According to recent news reports, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency, has campaigned for civil servants returning swiftly to the office. As reported by The Guardian, among other news outlets, he has inspected offices in Whitehall to identify which workplaces were not used regularly, leaving written notes on empty desks with the words “Sorry you were out when I visited. I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon”.

Although these notes have been criticised as ‘condescending’ by Union representatives, other politicians have backed this move. For example, Oliver Dowden CBE, Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party, claimed that “if we really want to best serve the people of Britain, one of the things we need to do is have that collaboration that comes from working in the office”, concluding that “Jacob’s efforts are driven by getting the best value for taxpayers.”

Despite not being official government guidance, the message that working from the office is ‘best’ not only comes from the top echelons of the ruling political party, but specifically from the Minister responsible for Government efficiency. In the light of findings from recent research, we are concerned about the following two assumptions that underpin this message.

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, flexible working was on the rise. An estimated 75% of employees in Europe had some degree of flexibility in their working schedule, with up to 90% in The Netherlands and Scandinavia, for example (OECD, https://www.oecd.org/els/family/Be-Flexible-Backgrounder-Workplace-Flexibility.pdf). Yet, even when a significant proportion of work tasks could be done flexibly, studies estimated that less than 20% of UK employees were able to do so (MANAGING EMPLOYEES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: Flexible working and the future of work (Forbes et al.)).

The enforced homeworking during Covid-19 lockdown changed this picture dramatically. According to the same study, managers said that more than 80% of their employees were now working flexibly. While some companies were traditionally reluctant to offer flexible working, the crisis forced them to accept large-scale homeworking. Initial conclusions paint a rather rosy picture.

Firstly, technical obstacles, such as access to collaborative tools, that had prevented flexible working previously had to be removed almost overnight. Communication systems, security protocols, home workspaces etc. had to be tackled ‘in one go’. This process was undoubtedly bumpy for many organisations as highlighted by ongoing discussions as to whether Zoom is a secure remote communication tool and should be used. By and large, though, the move to large-scale flexible working which would otherwise have taken years to accomplish had to happen quickly. While this involved some experimentation, risk-taking and cutting corners, it also meant that crucial practical insights into how large-scale flexible working can be made to work for individuals and organisations were gained and can now be used to refine the newly created flexible working arrangements.

Secondly, qualms about whether productivity can be maintained in flexible working were largely assuaged during the crisis. One study found that 90% of surveyed employees got done at least as much work – and often more – during lockdown than before (Flexible working: lessons from the great work-from-home mass experiment (theconversation)). Similar results were reported more widely and got business leaders’ attention. For example, Twitter announced that all staff would be allowed to work from home ‘forever’, while Facebook executives expect half of its employees to work remotely by 2030 at the latest. Some large public-sector organisations broadened the scope of flexible working at least temporarily, but it is likely that many of the flexible working arrangements developed during the Covid-19 pandemic are to stay in the longer term.