The Bullog - May 2022

Work is no longer an attendance competition

Question:?Do you really need to be in front of your desk in an office block 9 to 5 every day in order to be productive?

One of the more positive legacies of the Covid pandemic was, I thought, that it had dispelled this myth once and for all. People were asked to stay at home wherever possible to save lives. Over a two year period, once bustling inner cities became ghost towns. Working from home clearly suited some more than others, but business performance certainly didn’t go off a cliff. Neither was there exodus to the golf course, gym or park during work hours.?Indeed, many companies saw their share price surge when their employees were working from home and not doing endless business travel jollies.

Not everyone agrees.

Those of you with an eye on politics in the UK, may have read about the eponymous figure of Jacobs Rees-Mogg, Minister for Brexit Opportunities (an oxymoron in my humble opinion) in the UK government, visiting government offices and being surprised by how many desks were empty. ?JRM as he’s become known, took it upon himself to leave a rather patronising calling card saying “Sorry you were out when I visited. I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon”. ??It reminded me of a quirky boss I had way back in the 1990s who saw long hours as a badge of honour. If ever I stood up to leave the open plan office before him, whether it was 5, 6 or 7pm in the evening, he would lift his head and say “Thanks for coming in, Gib!”

We are no longer in the nineties although some have argued that the Right Honourable Jacob Rees-Mogg still is – in the 1890s that is.

The reality is that we human beings were not designed to sit behind desks stationary in an office all day. This point is very well made in a book I recently read called “The Extended Mind” by Annie Murphy Paul. Research has shown that we actually need to use more of our brain capacity to keep our bodies still as opposed to moving or walking.?That’s why kids are prone to fidgeting.?When you’re out walking, ideally in nature, your mind is freed up to think through business challenges and be more creative. According to Murphy Paul, it has profound implications for how we might design schools and the workplaces of the future - spaces which are conducive to well-being, creativity and performance.

Even if long-suffering civil servants are dragged back into the office by the outdated views of government ministers, it’s clear that businesses are moving in a different direction. The more progressive companies know that if they want to attract and retain the best talent, then they’ll need to offer something beyond a binary choice of either work from the office or work from home.?

This article is an extract from the?May edition of my Bullog, my monthly?blog. To read the full blog or to sign up to receive The Bullog directly each month?visit………www.gibbulloch.com/bullog.