Peter Cheese, chief executive of the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, says:

"The Government’s drive for individuals to return to their workplace should not leave them feeling pressured or duty-bound to do so. As we have been consistently advising, any employer contemplating such a return should only do so by using the following three considerations:

• Is returning to the workplace essential?
• Is it sufficiently safe to do so?
• Is it mutually agreed with the worker?

"Working from home has proved to be a great success for many individuals and organisations. Recent CIPD research found that a majority of employers believe that homeworkers are either as productive as other workers, or more productive.

"However, it’s important that all employers take steps to support their employees' mental health and address concerns they may have while they work from home., Managers should be regularly checking in with their staff, discussing their well-being and wherever possible ensuring decisions over working from home or returning to the workplace are based on individual choice and preference.

"Effective test and trace is also key for a safe return to workplaces and people who are asked to self-isolate should receive adequate compensation so they don't lose out financially."

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