Boris Johnson's Plan to Scrap "Work from Home" Guidance Sparks Debate Over Office Returns

Strategic Insights -

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement to scrap his "work from home" guidance in England has sparked a heated debate over the future of office returns. Johnson, who has long been keen to revive England's lifeless city centres, wants workers to return to their offices and boost service businesses. However, employers, trade unions, and some ministers are skeptical about the expected change on July 19, suggesting that more homeworking by office workers will be a lasting legacy of the coronavirus crisis. Business groups are concerned about the removal of legal requirements on mask wearing and social distancing, which could create friction between employers and their staff.

Key Takeaways:

  • The UK government is expected to scrap its "work from home" guidance in England on July 19, but employers, trade unions, and some ministers are skeptical about the impact on office returns.
  • Google mobility data shows that travel to the workplace remains about 30% below its pre-pandemic baseline for the UK as a whole.
  • 11% of the workforce at businesses currently trading have moved from furlough or homeworking to a hybrid model in the past two weeks, with a similar proportion set to do so in the next fortnight, according to the Office for National Statistics.
  • Business groups are concerned about the removal of legal requirements on mask wearing and social distancing, which could create friction between employers and their staff.
  • The UK government has no plans to introduce a legal right to work from home, despite some ministers predicting that office staff will work from home "two or three days" a week.
  • Regular testing is expected to replace the disrupted self-isolation regime for people who have had two jabs of a Covid-19 vaccine.
  • The government has no plans to introduce new labour laws, including a right for a worker to refuse to come into the office where masks and social distancing are no longer company policy.

Statistics:

  • 11% of the workforce at businesses currently trading have moved from furlough or homeworking to a hybrid model in the past two weeks (Source: Office for National Statistics).
  • 30% fewer people are traveling to the workplace compared to pre-pandemic levels (Source: Google mobility data).
  • The UK government is expected to scrap its "work from home" guidance in England on July 19 (Source: BBC News).
  • 17-20% of the UK workforce still not working from home, despite the "stay at home" guidance being lifted in England (Source: CIPD).

Sources:

  • BBC News
  • Office for National Statistics (ONS)
  • CIPD
  • Google
  • The Times