Those who can work from home will make life better for those who cannot

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Hybrid working can reduce overcrowding (Getty Images)

Hamish McRae’s Tuesday article is probably predicting the likely outcome of the pandemic. But has the pandemic changed things forever?

For most people, it is personal circumstances that will dictate their reaction to Covid. If they have, or can find, a property with enough space and connectivity to work from home most of the time, they will choose to do so. The problem is supply and demand. The countryside will not be built over. Large towns and cities will not wither, much. We cannot build enough houses to meet demand, and most houses being built do not facilitate home working for two adults with two children or even a single adult in most cases.

Musculoskeletal problems will afflict many people due to the poor workstation layouts imposed by poor home facilities. The acoustic problems that multiple home workers create will also militate against this being possible, even were it desirable. However, many are used to working in cafes, on trains, and in cars, and short periods spent in such will be acceptable, perhaps. Or local shops will become work hubs. This hybrid working will reduce the overcrowding of many conurbations, and this may well make them more pleasant places to work a few days a week. If people spread their presence more or less equally, that’s 50 per cent fewer people at any one time.