A survey of over 100,000 landlord and occupier clients and office workers across the UK and EMEA show that 87% of EMEA workers say the office is still necessary, with respondents from Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, France and Czech Republic most supportive.
Alternative work locations have gained greater attention, with 19% of respondents willing to work from a client office, according to the Savills Office FiT 2021, and 12% willing to work from flexible offices.
The three most desired office design changes are a managed flow of people so that the office occupancy peaks and troughs are balanced; health and wellbeing initiatives and a building application to understand quality of air, book desks, etc.
The three most desired upgrades to current offices are improved personal safety, less noise and a reduction in bad odours/smell.
Andrew Cunningham, Director of Offices at Savills Ireland said, "Current leasing activity in the Dublin market confirms that the future of the office is bright – but it will also be different, as these results reveal. 18 months away from the office has given employees time to re-evaluate what they want from it, so employers will need to adapt.
"The office environment needed to change – the pandemic is speeding up this change which, I believe, will ensure it continues to play a key role in working-life."
Jeremy Bates, Savills EMEA Head of Occupational Markets, said, "Two things stand out for me from our Office FiT 2021 survey results: firstly, even after more than 18 months of the pandemic and various working from home guidance in EMEA during that time, the office is here to stay but, secondly, it needs to change.
"Employees are looking for their bosses to provide them with a safe and productive environment with the employee at the heart."
