Coronavirus will change how we work forever

A working from home revolution may be on the way, give me the banter – and the biscuits – of the office any day

If you can read this, it’s either because you get your newspapers delivered or Britain hasn’t yet been put on total shutdown and you’re still free to wander to a newsagent. Yes, I know you could read this online – but you get my point.

Large swathes of the country are likely to be put on ice unless something happens to seriously slow the so far irresistible spread of coronavirus.

At The Telegraph, we are on standby to produce a newspaper remotely, from studies, bedrooms and kitchen tables. In the City, international banks are preparing emergency alternative locations in the event the Square Mile or Canary Wharf are suddenly out of bounds.

Small businesses, particularly those that can’t be run on a laptop, may already be struggling. Whatever the eventual outcome of the outbreak – whether 100, 1,000 or 100,000 people lose their lives – the way we live and work will change forever.

Remote working has grown rapidly in the past decade, in line with the boom in the self-employed (who now number nearly five million) and technological advancements. But for many industries, journalism included, not being in the office is still derided as shirking, not working, from home.

Could the coronavirus restrictions finally break the stranglehold of presenteeism? Bosses will probably find that day-to-day operations run pretty smoothly, perhaps even more smoothly without the interruptions of office life.

Finance officers will be eyeing up huge savings if they only need half the desk space. HR directors will also be keen – it’s much easier to convince anyone with young children to work for you if regular working from home is an option.

If remote working became the norm, there would even be positives for the housing market. Much is written about the astronomic rise in prices, but most of that growth has been in London and Home Counties commuter towns. 

Elsewhere, homes are largely affordable, even for first-time buyers on low incomes. The average property price is just £130,000 in Newcastle, for instance. If many more of us work from home permanently or even a few days a week, demand for homes near railway stations will slowly subside.

So what would we lose? A job isn’t just about putting bread on the table. For me, the best bit is the collaboration, banter and shared biscuits. Jammy Dodgers can’t be passed through a video conferencing app.

Long live the office! Let’s hope any exile is short-lived.

sam.brodbeck@telegraph.co.uk