Employees are keen to return to the office, missing the human and social interaction, but would like the option of working from home 1-2 days per week, according to a new JLL survey of 3,000 workers.
While the trend towards workplace mobility was not created as a result of the pandemic, it was certainly accelerated by it, finds the report entitled 'The impact of Covid-19 on flexible space.' As a result, agile work strategies are expected to increase in a post-pandemic world, reinvigorating demand for flexible space.
Ben Munn, global flexible space lead for JLL said: 'Office space will continue to evolve as a result of the pandemic and is arguably going to play an even greater role in driving corporate well-being and productivity.
'As organisations look to adapt to the ‘next normal’ where de-densification of main office space will need to occur, we anticipate a move towards a ‘hubs and clubs’ model that provides office locations closer to where people live. These distributed locations, or ‘clubs,’ are likely to lean heavily on flexible space arrangements.'
Flexible evolution
The report suggests that flexible space will take a different form than it has in the past, but will continue to grow as corporates and investors alike respond to the increasing demand for flexibility. In fact, JLL research still predicts that 30% of all office space will be consumed flexibly by 2030.
'We expect to see a fundamental shift in the way office space is consumed,' said Alex Colpaert, head of office research, EMEA, JLL. 'Coworking operators have experienced a dramatic boom-bust cycle, and Covid presents some unique challenges for the industry, but the future of real estate will retain many of the key elements that helped fuel this disruption.'
According to JLL’s occupancy benchmarking survey, 67% of real estate decision makers are increasing workplace mobility programmes, while only 4% indicated they would be contracting those programmes.
Over the last decade, the experience-led office design movement, which combined mobility with flexibility, manifested into the dramatic rise of coworking and flexible space – which also increased density.
While the densities recorded pre-Covid will likely be reduced, at least temporarily, the demand drivers that led to the flexible space boom are still intact, the report suggests.
These trends will be compounded by organisations’ unwillingness to assume long-term lease liabilities and commit to large cap-ex projects, therefore opting for pre-built spaces with lease flexibility.
