What we are losing by moving to working from home

It’s too early to tell what effect this change will have long term, but there is no doubt something missing in the work day, argues Chris Blackhurst

Many now have flexible work weeks in terms of being in the office (PA)

Did the Covid-19 pandemic change us forever? I confess to being sceptical about such claims, believing that in the long run the axis will right itself.

But as we enter 2023, nearly three years after the beginning of the outbreak, the signs are that as far as working patterns are concerned the shift induced by lockdowns has become permanent.

Proof was there to see in the City of London before the holiday. Where once the bars of areas like Leadenhall Market would be heaving, on the day I was there, they were eerily half-full. This, in the run-up to the seasonal break, when those in the Square Mile would normally be catching up over a drink or several with old pals and clients before heading off. Here, it was clear, they’d already gone and what socialising there was to be done would be taking place nearer home, probably at mutually convenient pubs in the suburbs.