ARTICLES LABELLED WITH TAG remote work

Whilst significant ink has flowed in relation to the ‘E’ pillar from the vast ESG spectrum, the ‘S’ pillar is beginning to catch up in prominence particularly in the office sector across the UK and Continental Europe. Post-Covid behaviours have had a massive impact on the office offering and workforce demands - the office is by no means dead, but its role has certainly had a significant rethink, writes Mirela Calota, Director, Deal Advisory - Real Estate and Infrastructure at KPMG, in an article prepared for Property Forum.

Real estate decision-making and people-centric strategies are becoming more integrated, according to CBRE’s 2023 European Occupier Survey. For the first time, CBRE carried out the same survey for global companies having an operation in CEE to point out major differences in workplace culture across the various geographies.

Following other large corporations, New-York based asset manager BlackRock will order a massive return of its employees in the office starting this autumn. The company added a day to its current requirement of three days a week in the office in a bid to boost collaboration and training of its employees. 

According to the latest, fourth edition of a survey conducted by Zymetria (an analytical and research company) on behalf of Skanska's commercial development business unit, after two years of the coronavirus pandemic, 9 out of 10 Polish office employees believe that the traditional office is irreplaceable. Today, more than half of Poles work in a hybrid model – this translates to an almost double increase compared to May 2021. In addition, the hybrid is also the most preferred way of working – it is favoured by 70% of the respondents.

Some 82.6% of employees in Romania say that working from home has affected their relationship with their team, according to a survey conducted by office developer Genesis Property. 

A survey carried out by professional services firm EY Romania among 40 owners of office buildings shows that 75% of them kept their current rent prices despite negotiations with tenants, while the rest lowered prices. 

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.

Romanians are among the European employees that would favour a hybrid work arrangement that combines office-based and remote activities, according to a survey by Colliers. 

Although many projected that office development projects would be cancelled due to the pandemic, that is not what the numbers are showing. Developments are ongoing despite the emergence of working from home and Eston forecasts about 160,000 sqm of offices for rent to be put on the market this year, following 230,000 sqm in 2020. Meanwhile, the pre-lease ratio of buildings under construction is lower than seen in previous years, in line with the current demand trend.

The future of work will be agile, flexible, and hybrid, says a new report by HB Reavis. According to “The Future of Work”, simply offering a split between at-home and in-office work is no longer enough. Increasing productivity and employee wellbeing is all about the digital experience, and 2020 has brought a new understanding of what the workplace should look like to both employers and employees.