[David9694]

The same businesses that keep saying “we must have cars outside”, etc is it, Dame Carolyn?

Coronavirus: Civil servants ‘must get back to offices quickly’ (BBC news)

“The government has launched a campaign to encourage people back to the workplace after business leaders, including the head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), warned that city centres could become “ghost towns”.

Thousands of businesses that rely on passing trade are suffering while offices stand empty, Dame Carolyn Fairbairn from the CBI has said.” (my emphasis)

also:

“Writing in the Daily Mail, Dame Carolyn said the UK’s offices were “vital drivers” of the economy, supporting thousands of local firms, from dry cleaners to sandwich bars. 

“The costs of office closure are becoming clearer by the day. Some of our busiest city centres resemble ghost towns, missing the usual bustle of passing trade.””

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53925917

I agree about bustle : How about sorting out cycling infra to enable that to happen?

Topic

[don simon fbpe]

It’s singing ‘god save the

It’s singing ‘god save the queen’ that provides the mysterious protection there. I believe.

[wycombewheeler]

Awavey wrote:

Awavey wrote:

I saw a social media post over the weekend about how if our economy is just based on unnecessary mass travel to justify the rental of vast centralised office blocks and create adhoc sales of food and clothing then maybe we need to change the economy. .

certainly the way it could all stop and all the essentials could carry on suggests there is an incredible amount of the economy devoted to optional things, as a society we need to decide whether what we want is full time work and all these luxuries, or part time work, less non essentials and more free time. Certainly reducing consumption would be better for the planet.

Unfortunately such a discussion sees unlikely to happen and what people want is a return to the status quo as soon as possible.

[Hirsute]

Well yes. Why are we told to

Well yes. Why are we told to wash our hands ? !!

[Sriracha]

I don’t understand why they
I don’t understand why they shut the showers – soap and water is the primary effective means of decontamination. I hear crap arguments about passing infection via touching the taps etc, which mysteriously don’t apply to handwashing at the basin.

[Shades]

Been some discussion about

Been some discussion about occasional days back in work but all the showers are closed due to CV19 which doesn’t facilitate cycling; sounds like an excuse to sit in lycra all day!  From my post-home working cycles the roads seem particulary toxic (traffic volume; general driver attitude) so that’s just not going to help cycling.

[Hirsute]

Spending more on wine and

Spending more on wine and sports clothing.

I got a deskcycle due to the increase in sedentary time, although I have to be selective about when I use it – best used when reading or listening to a webinar.

[hawkinspeter]

This sounds like a

This sounds like a manifestation of the Broken Window fallacy. If people aren’t spending money on suits, sandwiches and Starbucks due to WFH, then those people will have more money to spend on other things (or to invest). Granted, it could lead to a lot of changes, but some of them could well be positive. I hope it’ll end up redistributing people and money around a bit.

Personally, I’m working from home almost all of the time now and loving it. I’m definitely spending more on coffee (small batch roasting every couple of days) but I’m saving money on train fares. When I do go into the office, I now cycle both ways to avoid using public transport, so I try to pick nice weather for when I go in.

My big problem with WFH is trying to fit in cycle rides as commuting was a big chunk of my cycling – I now try to fit in an hour or so before starting work (again, when the weather’s good) though it takes more motivation.

[Awavey]

I saw a social media post
I saw a social media post over the weekend about how if our economy is just based on unnecessary mass travel to justify the rental of vast centralised office blocks and create adhoc sales of food and clothing then maybe we need to change the economy.

FWIW I dont believe WFH for a whole office is sustainable long term for a variety of reasons and what we may see emerge is neither WFH or office based,but a blend of both.

[David9694]

Energy is a good point – so

Energy is a good point – so far, we haven’t needed the heating on. Presumably the office, unless it’s been closed down, will still also have the heat running, plus a million civil servants’ homes using more energy on week days than previously. 

we’re getting through more ground coffee, dishwasher is on twice as much, slightly more shopping, to do 3 meals a day instead of two.

I agree with Billder and Luca : I don’t get the govt’s obsession with coffee shops and fisheries – not exactly economic power houses.  It’s time to start re- inhabiting our town/ city centres. 

[LetsBePartOfTheSolution]

I don’t think the old ways

I don’t think the old ways will come back. There will be a few flacid attempts to get office workers back to their desks. But doomed to failure.  If office work were being invented today, it would be exactly as is happening – WFH. For all the good reasons stated by the other comments.

Sadly it’s time for the affected retailers and services to wake up and smell the (  non-required ) coffee. The world has moved on and has left them behind.

[David9694]

My suits hang on the rail

My suits hang on the rail forlornly, and I wonder if they’ll ever get regular wear again. 
That’s the thing – everyone is saving money and time here.  

[Luca Patrono]

Because business orgs only
Because business orgs only support free markets when it suits them to do so.

[Tom_77]

Pre-lockdown I was spending

Pre-lockdown I was spending £3000 per year on a season ticket for the train, so working from home is a bonus from that point of view.

You can also get a small amount of tax relief for working from home – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52982988

On the employer side of things, our London employees are moving to a smaller office soon with the intention that most of them will continue to work from home 2 or 3 days per week. I expect my office will also move when the lease is up. They’re probably saving a small fortune on biscuits too.

[Hirsute]

Electric, gas, water all up.

Electric, gas, water all up. Coffee up a lot as I have just bought beans.

When I asked about whether we would get a wfh allowance for extra costs, I was told I was saving money by not coming into the office. This is despite an apparently green transport policy which susidises bus/train and encourages cycling. What was worse was the person who told me knows full well I cycle in all weathers, all year round !

[Awavey]

my coffee spend is down as

my coffee spend is down as there just arent any local coffee shops to where I live but certainly electricity usage is noticeably up, and Id expect heating to be similar in winter, though I can always hop on the turbo if I need to feel warm

[Author]

Replies