After the dominance of remote working, the time has come to return to offices. What is the reasoning behind this trend? What are employers' expectations of office spaces and what changes are in store for companies? Answers to these questions and many more can be found in the report ″No place like the office? The working model and expectations regarding the office spaces of Polish organisations."

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The pandemic that forced a sudden shift to remote working, followed by a partial return to offices, has been a turning point in assessing the impact of the workplace on business performance, organisational culture and employee wellbeing. Recent years have been a period of intense change, forcing leaders to draw new conclusions and create fresh business trends. Deloitte's latest survey, based on the opinions of Poland's top executives, provides valuable insight into employers' current attitudes to work and their expectations of office spaces.Time for offices

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Time for offices

The survey reveals that as many as 25% of leaders have already decided to return to their offices after the pandemic period, increasing the amount of on-site work. What's more, 53% of those surveyed are planning a similar move in the near future. Among the most popular working models is the hybrid one, in which employees spend an average of 3-4 days in the office. What drives leaders to make such decisions? As the survey results show, the main goal is to improve relationships within teams and collaboration in organisations, with as many as 71% of respondents citing this aspect as key. In addition, 57% of leaders want to improve onboarding processes and knowledge sharing within companies, and 48% hope to increase work efficiency. These results are corroborated by leaders who have already implemented a return to offices, with as many as 59% noticing an improvement in employee relations.

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The perceived benefits of the hybrid or on-site working model also translate into a growing demand for office space. The greatest interest in renting offices is shown by small and medium-sized companies with fewer than 50 employees, particularly in the technology, manufacturing and retail sectors.

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"Companies are increasingly looking for more flexible solutions that allow them to adapt their space more quickly to changing employee numbers and evolving business needs. In response to these challenges, Ace of Space offers a modern alternative – the rental of so-called flexible space, which allows the office to be dynamically adapted to the company's current needs. This perfectly complements the traditional rental offer that the Globalworth brand provides," informs Magdalena Śnieżek, Head of Flexible Office Solutions, Ace of Space.

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Flexible workspaces – a modern alternative to traditional offices

According to a recent report prepared by Ace of Space in collaboration with Deloitte, the vast majority of companies that have decided to move back into offices are still opting for traditional office space leased for long terms. However, changing market conditions, such as pandemics and inflation, are prompting more and more business leaders to reach for innovative solutions. Particularly prominent among these is the growing popularity of so-called flexible spaces – a trend that has come to us from the West.

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So, what exactly is the phenomenon of these modern offices? "Flexible spaces are fully equipped offices that flexibly adapt to the tenant's current needs. Companies can increase or decrease the number of workstations at any time, adjust the choice of furniture, equipment and change the terms of the contract to suit current business challenges. What's more, tenants get access to a range of additional services, such as professional administrative support or assistance with business meetings, which are included in the rental price. It is a solution that offers not only convenience, but also considerable flexibility in a dynamically changing business environment," says Magdalena Śnieżek.

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"Recent years have shown us that a well-designed work space has a decisively positive impact on both the quality of our work and our general well-being. In conducting our survey, we wanted to find out which elements of the office market service are most important to organisations. An analysis of the responses shows that, from a standards perspective, elements such as reception service, 24/7 office access and high-speed Wi-Fi are considered essential and almost mandatory. In fact, these are the foundations of modern office spaces, without which it would be much more difficult for a company to function in today's world. Our survey reveals another equally interesting conclusion. Solutions that were once considered 'luxurious' are becoming more commonplace and taken for granted. An example of this is the equipped kitchen and dining area with unlimited coffee, tea, fruit and snacks, which were cited as an important aspect of office facilities by more than half of those surveyed. This shows that new trends and expectations are emerging all the time, and the office market should keep up with them," comments Dominik Stojek, Partner | Real Estate Sector Leader in Poland, Deloitte.

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In summary, after years of working remotely, more and more companies are choosing to return to offices, adapting working models to the new reality. The growing interest in flexible spaces demonstrates the increasing need to adapt space to dynamic changes in organisations.