An interesting article by Allwork.space discusses what changes we may see.
Flexible Space to Grow 21% in 2021
Instant Office’s John Williams believes the next 12 months will see an increase in supply of 21% globally for flexible space. “There is still a pervasive sense of bullishness around the market and what the future holds,” he said. “By 2021 we feel we’ll be in a much better place.”
Will Entry to the Workplace be Policed?
“Can your company require you to have the vaccine?”. “There are lots of discussions going on. It’s definitely going to have an impact on where and how we work.”
Confidence will drive people back into spaces, and while a vaccination policy may help bring more people back to work, policing it will be both a challenge “and a big ask”.
People Want Choice, and are Voting with their Feet
Williams noted that the last 6 months has seen demand for suburban locations increasing, and workspaces in these areas have also held their pricing the best. He likens it to a “bookend week”, with people spending time in a central workplace some of the time and then working from home or near home at either end of the week.
2021: The Year of the Space Provider Aggregation?
Despite growing demand for regional and suburban workspaces, there is still a huge obstacle to overcome: how do potential occupiers find spaces close to where their employees live? How can occupiers be sure these spaces offer what they need, without dedicating significant time and resources visiting each and every space?
The answer could be to focus on partnerships or to join local alliances.
Workspace Will Be More Transactional
Space awareness technology, enabled by sensors, is making its way into the workplace. Sensors provide essential data on usage and occupancy, such as how close a space is coming to its occupancy threshold — which is crucial during the pandemic.
Major Cities will Bounce Back
“We’re all missing out on collaborating and being with people and sharing ideas,” said Williams. “There will be rocky periods but the fundamentals remain; cities like London, New York and San Francisco are amazing places to live. We’ve had a year of city detox, and it’s human nature that we’re going to relish going back. We’ve missed it.”
ReSoft International offers solutions to assist organizations in implementing a hybrid workplace; including Desk and Room booking, user software License Adoption, realtime uptime of cloud software applications.