People are bored of working from home and want to return to the "comfort" of office work and city centre socialising.
That’s the view of Howard Dawber, head of strategy at Canary Wharf Group, whose office complex currently has some 6,000 people on site instead of its pre-Covid norm of 110,000.
"We've got to the point where there is a lot of fatigue out there. Working from home for the first couple of months of last year when the sun was shining and people were enjoying perhaps a more flexible environment, there was a sense that this was going to be a short-term process” he has told the BBC.
"I think now people are really missing that opportunity to collaborate with and just see their friends in the office, to get your hair cut, to go and get a good coffee at lunchtime and to do all the life admin things you can do in a city centre.”
Canary Wharf and nearby areas are amongst the densest private rental locations within London, with many tenants working close by.
Dawber continues that while he recognises some may want to continue working from home at least part-time, he adds: “From March 29 onwards I think we will see people starting to return to the workplace and particularly as we get towards June when things like bars, restaurants, services, hairdressers open up I think we will start to see people back in offices and we are expecting significant numbers back over the summer."
For the moment it remains government advice that people in England continue to work from home where possible It is hoped, however, that all all legal limits on social contact can be removed "no later than June 21".
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'People are bored of working from home'
Surely this should read "People are bored WITH working from home"
Into the corner with the dunces hat on please.
"Howard Dawber, head of strategy at Canary Wharf Group, whose office complex currently has some 6,000 people on site instead of its pre-Covid norm of 110,000." I don't believe the Canary Wharf Group employs 110,000 people. Most likely their development can hold 110,000 most of whom will be paying the Group rent. Mr Dawber is more concerned people will continue to work from home and therefore there'll be less rent for him as people will give up or reduce office space leading to his Group having massive voids.
Their own website says "Canary Wharf is evolving. As home to a diverse range of start-ups and
corporates, entrepreneurs and financial institutions, public and private, retail and services; Canary
Wharf is a thriving district for technology, finance, media and soon to be residential.". He's running scared of a loss in profit.
I've worked from home since the start of the first lock-down and yes, I miss some things about the office, but I do like working from home - I'll be doing part home/part office working when things go back to what will be the new normal. If enough people in companies can/will do this then companies can downsize office space which will mean less overheads for them, and less commercial rents being paid like those paid to Canary Wharf Group.
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