Businesses, get back to work! WFH is harming young people
If you care about young people, get your workers back to the office. WFH is hindering their development, writes Joanna Jensen
The government is faced with 2.8m economically inactive individuals due to long-term sickness, including a striking rise in young people claiming mental health issues. This damaged generation came out of Covid learning at home for 18 months, then back into school full-time, whilst many of their parents still remain at home even now. A confusing message for anyone, but especially for a minor.
When I was running my own business, the team were straight back in the offices as soon as post-Covid restrictions eased. We knew that together we worked harder and smarter, and many were living and working in confined spaces. The outliers to this – those based out of the area hired during Covid – subsequently never had the same experience nor the same camaraderie with the core team. Nor indeed the pace to keep up with a fast-growing business.
Britons need to return to working in the office to prevent serious long-term damage to the next generation of the UK workforce and to the wider economy. The current trend of working from home (WFH) blurs the lines between work and personal life, leading to a distorted view of what is expected of professional employment for young people. Such an unstructured environment consequently leaves them ill-prepared for school, further education and eventually the workplace themselves.
WFH parents are enabling school absences
When young employees finally make it to the office, they often find themselves without proper guidance. Their mentors are WFH, which undermines the learning and development opportunities for new hires and their own confidence. Our reluctance to impose necessary boundaries is actively harming our children’s readiness for work and their mental health; therefore it’s time for parents to embrace tough love to prepare their offspring for future challenges.
This issue is already apparent in schools, where 20 per cent of secondary state school students miss 10 per cent or more of their lessons, and one in four are persistently absent – not due to truancy. With parents WFH several days a week, it becomes easy for students to feign illness or express anxiety on test days. Whereas when parents are out of the house, children have no choice but to attend school. So bad is the situation now, that one school governor I spoke to reported that staff often have to drive students to school due to parents’ reluctance to enforce attendance. Whilst teachers are doing their best to speak out, they are hesitant to speak freely, fearing repercussions for saying the ‘wrong’ thing.
Private schools are not immune either; many parents keep their children home for trivial reasons. While I empathise with concerns about mental health, the issue is sometimes exploited without just cause – to the detriment of the young with serious mental health conditions.
Grads are entering the workforce with new expectations
A 2022 Times Higher Education survey found that university lecture attendance averages only 40 per cent. This lack of attendance also leaves lecturers feeling ineffective and questioning the value of in-person classes. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence reports that mental health issues contribute to one-third of the 6.3 per cent university dropout rate, exacerbated by students being away from home, academic pressure and rising living costs.
Traditionally, university has been a stepping stone to adulthood, teaching time management and financial responsibility. However, many 18-year-olds lack these essential skills because they have been sheltered at home. They have not been challenged or held accountable, or in the words of my mother, not been encouraged to put their big pants on.
This climate creates a hiring gamble, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In fast-paced environments where quick, collaborative decisions are crucial, there’s no room for laziness or incompetence. Yet many new hires enter the workforce demanding rights and rewards without any proven experience. They often overlook the importance of earning recognition through skill and contribution. Whilst WFH may align with their lifestyle preferences, it hinders their ability to learn and absorb crucial job knowledge. For graduates in their first or second roles, knowledge is gained through collaboration – working together, sharing lunch breaks, overhearing conversations and shadowing colleagues – and this essential learning is compromised when senior staff remain at home and new employees are only in the office part-time.
Linking office attendance to bonuses
In the US, Deloitte recently reported its worst results in 14 years, linking this decline to non-attendance, which is now a performance metric. Consequently, employees with the lowest office attendance risk forfeiting their annual bonus. Is this a way of working we will see more of in the UK? Frankly, if it focuses the mind on the importance of being in the office, it should be considered.
Because working together not only boosts productivity but profitability. Humans are social beings who thrive on interaction, communication and collaboration — not just through technology but face-to-face. Together, we are stronger, safer, more innovative, cooperative and confident. We can effectively blend our skills and work towards common goals. And in doing so, we have fun and make new friends too, keeping us happy and healthy.
With unemployment levels rising above 1.6m, the pressure on the Treasury is significant. They urgently need to implement their proposed tough love tactics otherwise the country is in danger of creating a cycle of weak skills, where we risk losing innovative individuals and companies to overseas markets.
So, businesses: be bold and get your workforce back to the office. That way we can build a productive and prosperous working environment for future generations.
Joanna Jensen is an angel investor and chair of the Enterprise Investment Scheme Association. She is also the founder of Childs Farm