There is no denying that the last six months have been extraordinary. Businesses of all sizes across the globe have been navigating their way through uncharted territory, while employees have had to reimagine their work days, finding new ways to connect 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; in a recent study we conducted in New York, we found that 76% of polled workers said they felt an office setting was “very important” or “somewhat important” for collaboration and innovation – this is a trend we’re also hearing from our community within the 16 countries in which we operate across the EMEA region. The future of work will be a hybrid model of remote and in-person working, but, with this in mind, what will this new office look like and how will this affect how companies view their workspace in the longer term?

Even before the pandemic, there was a shift towards more flexible working with employees seeking a working environment that inspired productivity and collaboration – the pandemic has accelerated that trend, and companies are recognising the need to re-evaluate their office needs entirely. At the forefront of this is flexibility – in space and time. Providing employees with the option to work from home, near home or in a new flexible office space has become more important.