‘You’ll never work in a place like this again. Fact’: The days of the traditional office are numbered

Restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus have dealt a blow to the office, but one that employers can overcome if they deliver a new vision for the white-collar workplace, writes Phil Thornton

When David Brent was at his peak, the office was an object of contempt and even dread for many of its occupants (BBC)

The office, the place of work made infamous by the eponymous BBC TV series and its anti-hero David Brent, has been through the most extraordinary experiment.

Faced with the threat of the rapid spread of coronavirus in spring last year, the government made it a criminal offence to leave home in order to go to the office if the job could be done from home – an edict that was most easily enforced in the typical town or city office.

In a country where only 5 per cent of employees worked from home before Covid-19, the proportion had increased to more than 45 per cent by April 2020, and it has remained high ever since. It was 37 per cent in May 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), including those also doing a hybrid routine.