A new global study of office working practices in 13 countries has revealed that offices in most sectors and locations are underused, resulting in large swathes of excess space.
The Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA) Hybrid Working Index study, conducted during June and July this year, found that on an average day two thirds of desks are unused and just over a quarter of people go into the office, with the attendance figure dropping to just 12% on Fridays.
The research covered 80 offices, representing nearly 80,000 employees.
It found that if companies have no hybrid working policies in place, people go into the office less than one day a week on average. However, even in cases where organisations insist people come in three days a week, the policy does not appear to work as attendance averages just 2.1 days a week.
AWA found that offices in most sectors and locations are under-occupied which, if these trends continue, will result in excess space needing to be re-purposed or sub-let.
The figures for the UK show a slightly higher average and midweek attendance, however Mondays and Fridays are still very empty – with 19% and 13% attendance on those days. On average the British employee comes into the office less than 1.5 days a week.
Andrew Mawson, managing director of AWA, commented: ‘What this global survey shows is that as a result of changes due to the pandemic, the hybrid working genie is out of the bottle. Even where employers try to force staff into the office two or three days a week, employees don’t comply.
‘Organisations need to look at the data showing that two third of desks are unused and work with their employees to find smarter, more efficient ways of working that will fit in with how people want to live their lives, save money and be more environmentally friendly.’
He concluded: ‘We believe this will have a profound impact on the property market, which is not currently being recognised by the industry.’
