b'Local Government Lawyer 17Home or Away?With just 5% of local government legal professionals working from the office full time, home-working has clearly become the norm. Lottie Winson examines how the sector has adapted to hybrid working, and considers whether the full-time office mandate might be a thing of the past. More than five years on from the first CovidTable 1: What is your current home/office working pattern?lockdown in March 2020, which propelled office workers from their desks to kitchen tables overnight, the majority have still notWork remotely full-time 14%returned to their five day-a-week commuter lifestyles. And, while 2024 saw the likes ofOnce a month or less 11%Apple, Amazon and Disney announcing return-to-office policies for their staff, it appears0.5 days per week (or one day per fortnight) 5%the hybrid model is here to stay in local government. 1 days per week at the office (or pro rata) 21%To try and make sense of the feeling amongst lawyers and management in regards2 days per week at the office (or pro rata) 26%to the new normal of flexible working, Local Government Lawyer conducted two surveys3 days per week at the office (or pro rata) 13% one of local authority lawyers and one of heads of legal, of which 83 heads of legal and4 days per week at the office (or pro rata) 4%369 lawyers took part. Hybrid patterns Work full-time at the office (or pro rata) 5%According to the general survey, only 5% of lawyers report working full time in the office, with the majority (47%) working a hybridAnd, the trend looks set to continue, withhome so much, and are there any potential pattern of one or two days in the office per79% of heads of legal saying they expect thedownsides? week. Meanwhile, 14% of fee earners reportpresent levels of remote working in theirTwo key positives stood out in the survey working remotely full time- sometimes fromdepartment to remain around current levelsresponses when asked about home workingopposite sides of the country from their office(See table 2).the lack of commute and the improved work-base (See table 1).So, why does everyone love working fromlife balance. This was particularly the case for'