Last Thursday’s Full Council meeting ended in what the Lord Provost, quite rightly, described as “farce”. Technology entirely failed, members trying to speak could be neither heard nor seen.

Councillors sitting at their computer screens at home were in an online meeting one minute and inexplicably ejected the next. Fifteen months into online meetings we still have not come up with a secure and reliable method of voting other than the lengthy process of a roll call.

Even the roll call has its problems, on Thursday the vote to suspend the meeting took around 20 minutes due to technical problems.

Clearly, this is no way to be running Scotland’s largest city.

Since the start of the pandemic, the guidelines have been fairly consistent that those who can work from home, should work from home. Perfectly good advice but, as we approach what we all hope will be a return to normality, what lessons have we learned and what changes in work practices are likely to become permanent rather than temporary?

There is much talk that offices across the country will be downsizing as staff opt to work from home for all or part of the week. The fact that many of us have been able to work from home for well over a year is taken as evidence that this might be a preferred option for both employers and employees. I have to say that I have my doubts.

Firstly, home working is only an option for a minority of jobs.

You cannot drive a train, nurse a patient or manufacture widgets from your spare bedroom. Throughout the pandemic the vast majority of us have continued to leave the house at the same time and gone to our usual place of work. Had we not, the country and the economy would have ground to a halt.

Secondly, working permanently from home can be isolating and less than practical.

Not everyone has a spare bedroom. The kitchen table has a primary purpose and that is not to serve as a desk for Bloggs & Co or even Glasgow City Council. Technology makes home working more possible though, as councillors discovered last week when technology fails it tends to fail spectacularly.

Thirdly, the social interaction of actually being in the same space as your co-workers brings, I would argue, huge benefits to both staff and the organisation they work for. In every job I have ever had I have learnt far more through informal chats with colleagues than any formal training programme.

I entirely accept that people can work from home, but I am firmly of the belief that people are happier, more productive, more efficient and more creative when working together in a traditional office environment. Greater flexibility for some employees would be a welcome outcome of the pandemic experience.

From my entirely unscientific survey of friends and colleagues who are currently working from home, most are desperate to get back into the office.

Sometime soon I hope to be back in the City Chambers, able to meet with fellow councillors and staff face to face and not courtesy of Microsoft Teams. Going into the office may be yesterday’s technology but it has a proven track record, is mostly reliable and, to be honest, far more enjoyable.