Dan O’Brien: A better work-life balance is a pandemic change that is here to stay

The government should resist its statist instincts and let workers and employers sort out the new normal in the workplace for themselves as research finds a majority do not want to go back to old office hours

The mostly successful experiment in remote working over the past two years means that the traditional ten weekly trips in and out of the office, at times when most other workers are doing it too, is simply unnecessary. Picture: Fergal Phillips

There can hardly be a company in the world that is not mulling the many consequences of Covid-19 for its business model. Most managers spend much of their waking hours thinking about how to adapt, exploit new opportunities and deal with the downsides of the pandemic and the changes it has wrought.

Those with human resources (HR) signs on their office doors are among the most challenged – keeping employees happy was already getting harder ...