One lasting impact of the pandemic will be how businesses operate, how they set themselves up and how and where employees will work. Liverpool is certainly no different in this regard and the city centre has been relatively quiet over the last few months, thanks to the coronavirus crisis and ensuing lockdown.
It’s being suggested that a hybrid approach to the world of work will be seen increasingly in the future, with BusinessLive asking a panel of experts what they believe the Liverpool commercial office scene will look like in ten years’ time.
Principal and managing director at Avison Young Liverpool Stephen Cowperthwaite, for example, said companies are now reviewing their estates and looking into both the size of accommodation and where sites are located.
Meanwhile, John Cummins – managing director of future cities of Legal & General, suggested that we would see more emphasis being put on flexible spaces, bringing business communities together and the ability to repurpose quickly if necessary.
Assistant director for regeneration at Liverpool Council Claire Slinger said: “In terms of full-time working from home, we are going to see a moderate increase. In terms of part-time working from home, and that flexibility, I think that will increase substantially – but I don’t think the office environment and the hub of the city centre has left us at all.”
According to Liverpool BID Company, local coronavirus restrictions in the city have caused footfall traffic to fall by a third since the peak seen in August. A letter has now been sent to the government calling of clarity and a change in its approach, asking to be given the science behind the lockdowns that are destroying the high street.
It also wants to see immediate provision of funds for struggling businesses, clear recovery support lines implemented, jobs protected and a working test and trace system brought in so that outbreaks can be identified to drive numbers down.
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