The coronavirus pandemic has abruptly changed businesses’ attitudes towards office working, as well as their requirements from commercial real estate.
Since March, the UK government has urged employees to work from home where possible. According to the Office for National Statistics, by mid-April almost half (47%) of all people in employment were doing so – this compares to just 5% of the country’s workforce who reported working mainly from home in 2019.
Over the summer months, the government encouraged organisations to head back to their offices – with the spread of the virus seemingly under control, inner city businesses needed employees’ custom. However, this stance was short-lived, and as cases began to rise more steeply, in September the government reverted back to its earlier stance....