The new office

The last six months have been extraordinary – writes Patrick Nelson of WeWork – businesses of all sizes across the globe have been navigating uncharted territory, while employees have re-imagined their work days, connecting with colleagues digitally while working from home.

However, while remote working has become part of our ‘new normal’, the value of the office has never been more apparent; our recent study in New York found that 76% of workers felt an office setting was ‘very important’ or ‘somewhat important’ for collaboration and innovation – a trend we hear across the 16 countries in which we operate across EMEA.

The future of work will be a hybrid of remote and in-person working, but what will the new office look like and how will this affect the way companies view their workspace?

There was already a shift towards more flexible working with employees seeking a working environment that inspired productivity and collaboration; the pandemic accelerated that trend, with companies recognising the need to re-evaluate their office. At the forefront is flexibility – in space and time; offering the option to work from home, near home or in flexible office space has become more important.

The majority of our members said they would give employees more choice over where they work; at WeWork, our large enterprise member companies (48% of our global memberships) are accelerating their efforts to provide flexibility to their teams, and re-evaluating their traditional real estate strategy.

Gone are the days of traditional office models and HQs; businesses are looking to repurpose the conventional office, opting for more space and rethinking how they use it.

A hub-and-spoke model, whereby teams and workforces are distributed across a building, a city, or internationally, will be popular with businesses seeking to de-densify central HQ.

Our members report that having employees working from different locations helps de-densify offices and allows shorter commute times, encouraging a new, more flexible working style – crucial for long-term employee satisfaction.

Driving down costs is also a key factor for companies looking for shorter lease commitments with the ability to scale when needed. Some of our enterprise members expect to reduce their traditional portfolio by over 25% to cut costs, and reinvest the savings into core sites or technology that proactively predict health indices for buildings.

A workspace that is easily reconfigurable is an ideal, cost-efficient office solution in the current uncertain climate; for example, adjusting workspaces with new protocols including increased sanitisation, behavioural signage and prioritising personal space.

As the situation evolves across the globe, company leaders are working to find workplace solutions that prioritise health and safety along with their employees’ needs, wellbeing and comfort.

Companies will need their office space to drive creativity, productivity and collaboration; as the workforce becomes more mobile, and talent recruitment and retention becomes more challenging, having the right workplace strategy will become a key differentiator.
 

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