Highlights
If you have people working remotely in your business, you’re probably used to emails flying around at all hours of the day or night.
Working from home has been life-changing for some. Your people are able to be more flexible with their time during the day, fitting in time for school pick-ups and appointments where perhaps they couldn’t before.
And in return, it means that more work is being done in the evenings.
Microsoft recently did an internal survey on how working from home affects collaboration. It’s so they can make more improvements to Teams.
It found that there are two main spikes in productivity in a typical day:
- One before lunch
- One after lunch.
For a third of its workers, there was a third productivity spike, at around 10pm. That’s people replying to emails before bed.
Where employees have removed commuting time, their working time and availability has increased.
Within Microsoft, employees actually increased their working time by 46 minutes – or 13% each day – with a huge 28% increase in after-hours work.
And although it sounds like it could be good for business, it demonstrates just how blurred the lines between work and home life have become, post-pandemic.
Because this third peak of activity actually has the potential to cause a LOSS of productivity. Employees are feeling more pressured to respond to emails quickly, which increases their stress levels in the evenings, affecting morale and overall well-being.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said businesses need to place more emphasis on soft skills and good management practices so that employee well-being is taken care of properly.
He advises that business owners and managers set very clear expectations on after-hours work, so that employees don’t feel any undue pressure to always be available. One of these expectations should involve not feeling the need to respond to emails at the weekend, even if it’s from a manager.
Are you setting the right expectations for your people, and providing them with the tools they need to increase productivity without increasing their working hours?
Here’s a quick win you can personally drive. Instead of sending emails at night, schedule them to be sent the following morning.
When your team see the boss doing this, it could quickly become the accepted culture of the whole business. Give it a try.
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This special edition of our Leading London series brings together the partners behind the rollout of the City of London Corporation’s new unified network, a major upgrade designed to strengthen public services and improve connectivity across the Square Mile and beyond.
The panel included:
- Sam Collins, Assistant Director of Digital and Data, City of London Corporation
- Chelsea Chamberlin, Chief Technology Officer, Roc Technologies
- Scott McKinnon, Chief Security Officer, Palo Alto Networks
- Rhod Morgan, Chief Operations Officer, Vorboss
- Elliot Townsend, Senior Director, Juniper Networks
- Christa Elizabeth Norton, Marketing Director, Roc Technologies
Together, they explored how the new network will improve public services, strengthen cyber resilience and support a more connected, future-ready City.
For many landlords and building managers, the word “wayleave” feels like the responsible route whenever a fibre circuit is being installed on their property. It sounds formal and safe – a neat legal box to tick.
In many cases, however, a wayleave adds unnecessary complexity and delays, frustrates tenants, and can expose landlords to long-term legal risks.
At Vorboss, we’ve connected thousands of office spaces across London without a wayleave, keeping landlords in full control and getting tenants online faster.
What is a wayleave?
A wayleave is a written agreement between a landowner and a telecoms operator. It gives the operator permission to install and keep equipment on private property.
What many people don’t realise is that signing a wayleave also activates “Code rights” under the Electronic Communications Code. These rights go beyond simple permission, they give the operator legal powers to stay on the property indefinitely, access it when needed, and even refuse removal of their equipment in certain situations.
For a typical connection into a commercial building in London, a wayleave can make the fibre installation process slower, more expensive, and limit the landlord’s flexibility long term.
Why a wayleave isn’t required for standard in-building fibre connections
For a standard in-building fibre connection serving a tenant, a wayleave isn’t a legal requirement. Important protections, like building access, fire safety, repairing any damage, and removing equipment, are already covered by the tenant’s lease and usual building rules.
If no wayleave is signed, no Code rights are triggered, meaning the landlord retains full control and the installation exists under a simple, fully revocable licence.
In practice, this gives landlords far more protection and flexibility:
- No legal lock-in – the telecoms operator has no long-term rights to stay or refuse removal.
- Landlords keep full control – equipment can be moved or removed when the building changes.
- Faster fibre installation – no time lost in drafting contracts or solicitor reviews.
- Happier tenants – connections go live quicker; tenants get to move in faster.
By contrast, signing a wayleave and granting Code rights introduces a complex and expensive legal process for any fibre removal or relocation. This can take at least 18 months, plus potential court or tribunal proceedings, making it slower, and far less flexible for the landlord.
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