Report

Office politics

Think tank: Centre for Cities

Author(s): Paul Swinney; Professor Dan Graham; Olivia Vera

May 24, 2023

This report from UK think tank the Centre for Cities looks at whether a London running on 59% pre-covid office attendance levels be able to avoid a slump.

Centre for Cities has worked with Professor Dan Graham and his team at Imperial College London to produce Office politics: London and the rise of home working, published in partnership with EC BID, to highlight the potential unintended impact on the Capital’s economy of a long-term shift to hybrid working. Brought about by the Covid-19 lockdowns, the ‘big experiment’ of remote working triggered a debate about the future of work. The upsides for the employee are clear, but the debate routinely overlooks the benefits that face-to-face interaction brings to companies and the wider economy. Analysing the latest research on current working patterns in the City of London, the report assesses the potential long-term impact of hybrid working on the Capital’s productivity growth.