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Government warned against ramping up pressure to get more people to return to normal workplaces
Worth the commute? Many companies are switching to remote working models, but the impact on city centre economies could be huge

A GOVERNMENT campaign being launched this week, to ramp up the pressure on employees to return to normal workplaces, has been condemned by Labour, unions, and the SNP.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Barclay said on Sunday that ministers are “keen” for people to stop working from home where possible as it would be “best for the economy.”

The Telegraph has reported an unnamed source suggesting that those employees opting to continue working from home could make themselves “vulnerable” to redundancy in the post-Covid economy.

In what was interpreted as a comment out of step with the government’s message, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he had “absolutely no idea” how many people in his department are currently working from home.

He added: “What I care about is how effectively people work and obviously people should come back to the office if that is what they need to do their job.”

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