After several years of discussions on the topic, and many pros and cons later, it appears that hybrid work is the preferred style. A study showed that fully remote models are “expected to see a decline”, while the hybrid model “is expected to grow from 42% (2021) to 81% (2024)”.
The reasons are quite clear: offices still provide an excellent environment for focused work, and especially for networking. The social side of it is critical - after a pandemic that alienated us, we need to have people around us. Furthermore, offices now come with very dynamic and creative work areas, with socialising opportunities, biophilic design and a whole stack of digital tools to attract their tenants.
At the same time, working from home or remotely comes with its benefits - not having to commute to work daily being one of the most important for those living far from their office.
A mix sounds as the best option for many people, which means office buildings and organizations will also have to adapt. We’re talking about new ways of organizing and using the space, and shared spaces is a very interesting approach - a study ran by CBRE says that “82% of respondents will increase shared spaces in 2023-2024”.
Less space leased for more people, who use it in a more dynamic way. New office design. More shared areas and less private ones. How is this impacting tenants and developers?
The role of digitalisation in the office of the future
It’s also worth touching on the topic of digitalisation, in this context, which is not new, but it definitely is a growing one. There’s a range of apps and tools available to help address a new generation of clients - Gen Z.
Starting from the first stages of a building construction and leasing to managing the space and overviewing its impact on the environment, there’s a solution for everything. Landlords see this and furthermore, understand their tenants’ desire for digitalisation - 80% of CRE landlords believe tenants want a comprehensive mobile app for the building.
And that’s understandable. With tenants having employees using workspaces in a way that doesn’t resemble anything until now, it’s clear that they want to track usage and manage it efficiently.
Using a digital resource booking solution means that tenants can personally manage desk and meeting room usage, as well as parking spots.
Employees use an app to access the space, can reserve their desk for the days they’re coming into the office, can book a parking spot digitally, without having to call reception every morning they’re commuting to the office.
The whole flow is streamlined, with landlords having fewer responsibilities in managing their tenants’ requests manually. On the other hand, tenants see who comes into the office and when, get a better understanding of their needs for private / shared spaces and surfaces and can adjust properly.
Managing a hybrid, shared working area is as important as providing that space in the first place. Especially in an era where convenience is key, the building of 2024 and beyond will provide its tenants with the best and easiest to use and integrate tools and apps, so that those new hybrid workplaces make sense for their end users.
Sustainability in shared spaces
One topic that remains essential in 2024, that resource managing apps and tools contribute to, is sustainability. Buildings and the whole real estate sector looks at the way they impact the environment, and this means they need access to data. Knowing how often and how intensive a space is used is key in tracking environmental impact and in taking the required measures for a positive impact.
Also, reducing physical materials and manual work has an important ESG impact. With a resource management app, buildings and tenants don’t have to produce physical access badges anymore, as they can use the virtual ones. Manual repetitive work of reception and security departments is also reduced, as tenants don’t have to call and have them manage the access of each visitor - a process that can also be digitalised through tech solutions.
SpotUs is an easy to implement software solution that, once existing in a building, lets people book a meeting room, a desk, a parking spot, access the space with a virtual badge, call the elevator for (strictly) the floor they can reach and manage their visitor flow without involving reception or security departments. To learn more about what we do, let’s talk!