Outstanding offices are key to breaking working from home habits: Eamon Fox

Jayne outlined a number of these disadvantages, but the one that resonated with me the most was the danger that the UK was becoming a “coach potato nation”. It is all too easy to slip in bad habits when working from home and there is no-one either to supervise you or to bounce ideas off.

It can also lead to boredom and frustration – and a lack of discipline. The lure of daytime television or a sneaky pint or two at lunchtime can sometimes to difficult to resist.

And isolation does have a detrimental effect on one’s mental health. More prosaically, remote also leads to reduced communication and not having immediate access to information.

Working from home may put you at risk of overworking. When you work from home and don’t lay out your schedules properly, there are fewer distinctions between work and personal life. Televisions, pets, noises from traffic, household chores and children can be a source of distraction at home.

Being distracted can affect your concentration and decrease your productivity.

Having said all this, there’s no doubt that working from home, fuelled by the global pandemic, is here to stay. So, it is the responsibility of employers to ensure coming to the office on a regular basis is an attractive and enjoyable proposition.

It is reassuring to know that enlightened employers realise that, at the end of the day, their staff are key to a company’s success so it’s important they are treated with respect and given everything they need to succeed in the office, from a more supportive desk chair to break-out spaces to think creatively.

An informal and comfortable office environment is crucial, with bright and friendly colours a priority. The right choice of colour when it comes to paint and furniture is not just integral to your company’s identity, it also impacts mood. Functionality is important too.

Employees benefit from things such as ergonomic furniture and access to natural light so these must be considered, just as much as the aesthetics of the office. The same goes for layout - some offices work better with more break-out spaces, and co-working areas, whereas others don’t. Make sure to do what works for your business and your staff.

Making working in the office attractive, and halting the working from home juggernaut, is not just about design, but also about location and convenience.

In our world post-Covid world, convenience really is key. We are lucky in Leeds that the city centreis blessed with excellent transport links, superb restaurants and quality shopping arcades.

It is reassuring to know that all the new Grade A office space, which has recently been created and built in Leeds, from MRP’s City Square House to Kinrise’s 34 Boar Lane and from Opus North’s 12 King Street to CEG’s Globe Point, tick every single one of the boxes mentioned above. They provide the perfect reasons for breaking the dangerous working from home habit and returning to the office. And this is so important.

As Jayne said in her article: “The working from home culture has led to the lack of post-pandemic activity in town and city centres, contributing to the closure of shops, cafes and restaurants.” Amen to that.

Eamon Fox is partner and head of development at the Leeds office of Knight Frank