Populus Select

With Chancellor Jeremy Hunt recently advocating workers return to the “default” office base, rather than completing tasks at home or from remote locations, what do you see as the future labour landscape? Is the country’s chief fiscal planner right in asserting a return to a central location would boost creativity, or do you believe there is greater value in maintaining employees’ empowerment outside the traditional workplace?

Sim Hall, Populus Select

“I don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all approach to whether office or home working is best for all businesses and individuals. We work with STEM businesses and obviously you can’t set up a lab in your spare room, as you can an office or even studio! I wonder whether the Chancellor only works from the office?

But there is no doubt that returning to the office is best for the economy; it drives footfall for city centre hospitality businesses and maintains commercial property values. There is also a strong argument that more junior employees learn, either directly or through osmosis, when they are in the same environment as more seasoned colleagues, and so office working is vital to progressing their careers. Similarly face-to-face interactions facilitate spontaneous idea generation, improve communication and collaboration, and create a sense of belonging amongst the colleagues.

Working remotely does of course have time and money saving benefits for employees, as well as reduce emissions from commuting and giving employees a sense of empowerment, but I can’t see justification for making it the norm. A hybrid pattern, which spreads the benefits of both options, seems like the logical compromise, and one that I am sure the Chancellor probably really agrees with.”