Property Forum is happy to join New Work as an info partner for its upcoming webinar on 27 October where CEO and Founder Hubert Abt will walk participants through the trends driving the dynamic flex office market in Europe and share how operators or investors can profit from its growth.

The future of work is hybrid – this was the main message of Pauline Kwasniak, a Polish-born, Irish-raised digital marketer, founder and event professional who headlined workcloud24’s latest webinar. The organiser summarised the key takeaways of the event.

Michał Kwinta, who has been with Mindspace since the inception of its Polish branch, has been promoted to City Lead Poland. In his new role he will be responsible for implementing Mindspace’s global strategy in Poland and for continuing the development of Mindspace’s network in Warsaw.

As more people get vaccinated and offices are reopening, companies need to make a decision on how to manage their workforce. Employees that worked remotely for much of the past year will now circulate between work from home and commuting to the office. But do employees really want to work from home or from the office 5 days a week? CEE-based flex office provider New Work believes that the future belongs to flexible workplaces everywhere and they see demand for hundreds of flex office locations across each country in the region.

The pandemic brings a substantial evolution rather than a catalyst for a revolution. It accelerates ongoing changes in real estate strategies that otherwise would have taken years to implement, says Arkadiusz Rudzki, Executive Vice President of Leasing & Sales at Skanska office development in CEE, who shared his thoughts on workplace trends with Property Forum.

The past year has turned every aspect of our lives upside down, including the way we work and use office space. CEE-based flex office provider New Work has updated its annual research that confronts these issues and shows how our habits to use office as a place of work have changed over the past year. Research shows that flexible office space in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania has increased tenfold and workplace needs now are completely different than ever before, so there should be an office ready to use at every corner.

European markets with low levels of existing flexible workspace have seen the greatest growth in new flex operations over the first half of 2020, according to the latest flexible workspace report by Colliers International.

The share of flexible office space take-up across Europe decreased in the first quarter of 2020 to reach 5% from 9.5% at the end of 2019. The sector has expanded exponentially from 2017-2019, and is reaching maturity, as large providers become less expansionary.

The coronavirus pandemic will transform the office property market, significantly driving demand for flex workspace solutions. In the next 12-18 months, flex formats will increase to approximately 30% of total modern office spaces in Central and Eastern Europe from 3-5% before the crisis. The winners will be landlords and operators who focus on flex office hubs which offer clients not only flex and flex & core formats but an integrated work/life service concept, according to a new report by flex space operator New Work.