'High street needs people to return to the office'

High street businesses in Hereford need more people to return to the office to help them survive, a business leader has said.

Mike Truelove, the chief executive of Hereford Business Improvement District (BID), said many traders wanted to see an end to people working from home to bring them back to the city centre.

Although more workers have returned to the office since the pandemic there is still a noticeable drop in trade, particularly on Mondays and Fridays, he said.

But the chief executive of GTech, Nick Grey from Worcestershire, said it was not a straightforward decision and acknowledged that employees may have different needs.

"Everybody is different, some people thrive on interactions with their colleagues and other people want to shut the door and be able to concentrate," Mr Grey said.

"It suits some people very well, they are dedicated and get on with things.

"Others struggle and I hear anecdotes of people doing their washing."

Mr Truelove said he could see the benefits of flexible working but said passing trade had reduced in the city since the pandemic, with sandwich shops and cafes being "hit really hard".

"Many of them told me it was only last year when they felt like they had recovered, however some have disappeared."

As well as increasing footfall, he said businesses would benefit from more employees working in a communal space.

"You need the team around you for bonding and for ideas and to thrive against the competition," he added.

Calls to move back into more traditional working environments follow concerns from the former boss of Marks and Spencer and Asda, Lord Rose, who believes working from home is damaging the UK economy.

He told BBC Panorama: "We are creating a whole generation and probably a generation beyond that, of people who are not used to doing what I call 'proper work'."

However, the employment rights minister Justin Madders said it was important people have the choice and right to ask to work flexibly.

"We know for lots of people, particularly for those with caring arrangements, actually the opportunity to work flexibly really makes a difference for them."

Mr Truelove said he believed the younger generation have an expectation of leniency in their working life as they are finding it harder than the previous generation to buy their first home.

"They are struggling to get on the housing ladder so they really value personal wellbeing and flexibility and mental health," he said.

"I think today if you're a business you've got to throw that into the mix."

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