Distributed workspace strategy likely to be the way to go

'Work from Home' (WfH) may soon become passé. India Inc seems to be now on 'Return to Office' mode. Although, a new hybrid way of working is also emerging, a majority - as high as 75-100 per cent of employees are returning to offices. At least that's what a recent C-Suite Survey conducted by Colliers and Awfis, suggests. After a gap of two years, return to offices has gathered momentum with ebbing Covid-19 cases, signifying positive occupier confidence. And it's happening across different sectors.

If findings of this survey are anything to go by, Telecom and Consulting sectors are seeing the highest (75-100 per cent) rate of return to office. Sectors with the lowest (0-25 per cent) rate of return are IT and new technology companies.

Quite significantly the concept and practice of a hybrid way of working wherein employees come into the office a few times a week has also come into play. Therefore, occupiers are likely to choose distributed workspaces and devise flex space strategies by understanding their current usage patterns and preferences.

Experts are of the view that occupiers are still straddling business goals and employee well-being together and nearly 74 per cent of the occupiers are looking at distributed workspace, and more than half of the IT/ITeS companies (the largest occupier group) prefer a distributed work model for their employees. One can, therefore, see opportunities for flex spaces not only in metro cities but also in non-metro cities. In fact, in non-metro cities, total flex spaces are likely to grow more than two-fold to 5.5 million sq feet by the end of 2022, some experts feel.

Some are of the view that going forward, the number and percentage of occupiers who would include flex spaces as part of their workplace strategy, will go up further. It is expected that exceptional demand would come in the future, driven largely by large corporates for de-densification of existing traditional offices.

If employee-centric considerations are kept at the forefront, distributed workplace strategy will be highly beneficial to save time and money. Besides, many feel that work-life balance, mental wellbeing and team productivity are fuelled when opting for flex spaces.

Therefore while return to offices is getting momentum, from the occupiers' point of view, flex spaces is fast emerging as the most preferred distributed workspace strategy, thanks to the ease of adoption and benefits for employees. Occupiers actually see dual benefits arising out of a distributed work in flex spaces. They view benefits from such a strategy will further enhance employees' overall harmony, while bringing more cost efficiencies to their organisation.

As occupiers emerge from the after-effects of the pandemic, a distributed workspace strategy is likely to be the way to go, for occupiers in this new era of experiential workplaces.