Boris Johnson today ordered young Brits to return to the office or be "gossiped about and lose out" - despite pledging to make it easier to request working from home.
The PM will use his speech at the Tory conference tomorrow to demand people return to their desks after Covid led to an explosion of home-working.
Mr Johnson confirmed the plans today, telling LBC Radio: "The data I see at the moment is very clear that we are right to stick to Plan A which is what we’re on. That means opening up and encouraging people, always continuing to do sensible things like washing your hands, having ventilation, all that kind of thing.
"But we are certainly encouraging people to get back to work in the normal way, and I think that’s a good thing, and let me tell you why…
"For young people in particular it’s really essential, if you’re going to learn on the job, you can’t just do it on Zoom. You’ve got to be able to come in and sit at the … you’ve got to know what everybody else is talking about.
"Otherwise you’re going to be gossiped about and you’re going to lose out. You need to be there and you need to have the stimulus of exchange and competition."
It comes despite scientists saying home-working slows the spread of Covid, and despite Boris Johnson's own government pledging to make it easier for people to request flexible working.
Tory ministers plan to let workers ask for flexible working from Day One in a job - rather than six months in, under current rules.
The long-awaited plans will also narrow down the list circumstances in which firms can reject a request to work flexibly. The three-month window for firms to respond could be cut and the limit of one request per worker per year could be axed.
The rights include requests to work from home, part time or on flexible or staggered hours, job-share or take phased retirement.
But a government source told the Daily Mail Mr Johnson “believes very strongly in the value of face-to-face working”, particularly for younger employees.
“It is critical for the training and development of young people. How can you learn a new job on Zoom?” the source continued.
Ministers were forced to reinstate the work-from-home order last autumn just weeks after ordering employees back to the office, following a rise in Covid cases.
The PM’s scientific advisers had pushed him not to repeat the same message this year, as working from home is one of the most effective ways of slowing the spread of the virus.
Many employees in the public and private sector are continuing to work remotely.
Asked if he could rule out another Covid spike this winter, Mr Johnson said: "We’ve got to be humble in the face of Nature and recognise the disease or a new variant or some other - another pandemic could always hit us.”
But a source said: “You can never rule anything out with Covid. But we are now in early October and hospitalisations are still running at manageable levels.
“We are not at the point of anyone thinking about Plan B,” they said, referring to the government’s contingency plans this winter should cases spike.
They continued: “Even if we get to that point, it would start with things that cause relatively little disruption, such as mandatory masks and Covid certification.”
Last month, Professor Andrew Hayward, a member of the government’s scientific advisory board SAGE and epidemiologist at University College London, said remote working would make “a significant difference to transmission if we get into trouble”.
Speaking on the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “The most important and effective way of reducing spread of the virus is not to be in contact with other people.”
Covid-19 cases remain high with 35,077 new cases reported on Monday and a further 33 deaths.
It marked the 15th day in a row that case numbers topped 30,000 and compares to 30,439 reported on Sunday.
Despite this, Tory MPs have claimed it is imperative that workers returned to the office. Speaking at a fringe event during the part conference, former cabinet minister Jake Berry urged civil servants to go back to their desks.
He said: “We have to end the Civil Service ‘woke-ing’ from home - sorry, I mean working from home, but, let’s be honest, it often is woke-ing.”
Asked about Mr Berry’s comments, the PM’s official spokesperson defended the civil service but emphasised the importance of “working in person”.
Civil servants “have been able to deliver for the public whilst working from home”, they said, adding: “That said, as the prime minister has said repeatedly, there are significant benefits to being in work, to office working, and those should not be discounted.
“That’s why we are encouraging all employers to start steadily bringing in their workforce, as we are at this stage of the epidemic.”
Meanwhile, Home Secretary Priti Patel is reportedly expected to announce new plans to stop eco-warriors Insulate Britain from blocking motorways.
And Justice Secretary Dominic Raab will reportedly unveil a deal to make criminals in “chain gangs” to clear rubbish from waterways.
