Work from home message being ignored, data suggests, as trains and buses stay busy
People have ignored the work from home advice, transport figures suggest, as trains and buses in the capital were as busy as previous weeks.
Figures from Transport for London showed that the number of journeys taken on its networks stayed roughly the same in the days after the Government changed its work from home advice.
Last Wednesday, the day after the Government said people should work from home “if they can”, there were 3.6 million journeys on London buses and 1.41 million journeys on the tube.
The previous Wednesday these figures had been 3.66 million and 1.45 million respectively.
Separate data published today by the Department for Transport also showed little change in behaviour.
On Monday, usage of the London Underground was at 34 per cent of normal times, while the previous Monday this figure had been only slightly higher at 35 per cent.
While passenger levels on trains across the country on Monday were lower than the previous week, 32 per cent compared to 38 per cent, this is still higher than during the first lockdown.
During that time usage of the rail network fell as low as four per cent and the tube as little as five per cent of normal levels.
Some employers said they were still encouraging staff to come into the office if they wished, with one saying it had adopted an “open office” policy with employees urged to work wherever they feel safest.
Adrian Bryant, who runs ADM Computing, which employs around 75 people in Canterbury, said the change in advice was “frustrating” amid fears over staff productivity.
He said: “I’ve been fairly open-minded about it and allowed people to make their own choices, but there are certain people who I felt weren’t being particularly productive at home.”
Kevin Ellis, a senior partner at PwC, said the firm was following government advice with the majority of people working from home, but that the office would “continue to play an important role”.
Employment experts and businesses have predicted that greater flexibility will be a permanent fixture of work post-pandemic, with several saying they expect the majority of employees to work from home at least one or two days a week.
