Does working from home boost productivity? Sometimes

Bank of England staff reviewed academic research on the issue and shared some surprising findings.

Working from home can lift productivity for many workers, so long as they go to the office a few days a week, Bank of England staff said in a blog post that reviewed academic research on the issue. The findings indicate that isolation from co-workers over longer periods reduces the effectiveness of staff and eats away at relationships forged through face-to-face contact. More complex, less interdependent jobs benefited from the peace of solitary working, they found. The work feeds into a debate about how much home working companies should allow as governments loosen rules aimed at controlling the coronavirus. For almost half of the U.K. capital’s companies, a shift back to five days a week in the office is already off the table, according to a survey by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.