In England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson recommended a “gradual return to work” over the summer as coronavirus restrictions eased. Across the rest of the UK, people are still being advised to keep clocking on remotely where possible. Come the winter, working remotely full-time for office staff could well become the norm again.
Most people do not believe workers will return to the office full-time after the coronavirus pandemic, an exclusive survey for the BBC suggests.
70% of 1,684 people polled predicted that workers would never return to offices at the same rate. Many workers said that they would prefer to work from home either full-time or at least some of the time.
BBC research suggests that some inequalities may be exacerbated by the pandemic, while others might have improved. Half of the workers surveyed thought that women’s careers might be boosted by home-working, with childcare duties being less of a hindrance.