Chancellor Rishi Sunak has called for firms to reopen their offices as he declared the traditional workplace superior to remote working.
Companies across the UK are looking at how to tackle the issue of remote versus office working once lockdown ends, with many backing a hybrid model.
But Sunak has touted the benefits of the physical workplace, telling the Daily Telegraph and the Sun the opportunities afforded in an office cannot be beaten.
“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,” he said.
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,” Sunak said.
“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 declared in recent weeks that they believe the five-day-a-week office commute is over.
Earlier this week 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% – said they wanted to work from home full-time.
More than a third – 36% – said they preferred a mix of home and office-based work.
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