Kirstie Allsopp launches another scathing attack on working from home and says it 'has to stop' as it's 'destroying young people's mental health'

Daily Mail​

6 days ago

Kirstie Allsopp has launched another scathing attack on working from home and claimed it's 'destroying' young people's mental health.
The London-born Location Location Location host, 53, took to X/Twitter on Monday morning to declare that 'working from home s***' has 'to stop'.
She said that she herself has 'always' needed to travel for work, from commuting to an office, being out and about to view properties, or travelling long distances across the country for filming.
Kirstie has previously made her opinion clear about non-office working, including sharing a picture of an empty Tube carriage on a weekday morning earlier this month, and warning 'it can't be a good thing'.
Today, she reinforced her anti-WFH stance as she took to social media to slam working from home, especially for young people who aren't being given crucial experience of 'real life colleagues, office politics, socialising after work'.
Kirstie said: 'This working from home S*** has to stop, it's destroying mental health for millions of young people, and forcing many others to spend far more on housing just for the extra office space.
'It may suit middle class, middle aged, middle management, it does not suit most young people.
'For every older person who loves working from home there's a younger person who has no experience of real life colleagues, office politics, socialising after work, or having to deal with adverse situations while away from home.'
Kirstie is best known for fronting property shows on Channel 4 such as Location Location Location and Love It Or List It alongside her co-host Phil Spencer.
The property guru's post met with mixed reactions after racking up more than 300,000 views in mere hours.
One person said: 'I think this is a pretty wild claim to make without evidence? Huge numbers of people find WFH beneficial for their mental health'.
But Kirstie simply replied: 'AND huge numbers don't!'
When one person queried: 'Where's your office?', Kirstie responded: 'I have also ALWAYS had to travel for work, either to an office for 6 years, or in and out all day going to see properties or long distances across the country for filming.'
Responding to criticisms, she added: 'I know that many young people are negatively impacted by working from home & that there's a fundamental unfairness in that those who work the hardest, for the lowest wages, rarely have the choice to WFH.
'FFS This is just pathetic, I never said 'get rid' of working from home. The issue is that it is forced on many and that negatively impacts young people. We've have the highest WFH in Europe, why? It's hardly as if we are the biggest country.'
Many agreed with Kirstie's statement, writing: 'Absolutely luckily my two eldest children have London jobs and both go in every day. Would be miserable for them to be at home and where do they learn work social skills if stuck in their rooms!';
The Location Location Location host, 53, took to X/Twitter on Monday morning to declare that 'working from home s***' has 'to stop'
'Caused the downfall of so many cafes, pubs etc too.';
'There's plenty of Middle Agers not enjoying it also Add in having to keep your lights & heating on 24/7 in colder/darker months!';
'Attractive for some but not for all. Those about to embark on their careers age 18 onward. Sitting in their bedrooms of their parents homes. Staring at a screen. I remember being 18. First job in London in the 90s. Drinks after work. They need to socialise';
'Working from home is one of those things that seems attractive at face value, but brings subtle and diverse drawbacks. Aside from its effect on teamwork, it is de-socialising. My pension-age part-time job keeps me sharper. I meet new people. I'm going to a staff event. All good.'
But others were more sceptical, writing: 'I'd rather not spend several hours per day commuting thanks';
'That's nonsense Kirstie and you know it. Working from home is flexibility. A laptop at the kitchen table is far less expensive than a commute.'
Kirstie has previously sparked strong views about working from home - with her tweet sparking a mixed response.
Earlier this month, Kirstie posted a photo of a 'totally empty tube carriage' on a Central Line train on X, formerly known as Twitter, and captioned the post: 'Don't quite know what it says but it can't be a good thing.'
The property guru's post met with mixed reactions after racking up more than 300,000 views in mere hours
In the comments section, she said the photo was taken after Mile End station, with the train heading east.
The presenter's tweet quickly went viral, with more than five million views and 1,300 comments.
Several X users pointed out that Kirstie had missed rush hour and most Londoners were probably already at their desks by the time she boarded the train at 9.20am.
One comment read: 'It's 9.20, most people start work at 9am. Plus you're going the opposite way to the majority going into work.'
Another X user agreed, adding that Central Line trains from Mile End were 'packed like sardines' at 7.30am.
'You clearly have never worked in the City. I would have done two hours of work at my desk by that time.'
Another quipped: '[The photo says] No one was late for work?'
'Kirstie most people have jobs,' one comment read.
However, her tweet backfired as X users pointed out that 'most people were already at work' by the time the Location, Location, Location presenter took the train at 9.20am on a Tuesday morning
Several others suggested lots of people were likely working from home on the hottest day of the year, as temperatures in London rose to 34.7C on July 1.
However, others noted that it showed a marked lack of tourists.
BBC Radio 4 presenter David Aaronovitch replied asking: 'Too hot?'
In response, Kirstie listed all those who don't have the privilege of working from home, writing: 'Not for me or our crew, or police officers, or nurses, supermarket workers, or cabbies, and all the other people who don't get paid to work from home or don't take days off when it's bloody uncomfortable.'
Another X user listed all the possible reasons the carriage was empty, adding factors like 'annual leave' and the fact that lots of people 'walk/get the bus when it's hot' because the Central Line doesn't have air conditioning.
'What's even the implication here?' one person questioned Kirstie's tweet. 'Can it not just be a coincidence? You've already got several factors that would mean fewer people - the time, the direction, the location - why read anything more into it?'
Her tweet, which has over 1,300 comments at the time of writing, drew mixed reactions
Some, however, appeared to agree with the broadcaster as one X user replied: 'Working from home has killed all the sectors that support city life.
'Serious consequences for the economy.'
After her tweet blew up online, Kirstie reposted some of the nastier messages she'd received in response as the broadcaster noted 'Twitter just isn't fun anymore' while condeming the 'constant abuse' she endured online.
Replying to one X user who questioned whether Kirstie 'ever had a proper job', she said 'I'll take no lectures on not understanding the world of work' after having taken the Tube to work every day for five years.
She also pointed out 'there are many reasons an empty Tube' is a worrying economical sign, questioning why there were no tourists or people who work weekends 'having Tuesday off and going to Stratford'.
When someone suggested Kirstie, who is the eldest daughter of the late Lord Charles Hindlip, 'wouldn't know that' most people get to work before 9am, she replied the debate was 'not worth it anymore'.
Kirstie's post comes after the TV host revealed how she once received a random FaceTime from an ex-househunter she had helped on Location, Location, Location.
The property broadcaster, 53, starred on 25 Years of Location, Location, Location with her co-host and longtime friend, Phil Spencer, 55, in May.
The pair were discussing some of the couples they had helped since the Channel 4 programme first aired in 2000.
In this time, Kirstie and Phil have carried out 469 searches, viewed 1,810 homes and been trusted with more than £176,000,000 of money from house hunters.
Kirstie reflected on the episode where she attempted to find Ruth and Anna a flat the week after the Brexit result. The sisters ended up losing out on the property due to the level of uncertainty that came with leaving the European Union.
However, Kirstie divulged that she actually negotiated the apartment they bought a year after they starred on the show, in 2017.
She said: 'We lost out on the property we ended up bidding on, a year later I negotiated the purchase of the flat that they finally bought. I always remember that because I always say to everyone don't forget, we're always there for you.'
Kirstie then revealed that every home buyer that goes on the show has her and Phil's personal mobile numbers - and she once received an unexpected drunk call from a past Location, Location, Location participant.
She said: 'Our househunters have our telephone number. I always say 'Don't call when drunk!''
But being able to call the hosts at any time appears to get you brownie points in your friendship group - and one intoxicated ex-participant decided to put it to the test.
Kirstie said: 'It doesn't always happen, but someone did call me once from the races, FaceTimed me [and said] 'Look here I am I wanted to prove to everyone that I had your number''.'