Workers that don’t have to go into an office are £480 billion better off.

Oh sorry, did I change the headline?

This isn’t a new phenomenon and there’s no way workers are going back to offices en masse. Covid has merely accelerated what was going to happen anyway. Businesses need to move with the times I’m afraid.

https://www.theguardian.com/busines...fices-could-cost-uk-economy-480bn-pounds-cebr

 

It’s absolutely killing the economy though. If factory workers and now schools are back then why should office workers be any different? I’m sure it could be worked on 50% capacity on a week on week off basis.

 

Because office work can be done more efficiently at home. Why should they have to go back?

It’s not killing the economy it’s moving along its natural path, it’s just been accelerated. That’s capitalism. Businesses should have seen this coming years ago and adapted.

 

But why? My husband has never bought a coffee or lunch at work anyway, what good would it do the economy him having to get up earlier, being forced onto a train at rush hour twice a day and having to be out of the house a couple of hours longer? How is it anyone’s business where he works apart from his own and his employers?

 

It’s killing the Town/City centres economy though . Coffee shops, cafes, sandwich shops , baked potato shops , bars restaurants . Lots do some sort of shopping during lunch breaks also some partners , relatives or friends meet up for lunch with workers in town .
Barnsley comes to life between noon and 2pm traditionally company lunch breaks .
Then there’s transport not all drive into town .
There’s no doubt mass working from home will damage the economies of already fragile Town/City centres

 

According to a news report I watched a few days ago, In London alone, many businesses are badly affected by the lack of footfall including, many differing food outlets, Taxis, public transport. It more than just accelerated, it almost instantly went from one full pendulum swing. Hardly expect our beloved Govt to take the lead, they’re still playing catch up from years ago.

 

It was going to happen anyway. There’s no point putting a plaster on it. It’s only going to delay it for a few more months or a couple years at the most.

Town centres need to evolve and provide services that people want.

 

I agree that it's a natural progression, but it's happened at an unnatural speed. There's also a double whammy for town centres due to the huge increase in online shopping. Again, this is also a natural progression, but at a sudden and unexpected rate.

Whilst I rarely frequent town centres these days anyway, it's sad for anyone trying to make a living that's dependant on office workers. And it's also sad for the people who are happy to shop in towns, because before long they won't have the option.

 

Which is what though?

 

Town centres are changing and have been for a while,however it’s not putting a plaster on it by saying the change happened almost instantaneous. To me it seems you’re not saying anything new other than not acknowledging That the change happened too fast

 

No it’s not a definite it was going to happen. maybe a slow down but not a kill switch .
Capitalism has to be managed , it cannot be left to go rampant otherwise they’d be a few very rich people with very few workers and a scramble to service them from the rest of us .
Capitalism is managed at this moment In time in some cases it isn’t very good especially American company’s but it’s not rampant Capitalism .
If we let Capitalism loose without any checks at all it would cause untold damage even in places like Western Europe .
It’s not perfect now I know with people dropping through the cracks and bosses exploiting etc but it is managed on a way to serve us so just by letting it go and losing as an example Town Centres .
I know it seems extreme but if not managed that’s what eventually will happen .

 

Theres moving with the times at a gradual development and theres pressing the reset button hoping for the best.

Would you rather have people working in offices or 6 million unemployed?

 

It went a lot faster than it would have otherwise, I acknowledge that completely.

It's silly to spend money on trying to reverse that though. it's happened, it's not going to go back completely. Spend that time and effort helping town centres evolve.

 

Good point, If memory serves the initial Town centre redevelopment plans prior to the Global crash of 2008 incorporated large department stores in particular a prominent site of Debenhams. Just think if those plans hadn’t ‘t been scaled back,I believe many are coming around to thinking that Town centres can now be places to spend a few hours in like Meadowhall. Obviously each Town will have to plan for the local economy, but that shouldn’t stop Barnsley for example, becoming a more appealing place to be

 

Would you rather the government spend countless millions on a propaganda campaign to achieve something that's not going to happen, or put that money to help the businesses affected to evolve?

 

To start with - knock down buildings, plant some trees. Re-forest them and make them a hybrid place with lots of nature and green space.

 

I don't know. I reckon restaurants and entertainment is going to be the thing. People working from home means no commute time thus more free time.

Incentivise them to go into their local town centre on their lunch break. Or before work. Or as soon as they finish work.

 

Not sure if this is what is meant. I work for YW on the shop floor. But at the main headquarters in Bradford. Everyone is working from home. ( unless absolutely necessary to pop in ) The carbon footprint that, that has dropped, must be massive. I dropped in last week for technical assistance and was gobsmacked at how few cars were around. Normally ( guessing 500+ ) unable to find a space. May have been 30. certainly less than 5% This will be repeated at the smaller office bases around the county.

Out of 3000 employees estimated over half to 2/3rds are office staff.

As the offices in general are in outlying areas with very little opportunity to boost the high st economy during break times, the fact is they still contribute by having to purchase food. be it make their own or ready made.

Working from home for office based staff has now been extended to April next year. The biggest complaints being around expenses. ( some walk/cycle to work no loss there but uses of personal equipment and energy costs in the main) and childcare with the kids not being at school.

Ps these figures are an estimate on my part but would reflect what has been communicated in the past.

 

In that case the economy is going to have to change, because it's happening. Things have happened before which were going to kill the economy and it recovered. Obviously it's a big problem for those adversely affected by it in the short term but people will adapt.

It's time for a massive rethink about where we are going and how we are going to get there.

 

Do you mean, a sort of fusion of Capitalism and Socialism, where there’s a fair days pay for a fair days work. Where anybody can be rich and nobody should be destitute. Govts not bankrolled and their policies not influenced by Billionaires living in off shore tax havens. Oh, and not have politicians who yearn for a return of the halcyon days of the Victorian era. Indeed, prior to that in the case of Rees-Mogg