DUVET MUSINGS by Graham Moore - Working from home has mutual benefits for staff and employers

My daughter went to the city centre at the weekend and was quite shocked apparently at how quiet it was which if it continues will have implications for retail jobs unfortunately.

One thought was thought if many office workers are working from home, this will damage weekday trade for shops too. Not all workers will need or want to return to their offices as many have worked efficiently and safely at home, often balancing child care into the bargain. It remains the be seen if this is sustainable for them and their employers remains to be seen. However there have been mutual benefits for both and another option to be developed in the future. Certainly these changes together with the growing interest in online shopping must have implications for the future of city centres. Better technology has facilitated more working from home resulting in the reshaping of work/life balance and leisure time.

Already we see speculation about some offices being converted into housing and city centres being more cycle and pedestrian friendly and greater emphasis on them being more centres of leisure too. Time will tell of course if these temporary measures to protect employees and organisations become permanent. Certainly people restricted for long periods will also rethink their personal priorities too as employers reshape their future strategies. After so many deaths it will be surprising if the pandemic did not influences our future behaviour and priorities. Certainly I, for one, and others coming out of self isolation will be all too aware of keeping fitter and alert to avoid being susceptible to another wave of Coronavirus.

Even walking more and reflecting on our diet would help as not all leisure facilities will be fully open for some time, though many parks/walks are a bonus in living in Sheffield. Certainly we should keep an eye out for flu vaccines to make an informed decision to having one or not. Finally we can still enjoy the new freedoms but given what we have been through will exhibit a sensible amount of caution.

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