United Kingdom Prime Minister, Boris Johnson says Ministers should learn from the remote working lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic to investigate what savings could be made in the Public Service.
It is understood that this could include more virtual court hearings, online GP appointments and the closure of Government buildings that are no longer needed because of a shift towards remote working.
Commenting on the move, Research Economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Ben Zaranko said Ministers “would be mad” not to think about the possible efficiencies in new ways of working.
“The Government was jolted into doing things differently last year, and there is certainly potential for efficiency gains there,” Mr Zaranko said.
“Digitisation is something we’ve been talking about for a long time, and this might accelerate that,” he said.
Despite claims that organisations are shedding their office estate in anticipation of continued home working, shared office space provider, IWG said that occupancy levels in its buildings were improving and inquiries from potential tenants had been rising.
IWG said it had seen strong demand for satellite offices in suburban areas of London, which would be closer to workers’ homes.
Chief Executive of IWG, Mark Dixon said the world of work had been permanently changed by the pandemic.
“The greater flexibility demanded by enterprises and by workers has created a dynamic market backdrop for us to grow into in years to come,” Mr Dixon said.
Elsewhere, a task force formed of 20 business groups and trade unions, has been set up to advise on flexible working as organisations look to bring staff back to offices over the coming months.
The group will consider how the Government and businesses can support the shift to hybrid working, and whether more could be done to promote ad hoc flexible working arrangements.
London, 30 April 2021
