The boss of one of Britain's biggest recruiters says employees will start returning to their offices as Covid-19 fears ease - and says there will be no “turning our back on the office”.
Alistair Cox, CEO of Hays, said he did not expect full-time home working to become permanent for most workers, who are being encouraged back to offices as lockdown restrictions ease. But he said the number of offices would change - and that employers and workers would become more flexible.
Mr Cox told the PA news agency that firms switching to permanent remote working were still “in the minority at the moment”.
He said: “We’re not turning our back on the office.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a permanent thing – over time, people will start returning back to the office.”
His words came after CBI director-general Carolyn Fairbairn warned commercial centres risked becoming “ghost towns” unless the Government help people back to offices.
Mr Cox agreed the “eco-system that survives around office workers is facing its challenges”, but said he believed it would only be a temporary issue.
Some 80% of Hays offices worldwide have reopened, though social distancing requirements mean just under a third of its office space can be used at any one time.
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Mr Cox said: “There’s a big difference between writing code remotely versus having a more social communications role, like in sales-forces,” he said.
“We can do a lot remotely, but there’s some aspects, particularly around culture and team building where, frankly, you can’t find a way of creating that effectively without bringing people together.
“I can’t see us moving to a world where offices aren’t required."
But many workers and unions remain unsure about encouraging people back onto public transport and into offices too soon.
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “People hoping to get back to the office soon should not be put at risk from unsafe commutes, or workplaces that are not safely adapted.”