London in Tier 3: Will the City return to normal after Covid?
The decision to move London into Tier 3 at midnight on Wednesday, following substantial rises in Covid-19 cases, may mean further delays to City workers returning to the office.
This will come as another disappointment to the City as it had planned to entice workers back into their offices during a ”back to work week” in April, in order to help struggling bars and restaurants in the area.
William Russell, the lord mayor of London, announced the move as part of “a big plan” to “create a buzz” around the City’s reopening week in the spring.
However, the latest Tier 3 news may cast a shadow over these plans, despite the recent rollout the Pfizer’s Covid vaccine.
A culture shift
Even before the government’s tier 3 announcement yesterday, the future of the City was already looking quite different from its past.
The pandemic has caused a seismic shift in UK’s work culture, as working from home has presented more opportunity to spend time with family, save time on commutes and create a better working-life balance.
According to a recent survey by Theta Global Advisors, 45 per cent of City-based workers say the pandemic has made them realise what a poor work-life balance they had pre-lockdown and they say they prefer not a return to such conditions post-Covid.
”With Tier 3 coming into force tonight across the capital and much of the commuter belt, the new restrictions will once again, change how the capital operates, with many workers both in the City and the hospitality sector that caters for them being forced back home,” said Chris Biggs, partner at Theta Global Advisors.
“This period will act as another reminder that the work-life balance of pre-Covid employment may not have been ideal and a new working structure may be what thousands of City workers need,” he concluded.