PwC vows not to close any offices despite rise of home-working
PwC has committed to retaining all its office space despite the rise of home working during the pandemic.
The big four accountant's UK chairman, Kevin Ellis, said that while hybrid working was here to stay, he believed the office would remain a key part of working life.
"The pandemic has accelerated changes to working patterns, bringing things forward by three or four years. Hybrid working is here to stay, and therefore the office will remain a key part of working life."
"The future of the market for office space is difficult to predict, if anything at the moment we need more space than ever because of social distancing.
"From the messages I get from our people I know they really value having the option to use an office, whether for a personal or a business need.
"In the longer term, it will be important to continue to ensure offices offer something more than people can get at home, whether its working together, innovating or learning. I am sure I'm not alone in wanting this to be the case."
Almost double the number of Britons travelled to work in early October compared with the height of lockdown in May, according to official data.
Some companies have warned productivity has fallen during the pandemic, blaming working from home as a key factor.
However, take-up of new office space has fallen sharply since the start of the pandemic, as government statistics show nearly three in 10 workers still opted to stay home last week. The figures represent the highest proportion of employees staying at home since July.
According to British Land, only 18pc of workers had returned to their London offices by mid-September compared to pre-crisis levels. This is despite office occupancy of tenants being at 95pc, leading to concerns that tenancies will plummet once leases begin to end.
Nicholas Hyett of Hargreaves Landsown seriously questioned earlier this month whether current rental rates can be maintained if customers staff don't return widely.
