𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

I remember it fondly. Much different to my days now, eternally glued to a screen and furiously editing reams of copy, times were once oh-so-different. I was a freelance journalist and, similar to now, my workplace was my kitchen island in sunny Middlesbrough.

Because it was my own business, I decided when I worked and when I didn’t. I was paid purely on what I produced and then sold. Back then, however, I’ll admit to the odd lunchtime bath – and, when my concentration waned, I’d shove on a washload or two. So I do have to be careful when slagging off the work-from-homers.

Firstly, because I benefit directly from it. I work for a national newspaper mainly from oop North, something I’d never have thought possible years ago. And secondly, because when I was the captain of my own ship, I definitely indulged in the odd lazy moment.

The thorny topic of working from home – or WFH as the young ‘uns call it – hit the headlines again last week as Nigel Farage called for an end to it, dismissing it as “nonsense” and claiming that it seriously hampers productivity in Britain. And, despite my earlier naughty admission, I have to agree with him… in part.

I’ve seen the terrible impacts that working from home can have not just on productivity, but also on town centres and the sad knock-on effects on businesses that rely on workers picking up their morning cappuccinos. At my own council, staff seem able to work from home whenever they like if given the nod.

The result? Town halls that were once a buzzing hive of activity now resemble the Marie Celeste. And the sandwich shops nearby? Closing down at an alarming rate.

That said, if you’re a business owner with a profit motive, ensuring strong performance measures is essential – which is why Nigel Farage needs to back off.

Quite simply, it’s no more his job to tell private companies how to run their operations any more than it would have been his business to ban my afternoon soaks.

However – and here’s where I may sound like a hypocrite – when it comes to local government and the civil service, I find myself nodding along with Nigel. I have seen firsthand that performance measures for those working from home can be weak and, at times, nonexistent. And without them it’s only human nature that boundaries get pushed and standards slip.

The former Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP – and a friend – Sir Simon Clarke summed it up neatly on X.

He said: “Public servants should obviously be working in an accountable fashion. There’s lots that could be done regarding performance management in the civil service.

“But it’s *not* the job of government to interfere in how businesses run their operations.”

And, on that note, I’m off to pop on the kettle – and, I promise, not to run a bath.