I work better from home as when I'm at work I get distracted by colleagues! I do miss the social side..but I do think that a better balance should be in place in the future RE two days from home, three from the office.

Martin Lewis has an interesting poll on Money Saving Expert. The results show that the older you are, the keener you are to work from home which I think reflects our changing priorities and social scene. The poll is here: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/poll/2021/are-you-working-from-home---and-would-you-like-to-keep-doing-so-//

Although being at home saves travel and we've manged to put material on air, editing is a collaborative process best done in the same room. As long as it's safe. And we benefit hugely from social interaction, not just to make connections but as human beings. We're herd creatures.

@GrahamCooper - yes that makes sense esp those older people who managed to get on the property ladder when it was still semi-possible & have better home working spaces. There was a R4 discussion on this a few months ago & conclusion was productivity can increase for people working 1 or 2 days a week from home if they are long term staff, who are drawing on the social/ knowledge capital of several years already at a company. But more complex for freelancers and/ or those in creative industries.

I have had a real mix in terms of remote working... firstly as an edit producer (remote editing), then as PD ( remote editing and remotely filming) and then as a PD with traditional filming but remote production and edit.

I found that what you save in travel you lose in overheads. I had to have heating on in the winter, plus I now pay for printing ink (not cheap !) paper, stationary and not forgetting the hot drink and fruit 😀

Good point @ToralDixit - also, in case you're not aware, there is a modest (very modest!) tax allowance HMRC for people having to work from home during the pandemic.
https://www.icaew.com/insights/tax-news/2020/oct-2020/covid19-employees-can-claim-allowance-for-working-from-home

I find working from home I was able to get more done without office distractions.

The travel vs overheads advantage does of course depend on where you live. I have saved around £3,000 on travel - that's a lot of printer ink! And I have a family, so the heating is on during the day anyway. I've also had the privilege of working remotely with people I may not have done so, team members based in Bristol for example, an editor based in Birmingham and another in Sussex.

In an ideal world, we should be definitively breaking the link between talent and location. There's no excuse anymore to restrict hiring to London- (or Glasgow, or Bristol, etc) - based people. The "regional diversity" that industry leaders have paid so much lip-service to over many years is now an objectively achievable reality.
But - personally speaking, I do miss my daily cycle commute! It was a superlative stress reliever that I cannot recreate by walking from my bedroom to the lounge!

What with this new Indian variant now escalating here in the UK, doubling within the first week, I think we could be set for another lockdown :-(

The Indian Government have said with their vaccines in such short supply, it will take up to THREE YEARS for herd immunity!

My heart goes out to them over there.

I cannot wait to get back to an office environment. I also really feel for more junior members of the team. I feel like so much of the editorial role is learned on the job, sitting next to other people, learning how to react to situations and how to solve problems. It will undoubtedly be a mix of time, but I would dread the idea of not having any office time again.

I saw the survey mentioned too and wasn't surprised. Those who have a long CV, contacts, comfortable homes etc want to say at home