Irish Examiner view: Will presenteeism rear its ugly head again at work?

Companies reconsider remote working policies

Business as usual from the home office, but will this last? Picture: Joe Giddens/PA

In January we observed that the employment focus was returning to the workplace and that the suspension of “business as usual” during the pandemic had revealed divisions of opinion that may prove difficult to set aside.

Sacrificing 10-12 hours per day (once travel time is included) was a heavy burden on personal and family life. Commuting can also be represented (and frequently is) as an unsatisfactory contribution to making us a more environmentally aware society committed to net zero. Companies are frequently hierarchical and poor at maximising individual responsibility and discretion over use of time. Open plan environments can also produce their own challenges.