Too many people head to the office to socialise, says ex-newspaper editor Baroness Wheatcroft who is backing working from home. The peer, who formerly edited The Sunday Telegraph and The Wall Street Journal Europe, said that many people spark up romantic entanglements with colleagues when they meet at work. Lady Wheatcroft told the House of Lords: “Just being present is no indication of effectiveness. Too many people seem to go to work to have a social life.".
She added: "A poll by YouGov with the TUC found that one in three people had had a relationship with a colleague, 22% were married to or in a civil partnership with someone they met at work.". She queried, "Were they doing everything effective for their job when they were there or were they not? It begs the question. If employers, including the Government, share my belief that a strong team culture is important in building success, then I think they should insist on a minimum presence in the office. But does it need to be more than 20% of the working week?.
"If that was, as far as possible, the same day for every member of a specific team, a degree of bonding and shared culture could be achieved.". Her comments came as peers debated the merits of home, office and hybrid working, particularly in the civil service.
The row over civil servants' working patterns has intensified, with Government mandating a return to the office for at least three days a week, putting them at loggerheads with HM Land Registry and prompting protests from the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS).
