FROM TODAY ONWARDS, the long-standing advice to work from home unless necessary to attend in person has been lifted to allow a “phased and staggered” return for specific business needs, and lifting fully on 22 October.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said he hopes employers are speaking to staff to “figure out” what works best for them and the business as the phased return gets underway.

The situation for people working amid Covid-19 restrictions has differed widely between sectors and workplaces, with the majority of office-based workers working from home since March 2020.

Some workplaces will be keen to get workers back to the office and others will be flexible in allowing continued home working. For workers who have been working from home under difficult or cramped circumstances, the return will be a relief but others may not be too happy to be back to the daily commute.

According to a new survey by Auxillion, remote working has been saving Irish office workers, on average, 58 minutes per day. The workers saving the most commute time are from Cavan (121 minutes), Westmeath (around 77 minutes), Kildare (over 71 minutes), Kilkenny (just shy of 68 minutes) and Wexford (roughly 65 minutes).

So today we’re asking: Do you think traditional office work will change forever post-pandemic?