After four years of a pandemic-induced disruption it is now clear that although hybrid working is not the dominant pattern, it is here to stay. New research from Cushman & Wakefield has found that 27% of Polish people combine in-office attendance with home office, whereas that figure for cities with a population of over 500,000 stands at 36%. Meanwhile, employers and property managers keep looking for ways to incentivise employees to come to the office more frequently. Employees working hybrid schedules value the office particularly for well-equipped spaces for focused work and for fostering collaboration and relationship building, reveals the report from Cushman & Wakefield. At the same time, 47% of respondents are against being mandated to work a fixed number of in-office days.

As many as 60% of office workers want a hybrid model of work, with 55% having previously worked in this manner. The pandemic has introduced revolutionary changes in the way we work, forcing companies to rapidly adapt to this shift in working patterns. After more than two years, the time has come to reflect and develop a working model that both supports an organisation’s business goals and responds to employees’ expectations. 

Three in five employers (59%) will ultimately embrace hybrid working - this represents a 14 pp increase on the June 2021 survey. Global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield has published the results of its survey of 103 decision-makers in office space management in Poland.

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.

Flexible office stock in Poland has increased six-fold since 2015. This diversified market perfectly meets the expectations of numerous sectors, small businesses, and corporations. As the expansion of flex operators slows, fewer and fewer offices remain available to tenants both in Warsaw and on major regional markets.

The accelerated growth of work from home arrangements has generated a new market for office space that can be leased directly by companies that have ongoing rent contracts for bigger surfaces. At present, around 70,000 sqm is available for sublease, which is a record figure for the Romanian market, according to representatives of JLL. 

Home office is just an effective supplement that will not replace the need for office space. Time will show that people need to meet each other and robots will replace those professions movable to a full-time home office, says Eduard Forejt, Development Director at Czech company Passerinvest Group, who talked to Property Forum about the future of office work and the company's development plans.