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Back the office?

The same businesses that keep saying "we must have cars outside", etc is it, Dame Carolyn?

Coronavirus: Civil servants 'must get back to offices quickly' (BBC news)

"The government has launched a campaign to encourage people back to the workplace after business leaders, including the head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), warned that city centres could become "ghost towns".

Thousands of businesses that rely on passing trade are suffering while offices stand empty, Dame Carolyn Fairbairn from the CBI has said." (my emphasis)

also:

"Writing in the Daily Mail, Dame Carolyn said the UK's offices were "vital drivers" of the economy, supporting thousands of local firms, from dry cleaners to sandwich bars. 

"The costs of office closure are becoming clearer by the day. Some of our busiest city centres resemble ghost towns, missing the usual bustle of passing trade.""

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53925917

I agree about bustle : How about sorting out cycling infra to enable that to happen?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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34 comments

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Hirsute replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
3 likes

Electric, gas, water all up. Coffee up a lot as I have just bought beans.

When I asked about whether we would get a wfh allowance for extra costs, I was told I was saving money by not coming into the office. This is despite an apparently green transport policy which susidises bus/train and encourages cycling. What was worse was the person who told me knows full well I cycle in all weathers, all year round !

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David9694 replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
1 like

Energy is a good point - so far, we haven't needed the heating on. Presumably the office, unless it's been closed down, will still also have the heat running, plus a million civil servants' homes using more energy on week days than previously. 

we're getting through more ground coffee, dishwasher is on twice as much, slightly more shopping, to do 3 meals a day instead of two.

I agree with Billder and Luca : I don't get the govt's obsession with coffee shops and fisheries - not exactly economic power houses.  It's time to start re- inhabiting our town/ city centres. 

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Tom_77 replied to David9694 | 4 years ago
1 like

Pre-lockdown I was spending £3000 per year on a season ticket for the train, so working from home is a bonus from that point of view.

You can also get a small amount of tax relief for working from home - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52982988

On the employer side of things, our London employees are moving to a smaller office soon with the intention that most of them will continue to work from home 2 or 3 days per week. I expect my office will also move when the lease is up. They're probably saving a small fortune on biscuits too.

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David9694 replied to Tom_77 | 4 years ago
0 likes

My suits hang on the rail forlornly, and I wonder if they'll ever get regular wear again. 
That's the thing - everyone is saving money and time here.  

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