Calling Nigel Farage a divisive figure is hardly an original claim: dislike of the Reform leader usually maps onto the political axis. Farage’s recent comments about why he thinks working from home must come to an end, however, have raised hackles across the political compass – and rightly so.
Whether readers lean left, right or somewhere in the middle, all should be wary of thoughtlessly deriding working-from-home culture. To assess remote working as a question of mere productivity – as Farage did – reduces employees to cogs in a soulless machine valued only for their contribution to GDP. To conclude that remote work should end because it hinders economic growth fails to account for the more important benefits it brings to family life. A job that accommodates a degree of remote work allows a person to spend more time at home, save more money for his family and secure work without needing to relocate. In short, remote working arrangements complement a Catholic worldview.
