Freedom Day has come and gone, yet many have not left their home offices
By ROSIE MURRAY-WEST, FINANCIAL MAIL ON SUNDAY, 24 July 2021
Freedom Day has come and gone, yet many of the nation’s workers have not left their home offices. The Government is no longer instructing us to work from home if we can, but ‘expects and recommends’ a gradual return over the summer.
The truth is, many office workers do not want to go back at all.
‘People’s view of the office has changed for ever and they will have to be enticed out of their comfortable working-from-home bubbles,’ says Richard Williams, property analyst at investment research company QuotedData.
There is a financial incentive for firms to keep staff at home too.
‘Potential cost savings are not trivial,’ says Ben Rogoff, who runs the investment trust Polar Capital Technology.
He says remote working could save companies more than 40 per cent in office costs over the next three to five years…
‘There will be winners and losers from this work shift,’ says Danni Hewson, financial analyst at wealth platform AJ Bell. ‘But some of the losers may find they can capitalise on the change if they are prepared to think creatively.’…
Hybrid working will continue lockdown trends such as increased pet ownership – good news for retailer Pets at Home – more home improvements and the building of home offices..
As well as stimulating spending on home improvements, flexible working is helping lift sales of new homes, as families look for bigger houses including home offices…
Stocks that allow home working connectivity – the likes of BT, Telecom Plus, Vodafone and Helios Towers – should continue to thrive too.
For individuals wanting to benefit from this hybrid working trend, there are investment funds that incorporate it…
Williams at QuotedData likes Standard Life Investments Property Income Trust, saying it has ‘always been on the front foot’ when it comes to the hybrid working trend.
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