From this week, some accountancy firms have been allowing more of their staff to return to their office. But it is a very gradual, slow process, hampered by changing government guidelines and, more importantly, the genuine fears of their employees.

Without doubt, the great Work From Home experiment has proved successful – audits are being completed, teams kept together, and meetings continue to be held, albeit in a virtual world of Zoom, MS Teams and Skype. However, many partners and staff are saying that they miss the direct, face-to-face interaction with colleagues and clients.

So now, the government is allowing a gradual return to work around strict guidelines, though maintaining the mantra of ‘if you can work from home, continue to work from home’.

A