Businesses reveal plans to get staff back to desks from hybrid-working to ...

A host of major companies are opting for 'hybrid' and 'blended' working models in a bid to coax their employees back into the office following the lifting of working from home guidance today.  

While major banking firms said they would be 'fully' re-opening their workspaces, the likes of HSBC and JP Morgan said they would be maintaining their 'flexible' working arrangements which have proven popular among employees since the onset of the Covid pandemic. 

However some said they would be encouraging more workers to come into the office - and more often - in what is hoped to provide a boost to the many city centre businesses which rely on commuter trade.  

Others business leaders urged the government to bring in train fare discounts and sophisticated marketing campaigns to get workers commuting again, with one London retail boss saying employees need to be 'encouraged and motivated' to return to their desks - and not 'simply ordered'. 

The comment appeared to be a thinly-veiled criticism of Boris Johnson, who today ordered Government staff to return to offices 'as soon as possible' in the hope they would 'set an example' to the rest of the country after WFH was scrapped as part of the lifting of Plan B Covid measures. 

But Whitehall and Central London seemed quiet Thursday as rush hour morning traffic increased by just one per cent compared to yesterday and only six per cent compared to a week earlier.  

It came as none of the major companies surveyed by MailOnline today said they would be reverting back to the old days of fully-packed offices any time soon.

It follows a YouGov poll of more than 1,600 workers for the BBC in September which found that more than half would prefer to work at home at least some of the time - while 70 per cent believed full offices would never return. 

The popularity of hybrid working seems to be holding sway over large firms, who say they will continue flexible working arrangements to suit staff's needs - although some said they would be encouraging more workers to come into the office.  

Vodafone told MailOnline it would be encouraging staff 'who work under our blended working model to come in to the office when they need' from January 31, while HSBC revealed it is 'making arrangements for colleagues to return to the office as part of their hybrid working arrangements from today'. 

MailOnline understands Google's working from home guidance is staying the same until the end of January, while JP Morgan is likely to revert to how things were before Plan B, when everyone spent at least some days in the office every week, on a team by team basis. 

Chris Hirst, global head of creative at French advertising agency Havas which has 11,500 staff worldwide, told BBC Radio 4 that his company will be 'fully reopening' its London office from Monday - before hinting that WFH may be available to those who want it, adding: 'We'll be talking to those people individually and finding solutions that work for them.'

Zurich insurance, which employs 4,500 people in the UK, said it is 'excited' to welcome staff back to its offices, but chief operating officer John Keppel said most staff are set to continue hybrid working. 

He told the BBC's Wake up to Money: 'We had a flexible working policy prior to the pandemic, but [Covid] meant suddenly everybody was experiencing the benefits and some of the downfalls and we've learnt a lot. Most of our employees will be operating some form of flexible working going forward.'

Deloitte appears to be following suit, as a spokesman explained:  'We continue to follow government guidance across the devolved nations. Deloitte's offices in England are fully open and available to our people. 

'Our hybrid working model in the UK means that our people aren't required to be in the office for a set number of days and we have given our people the choice to work where, when and how they wish in the long-term.'

And a Sainsbury's spokesman told MailOnline: 'Our offices are open and our colleagues continue to work flexibly. We think colleagues will enjoy going back to the office to collaborate as well as being able to work at home if they want.' 

However Lord Stuart Rose, chairman of Asda and former boss of Marks and Spencer and Argos, hailed the decision to scrap WFH guidance.

'I cannot believe we have a nation sitting at home now cowered by this government, because they are fearful of this virus,' he said.

'It is something we have to now live with.'

The change in WFH guidance is good news for city centre businesses, particularly bars, restaurants or cafes, which rely on trade from commuters which has almost completely dried up in recent months. 

The City Pub Group said Thursday it expected 'consumer confidence and consequently demand' to grow once workers return to their offices, while the Gym Group said it expected demand to 'show further improvement'. 

Matthew Fell, the CBI's chief policy director said: 'Blanket work-from-home guidance has had significant downsides for city centre trade in sectors such as hospitality and retail.'

But to get those vital customers back, business leaders urged the Government to encourage Britons to start commuting again by introducing a limited period of train fare discounts and by launching a marketing campaign to remind people of the benefits of working in cities like London. 

Business groups in the capital have also called on staff in Government departments to lead the way, saying a return of civil servants would be 'very positive' and they would 'like them to return to the city in greater numbers'. 

Alexander Jan, chairman of the Central District Alliance, which represents businesses in normally-bustling areas of the capital such as Holborn and Bloomsbury, told MailOnline: 'People need to be encouraged and motivated, not simply ordered, to come back into central London.