Lord Rose, the former chief of Marks and Spencer and Asda, has warned working from home is creating a generation who are "not doing proper work" and contributing to the economy's "general decline".
He told BBC Panorama that the shift towards working from home, largely brought about by the pandemic, was impacting the productivity of workers.
It comes as major businesses such as Amazon, Boots and JP Morgan are now bringing their staff back into the office, with Lloyds also using its bonus scheme to attract employees back in.
Lord Rose said: "We have regressed in this country in terms of working practices, productivity and in terms of the country's wellbeing, I think, by 20 years in the last four."
Office for National Statistics figures from last month showed 26% of people were working a hybrid blend of office-based and at home, while a further 13% were fully remote.
Howevere, Employment rights minister Justin Madders told Panorama there was growing evidence that working from home was was actually making staff more productive.
He said allowing staff to work from home left them "much more motivated", in turn boosting growth.