After years of upheaval, the global workplace is finally stabilising.
The Big Calm – 2024 Workplace Futures Survey by Leading international design firm Hassell reveals key insights into what this means for office tenants and how they can make the most of this new era of calm.
Here are actionable insights that office tenants can use to navigate this new landscape effectively.
1. Embrace the Shift Towards Hybrid Work
The survey indicates that hybrid work is here to stay, with significant stability across global markets. Approximately 30-45% of office workers now work in a hybrid model, and this trend shows no signs of reversing.
As an office tenant, embracing and supporting hybrid work can improve employee satisfaction, engagement, and productivity. Consider how your space can better support both in-office and remote employees. Think about the kind of amenities, technologies, and office policies that encourage collaboration when workers do come in.
Action Tip: Ensure your office space is flexible enough to accommodate various work styles. This may involve rethinking your current office layout or providing more collaborative areas and meeting rooms to cater to those coming in for team-based tasks.
2. Focus on Creating a Comfortable and Productive Environment
Office workers increasingly value domestic amenities in the workplace. The survey found that beyond free food, amenities like green spaces, fresh air, good coffee, and spaces for focused work or relaxation rate highly.
People want offices that are comfortable and conducive to productivity, akin to the comfort of working from home.
Action Tip: Work with your landlord or property management to add or enhance domestic-style amenities. Even small additions, like improved coffee facilities or quiet rooms, can significantly boost employee satisfaction and retention.
3. Address Space Needs: More Private and Collaborative Spaces
Open-plan offices, though widely adopted, are not serving the needs of today’s hybrid workforce. The survey shows that people often lack enough space to collaborate or focus without distraction, with many offices under-utilising open areas and over-utilising meeting rooms.
Tenants should reassess their space requirements to ensure they align with the preferences and needs of employees.
Action Tip: Conduct a space audit to identify underused areas and potential opportunities to repurpose them. Investing in creating more quiet rooms or adaptable meeting areas can address both privacy and collaboration needs, improving overall workplace satisfaction.
4. Prepare for Future Challenges: Climate Change and AI
The survey highlighted two emerging concerns that will increasingly impact workplaces: climate change and artificial intelligence (AI).
Extreme weather events like heatwaves and wildfires are already prompting workers to stay home, impacting office usage. Meanwhile, AI is transforming work processes, particularly in tech-heavy industries, by automating many white-collar tasks.
Action Tip: Begin preparing for these shifts now. For climate change, ensure your office space has resilience features, such as energy-efficient systems and access to fresh air. For AI, consider how your office can support employees learning and using AI tools effectively—whether through dedicated spaces for training or fostering in-office collaboration.
5. Make Long-Term Decisions with Confidence
With workplace preferences stabilising, now is the time to make confident, long-term decisions about your office space. Occupancy patterns are no longer fluctuating as dramatically as they did during the pandemic, providing a clearer view of future requirements.
This is especially important for lease renewals or relocations, where aligning space requirements with long-term strategies can save money and boost workplace efficiency.
Action Tip: Review your current lease to determine if it still suits your company’s needs. If not, use this stable period to negotiate better terms or relocate to a space better aligned with the hybrid work era. Engage with a tenant representation specialist who can help negotiate favourable lease terms in this new, more stable environment.
A unique opportunity
The period of workplace stability offers a unique opportunity for office tenants to reassess and recalibrate their approach to office leasing and design.
By focusing on flexibility, comfort, long-term planning, and preparing for future challenges, office tenants can turn “The Big Calm” into an era of growth and productivity for their teams.
