Some companies have seen slight increases in the productivity of employees working remotely since the pandemic, which fuelled the idea that most employees can continue to work from anywhere since they can be just as productive as working from the office. But there is a contradiction here: on a global scale, more and more people worked and lived under stressful conditions in the last year and a half. In this context, the big question is if people can be more productive remotely in the long run. Moreover, this situation brings on a very important idea, that offices should become hubs designed for productivity and sustain a much less stressful way of working for employees in the long term. Gavin Bonner, Vice President at Genesis Property explains the topic in an opinion piece for Property Forum.

More businesses have discovered that remote work arrangements support growth, but the future of work will include both office-based and remote work, driven by the nature of tasks, suggested speakers during the workplace strategies panel of SEE Property Forum 2021, Property Forum's annual event in Bucharest.

To explore the answers to this question, with a focus on the European real estate market, WiredScore is hosting The WiredScore Future Forum on Tuesday 23rd November.

Colliers has just launched a new report titled Commercial Real Estate – our industry today, tomorrow, and beyond: Engage, Evolve, Accelerate. By publishing this report, Colliers is providing a comprehensive guide for corporate occupiers and industry stakeholders on how to approach the commercial real estate and workplace landscape as we emerge post-pandemic. This will enable the adaption of occupational strategies, rethinking of organisational operating models and the delivery of enhanced growth in the next cycle.

Digital workspace solutions platform workcloud24 is organising a series of online events dedicated to the future of work after COVID-19. Property Forum is an official partner of the next event, to be held on 27 May 2021.

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.

By 2050, 70% of the world’s total population of 9 billion people will live in cities. Today’s buildings usage account for 35% of our total energy consumption, raising the question: how can an urban district become economically sustainable? The experts of Hungarian architecture firm Paulinyi & Partners have collected the four most important trends of urban design supporting sustainability in 2020.  

Global commercial real estate leaders are optimistic about the industry’s prospects over the coming year, despite global economic volatility, according to Deloitte 2020 Commercial Real Estate Outlook. 76 percent of respondents expect a positive evolution of the industry in the next period. The survey shows that the tenant experience has become a top priority for most commercial real estate leaders, with a focus on investment in new technologies.

User expectations have changed significantly during the past couple of years and this is a challenge that most landlords do not take lightly. Mátyás Gereben MRICS, Country Manager of CPI Hungary talked to Property Forum about the changing needs of office tenants and the shopping centre of the future.

Hosted by RICS in Austria, the 6th Annual RICS CEE Event, held at the British Ambassador’s Residence in Vienna, aimed to answer a number of questions related to the future of the profession and presented how RICS, a solution leader in the real estate sector, helps professionals become well-equipped to meet challenges of the 21st century.