagree
They are saying that those businesses depend on a working population in city centres. We are part of that. If we value those businesses and want them to survive then we have a collective responsibility to use them, or they won't be there any more.

They're just giving their opinion then. I agree though, we need people to be mobile, city centres need to be busy, not just to support business, but for other ideas and projects to thrive and for the well being of people, interaction etc, also, how many 'funny' stories or anecdotes can be shared while a person is sat at home all day? I would hate to be stuck at home, that's torture, the routine that i'm in is that i come home to escape work, to do the things i want to do. And it feels good (most of the time) when i pull up outside my house after a days graft, it's the next part of the day.

[Optimistic Nick]

They're just giving their opinion then. I agree though, we need people to be mobile, city centres need to be busy, not just to support business, but for other ideas and projects to thrive and for the well being of people, interaction etc, also, how many 'funny' stories or anecdotes can be shared while a person is sat at home all day? I would hate to be stuck at home, that's torture, the routine that i'm in is that i come home to escape work, to do the things i want to do. And it feels good (most of the time) when i pull up outside my house after a days graft, it's the next part of the day.

Well yes - they are not mandating we spend £10 a day or any such thing, it is just that businesses do have an obligation collectively to have some concentration of people in city centres and other places of work otherwise it all falls apart, and that would be Very Bad for everyone. And it is very much secondary to the other benefits of offices e.g. collaboration.