Despite a nation's hopes, we find ourselves facing plan B. Following the prime minister's Wednesday night address last week, many businesses in England have now shifted back to a full-time working from home (WFH) model from yesterday (Monday 13 December).
Though the sense of confusion and concern feels familiar, we are in a slightly different boat than we were in March 2020, when only a minority of businesses offered full-time WFH. Since then, during the ups and downs of the pandemic, how the UK works (and indeed, how the world works) has changed beyond recognition. Many businesses had their eyes opened to the benefits that flexible working could give their employees. As a result, some companies maintained remote working even as the country reopened in July this year.
However, many adopted a hybrid policy – a best of both worlds, so to speak. There were also those businesses that took a fairly hard-line full return to work approach as soon as they were able. Businesses that fall into one of these two groups, and which are covered by the ‘work from home if you can' advice, may now find themselves in a rush to readopt full-time remote working. In this rush, the implications for employee wellbeing cannot be forgotten.
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