Jeremy Hunt's feeling that the company's office not the home office, should be the place to pick up tools, has upset employers and employees across the country. There are however, middle ground workspace options that offer the flexibility that employers now need to offer a stable workforce

Simon Eastlake, Managing Director at Office Space in Town comments: "The recent comment from Jeremy Hunt that office work should once again be the "default" for employees is the latest stroke in an ongoing battle between in-person and home working. What is different here is that Hunt speaks not as an employer or an employee, with a personal stake in the matter, but instead as Britain's Chancellor speaking on behalf the UK's economic wellbeing.

"There's no denying the benefits of homeworking; yet what's becoming increasingly clear is that there's also no ignoring its drawbacks. Creativity and innovation thrives in a social environment. While remote working may be more convenient, the office also provides a collaborative setting and significantly reduces feelings of loneliness and isolation.

"Moving forward, employers who want to harness the benefits of office work while allowing their staff a greater level of freedom should take a flexible approach - something that growing demand for flexible workspaces is emerging to address. This doesn't mean passively retaining the dregs of the hybrid culture left behind from the pandemic; this requires a conscious effort to implement a flexible working policy that capitalises on all that is good about both homeworking and the office. Only by making flexibility the default will move on from our current stalemate and fully unlock the creativity and potential of our workforce."