There is no shortage of approaches when it comes to the future of the office. Airbnb is getting rid of it entirely while Elon Musk is taking a much different path. These are the extremes, however. CBRE Asia Pacific believes the office isn’t going away, but it’s role will change dramatically in the coming months and years.
The future of the office is dependent on employees. This means employers must be willing to utilize hybrid solutions while ensuring the workplace itself offers rich in-person experiences that remote working cannot provide.
“With the pandemic having led many companies to incorporate increased levels of remote working into their current preferred workplace models to create a hybrid working approach, occupiers must now enhance their workplaces to deliver the type of seamless and engaging experiences that remote working cannot,” the CBRE report noted. “CBRE believes the creation of places where people work must be founded on understanding the changing nature of work in a hybrid world, what motivates people to come together, and a deep understanding of how to create experiences that really matter.”
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According to CBRE Asia Pacific, 58 percent of organizations are encouraging employees to come into the office while still allowing for remote working. This is a noticeable increase from 47 percent of firms that allowed it in July 2021 and 35 percent in October 2020.
This presents businesses with a challenge: What should the office look like since it now finds itself competing with the work-from-home experience. The key is balancing amenities people enjoy or otherwise don’t have access to elsewhere with a wealth of spaces that cater to everyone.
“While a common view in the media is collaborative space, great aesthetics and coffee, CBRE believes that at the heart of the office as an attractor should be places to hang out (could be doing exactly what you do at home, but do it amongst your work mates), work together and build relationships; with spaces catering to a full spectrum of group work to individual/quiet work; and relief from working from home,” the reported noted.
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