Report by Skanska & Colliers: Designing the office of the future

How are employees’ expectations regarding their work environment changing? The “Designing the office of the future” report, which was jointly developed by Colliers and Skanska, will help construct an in-depth picture of how remote work and the introduction of hybrid models have modified employees’ needs. The survey of office users revealed, among other things, that if an office enables efficient work and provides peace, quiet, and privacy, employees spend an average of three days a week in it. That is one more day than in the case of offices that do not offer these conditions.

From the report you will find out:

  • what employees think about various components of their work environment: the office building, the office space and the home office,
  • which office building amenities are most desired by employees,
  • what contributes to employees’ satisfaction regarding their office location,
  • how do home office conditions affect the number of days spent at the company office,
  • which workspace features are important when it comes to encouraging employees to return to the company office.

The main objective of the survey was to examine how employees are currently using their work environment and what they expect from their offices. The results of the survey, along with expert comments, are presented in a report under the same title as the survey, “Designing the office of the future.” The report analyzes what is important to employees in an office space, and looks at various aspects of work-at-home spaces, in relation to the most popular nowadays hybrid model. A review of the many factors that make office users themselves want to appear in the office is also included.

We all ask ourselves what the office of the future will look like. With the changes brought about by the pandemic, we need to redefine our ideas about the ideal office. The key factor for employees was whether they can easily find a space in their office that is suitable for the task at hand. The office must combine coziness, ease of focus and separation from other people when needed, with the possibility of interaction, teamwork, building relationships with employees and the organization. Therefore, more important is the trend of creating primarily friendly spaces – creating conditions good for our physical and mental health and inclusive – allowing for effective work, regardless of whether we work best at a shared table or in a quiet room away from others.

Ewelina Kałużna Managing Director Business Link & Head of Strategic Workplace Solution Advisory in CEE, Skanska

What draws people to the office?

There is a clear conclusion from the results of the survey – the factor that motivates employees to visit the office more often is a sense of privacy, particularly silence, peace, and the absence of distractions. In the view of respondents, this allows them to perform their duties effectively. If such conditions were available in the office, respondents said they would come to the office more frequently – instead of two days a week, they would spend three out of five working days in the office.

According to the “Designing the office of the future” report, the key to achieving the objective of employees coming to the office more often is to create adequate variety of spaces for them.

Hybridization of work styles is causing changes in the physical office space. We come to the office to cooperate, interact or engage in workshops. Individual work that requires silence and concentration is more likely to be done remotely. This has made post-pandemic offices much more focused on fostering collaboration, facilitating spontaneous interactions and providing space for informal contacts. It is also crucial to ensure multi-functionality and adaptability in offices. This can be seen in solutions such as mobile phone booths, meeting pods, closed and semi-open spaces for teamwork, or agora spaces. They go hand in hand with more and more modern apps for managing office space, facilitating contacts, e.g. informing about the presence of colleagues in the office, and IT/AV solutions necessary for organizing hybrid meetings. The aim is for the office space to cope with the changes, not only the current ones, but also upcoming, emerging as part of the gradual definition and maturation of the hybrid work model.

Dorota Osiecka Partner in Colliers, Director of Colliers Define

Is it possible for us to work from home?

In order to thoroughly understand the needs of employees, their personal situation, including their home office, was also investigated. The results of the survey, conducted by Skanska and Colliers, show that nearly 70% of respondents claim to have convenient conditions for working effectively from home. Virtually everyone has a laptop for working remotely, and 85% stated that the quality of their domestic internet connection is adequate. More than half of respondents – 58% – believe that their home desk is suitable for working for several hours, and 56% are of a similar opinion regarding their home office chair. However, 41% of respondents admit that when they work from home, they have trouble separating work and private life.

 

More data and conclusions in the report

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About the companies

Colliers is a global leader in real estate services and investment management. We are a leading company offering a wide range of the highest quality services. With operations in 63 countries, more than 17,000 of our enterprising professionals work collaboratively to maximise the value of real estate for tenants, investors and investors.

Colliers Define is a platform of Colliers in Poland that delivers advisory around places and workplaces, architecture & design and fit-out services. It consists of a diverse team of consultants, architects, designers and engineers, which in the comprehensive process of “Define. Design. Deliver.” transforms commercial spaces and real estate to make them user-friendly and efficient for business.

Skanska Property Poland is an innovative developer of green, timeless office buildings. It builds open, vibrant spaces where employees feel comfortable. Skanska’s office projects are certified with LEED, WELL Core & Shell, as well as WELL Health-Safety Rating. In addition, Skanska’s new investments in Poland are certified as “Barrier-Free Facilities,” which proves adaptability for use by people with various needs – including those with disabilities or parents with young children.

Skanska Property Poland has been operating in Poland since 1997. It conducts operations in seven markets: in Warsaw, Wrocław, Poznań, Łódź, Cracow, Katowice and the Tri-City.

Skanska Poland also functions as:

  • retail general contractor
  • office general contractor
  • warehouse general contractor
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