With the long Summer evenings in the Northern Hemisphere, and a temperate climate, 9:30pm in our garden is a hive of activity and noise. The dog and cat, the ducks, the bluetits and so on, busily entertaining themselves.

Yet curiously, most workforces stick rigidly to “opening” and “closing” times, physically or metaphorically. There is no seasonality. No recognition of times when it might be more attractive to go about our business.

If we are to be working from home more and balancing the demands from our clients and our families, we need structure and discipline but we also need greater flexibility. We need bosses, who are willing to give employees the freedom to adjust to their customers’ needs, not some preconceived idea of the working day.