After the crisis phase of the pandemic, it will take some time for longer-term trends in the workplace to take shape. However there is no doubt that Covid-19 has fundamentally changed the world of work.
One potentially important development has been the greatly expanded use of remote work hubs. These will not suit everyone, but the availability of good broadband in a comfortable working environment is proving attractive to many as a kind of half-way house between home and the workplace, allowing some social and professional interaction as well as providing good facilities.
The cost of this will mainly fall on employees, though employers should also consider contributing, as part of a longer-term flexible working strategy. Those who do not embrace this will soon find many of their best people leaving.
There are already signs in the latest official employment figures of more people basing themselves outside Dublin during the pandemic
What about the State? There are three reasons why it should continue to promote the use of remote hubs and expand the spending and supports already undertaken. First, these hubs can be useful for government departments’ own staff, as part of a future blended working solution. Where the public sector leads, others will follow and there are wider social benefits here too.
Reducing long commutes
The second reason for promoting remote working hubs is to reduce the need for long commutes into urban centres. As well as the impact on lifestyles, this is a key contributor to carbon emissions from the transport sector. The third policy rationale is rural development. Commuting towns and suburbia may not need support – they already stand to be winners post-pandemic – but other rural towns do. If more people can base themselves around rural towns, then housing is cheaper for them and pressure on urban housing markets reduces. Rural towns, many suffering in recent years, could get a new lease of life.
There are already signs in the latest official employment figures of more people basing themselves outside Dublin during the pandemic, boosting employment in the regions. There are clear economic and social reasons for the Government to do what it can to make this a lasting trend.