'Work-at-home' scheme seen to stay

An explosion in remote working owing to the coronavirus pandemic could see companies slash office space, saving them money but not necessarily improving productivity among staff, according to experts. 

Businesses allowing staff to work from home on a permanent basis, even as lockdowns ease worldwide, calls into question the future of skyscrapers used by multinationals which are seen as symbols of modern capitalism. 

Major financial districts, such as London's Canary Wharf and La Defense in Paris, remain extremely quiet, even as governments lift restrictions on social distancing and travel by public transport. 

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Jes Staley, chief executive of British bank Barclays, has said "the notion of putting 7,000 people in a building may be a thing of the past."

"We will find ways to operate with more distancing over a much longer period of time," he added.

French car giant PSA, which makes Peugeot and Citroen vehicles, now sees remote working as a benchmark for tens of thousands of its office-based staff.

Twitter has indicated that some of its employees could do their jobs from home on a permanent basis.