Demand for offices will shrink in the future due to the adoption of hybrid work arrangements, which also helps companies save money, commented speakers of the workplace strategies panel of CEE Property Forum 2022, held in Vienna.

With energy prices rising at an unprecedented rate and the system of governmental discounts on utility bills in Hungary significantly changing, working from the office might become a more attractive option even for those that love working only from home. In the coming months, not only employees but employers will also try to reduce their energy use. Energy-efficient office buildings will further increase in value as they will become a more attractive option for tenants. Flex and serviced offices will also see increased demand as they will be able to provide a more financially stable option for tenants with utility costs included in the rental fee.

After two years of the pandemic, every fourth woman is considering leaving the labour market, says a study by the McKinsey Global Institute. According to Colliers, this can be prevented and easily reversed by the employer by adjusting the working environment and conditions or by investing in the employee's reskilling. It is necessary to consider as such an exodus of women from the group of productive employees would weaken the Czech labour market.

One of the main advantages of working in an office is the opportunity to be around colleagues. Social interaction in the workplace is known to boost creativity and productivity which is why companies are focusing on providing employees with more space for socialisation and teamwork. As post-Covid working habits are still rapidly changing and the reorganisation of corporate headquarters takes time and money, many employers are providing their employees with the opportunity to work from flex offices, according to market feedback gathered by CEE-based operator New Work.

One of the leading flex office providers in CEE expects to see drastic changes in the office market during the coming years. Property Forum talked to Hubert Abt, CEO of New Work about the drivers of the rapidly evolving world of workplaces.

As governments across Europe are ending Covid-related restrictions, business must also redefine their workplace strategies. Forcing people to return to the office full-time after long months of lockdowns might not be the most effective strategy and the idea of a full-time WFH also only works in very specific cases, says flex office provider New Work in its latest analysis.

Remote working has changed people's perception of their workplace and increased their need for facilities and experiences tailored to their dynamic lifestyle. New trends and design concepts show that offices of the future will be reshaped into campuses that will encompass facilities for the working and urban living trends of the future in a unique space, Gavin Bonner, Vice President of Genesis Property, writes for Property Forum in an opinion piece.

As the pandemic forced many of us to shift a work-from-home routine, some people predicted that “the office is a dead concept” and that it will never return. I would agree that the office as we knew it is actually really dead, but the “new office” is here and all of us need to adapt to it, writes Petr Florián, Associate Director, Office Leasing at Avison Young in the Czech Republic for Property Forum in an opinion piece.

IWG plans to add thousands of locations in the upcoming period as it sees pent-up demand for flexible office spaces across the world. At MIPIM, Property Forum talked to Thomas Sinclair, Chief Investment Officer and Giles Bateman MRICS, Regional Development Director – Continental Europe at IWG about the benefits of flexible spaces for corporates and the post-pandemic development of offices.

CEE-based flex workspace provider New Work is introducing a new “Space in the Cloud” service which not only helps new and existing tenants save money but allows them to manage their workforce in a more flexible and ESG-compliant way.