Rishi Sunak urges firms to get staff back to offices as soon as lockdown ends: ‘You can’t beat the spontaneity’

Chancellor says staff may ‘vote with their feet’ and quit roles if they can’t work in an office

Firms are now assessing how to tackle the issue of remote versus office working once lockdown restrictions are eased (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Rishi Sunak has warned that staff could “vote with their feet” and quit their jobs if British companies don’t end working from home and let staff back into offices after lockdown ends.

The Chancellor said the “spontaneity” that comes from being in an office is unparalleled and that younger employees benefitted from working alongside experienced colleagues.

The government made an abortive attempt to get people back into offices last summer that was curtailed by rising Covid infection rates and restrictions, which has meant that many workers have spent the last 12 months working from home.

Firms are now assessing how to tackle the issue of remote versus office working once lockdown restrictions are eased, with many backing a hybrid model.

Mr Sunak told The Daily Telegraph: “You can’t beat the spontaneity, the team building, the culture that you create in a firm or an organisation from people actually spending physical time together.”

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Young people reaped the benefits of proximity to experienced mentors when working in an office, he added.

“Imagine you’ve just left college or university you start this job in a big company and you’re sitting at home on your own,” Mr Sunak told The Sun.

“How do you get to know your peers, how do you learn the culture of an organisation, how do you get those mentors, which are important for your career development?”

The Chancellor also said staff may “vote with their feet” and quit roles where they were not provided with an office.

It comes after prominent figures, such as Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, have said they believe the five-day-a-week office commute is over.

On Thursday, Nationwide Building Society unveiled plans to allow 13,000 employees to choose where they work.

The lending giant said it would put office staff in control of deciding where they were based according to their job once the latest Covid-19 restrictions ended, after more than half – 57 per cent – said they wanted to work from home full-time.

More than a third, 36 per cent, said they preferred a mix of home and office-based work.

Additional reporting by PA