Most business leaders secretly want to put an end to working from home, the head of the CBI has said.
Tony Danker said working patterns would be talked about “for a few years”, adding the world of work had “gone crazy” since the Covid pandemic began.
Speaking with Nick Robinson on Political Thinking, Mr Danker said he did not know where working patterns are going to end up.
“You ask most bosses, everybody secretly wants everyone to come back into the office,” he said.
“I just don’t think that’s going to happen overnight. I think we are all coping with this....but we’re going to be talking about this for a few years.”
Companies in many industries have been debating whether to carry on with remote working now Covid restrictions have been removed.
Some banking firms signalled early on that they would expect their staff to return to the office, while some are just working remotely and others with a mix.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of economically inactive people - which is people aged between 16 and 64 not looking for work - has been at a higher level since the start of Covid. Businesses are short of staff, with many leaving the workforce since the pandemic.
Mr Danker said he wanted to create “pathways” for people to return to work for those who were on universal credit or had been unable to work due to sickness.
“We are going to work with companies to make sure that they can bring you health support and wraparound care to absorb yourself back into work,” he added.
The economy picked up following the lockdowns as job vacancies surged. The number of openings on offer has dropped since, but it is still above pre-pandemic levels.
Other than offering pay rises, companies have attracted workers by offering flexible working. In December last year, the government proposed employees be given the right to ask for flexible working from their first day at a new job.
Asked about board members and executives playing golf on Fridays and joking about how only working Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday stunting Britain’s economic growth, Mr Danker said: “You want me to launch an all-out attack on Friday golfers?
“Look. Yeah, you might be right. I think the whole world of work is totally gone crazy. We have no idea where it’s going to land.”
