Post-COVID era of hybrid work beckons in Britain

Post-COVID era of hybrid work beckons in Britain

NUNHEAD: Consultant Rachel Watson enjoys being based at her home that looks onto the London skyline but misses the office vibe. She will soon get the best of both worlds as Britain's COVID lockdown eases. UK businesses are planning for a hybrid or flexible workplace, splitting time between home and offices when the latest restrictions are finally relaxed in June.

Watson worked mostly in London's City finance district, for corporate procurement specialists Proxima, until the COVID-19 pandemic erupted one year ago and turned the area into a ghost town. The 34-year-old Scot now works for Proxima from the apartment she shares with pet beagle Kobe in the south London suburb of Nunhead, 9.5 km from the office, with a window view of London's Shard skyscraper.

"I do enjoy working from home in terms of having more of a work-life balance - being able to spend more time in my community, being able to switch off work and be in your home - and I don't miss the commuting so much,“ she told AFP from her living room desk. "But I do really enjoy the office and being surrounded by clients and having a real separation between where work is and where home