Barring any worrying new shifts in the data or the emergence of a new vaccine-dodging variant, it seems increasingly likely that many of the UK’s remaining coronavirus restrictions will be lifted later next month.
Alongside an opening up of nightclubs and a return to full capacity sporting stadiums, one of the key consequences of this July 19th easing of measures will be an end to government advice that staff work from home where possible.
But it remains to be seen whether this change to the official advice will trigger a mass return of the millions of workers across a variety of sectors who have adapted to remote working over the course of the past sixteen months.
In this week’s poll we’re asking for the UK engineering workforces’ take on this. Have you been working from home during the pandemic, or socially distancing on the factory floor? And if you are about to start expanding your horizons beyond the box room /kitchen table / luxury shed, will you be heading in every day, or are you looking forward to a new era of “blended working” where you head into the office just a couple of days a week?
As always, we welcome your more nuanced views on all of this in the comments box below. How do you feel about a return to the workplace? Are you looking forward to getting back to the office? Or do you feel that you have been more productive without the hassles of a commute or the distractions of your colleagues? And - if you’re a manager or business owner – will a return to the office make your job any easier, or your business any more productive?
[polldaddy poll=10868239]
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