Hybrid Work Has Led to a Decrease in Necessary Office Space

With the COVID pandemic still affecting businesses all over the world, many are still considering remote and hybrid work operations. In fact, there are many employees who have yet to step back into the workplace in any capacity, meaning that workspaces previously well-populated are being underutilized.

According to a 2022 Office Space survey conducted by Robin Powered, businesses are struggling to make effective use of their office space due to a number of factors. These factors include the ongoing pandemic, the Great Resignation, and the simple adoption of remote or hybrid work policies in general. Here are some of the results and numbers from the report:

• 46% of respondents surveyed in July don’t use any more than half of their available office space.
• A paltry 11% utilize all of their available office space.
• 48% of respondents claim their use of available office space has decreased since the start of the pandemic.
• 60% of those currently using half or less of their current office space had already downsized pre-pandemic.
• 46% of those surveyed plan to reduce their office space in 2023.
• 59% of those surveyed plan to cut their office space by half or more.

The reason behind these numbers makes perfect sense. 83% of respondents claim that they have made the above changes to save money, whereas 73% of them have plans to move in the direction of hybrid operations before they would consider layoffs or other cost-saving measures.

The interesting part of the survey is how employees respond to these new policies. Here are some of the results:

• 37% of employees working for surveyed companies work in-house full-time.
• 61% of employees are working in hybrid accommodations.
• 87% of hybrid employees spend two or more days a week at the office.

So, if your employees are spending time away from the office, you should be shifting your focus to how you can best support your employees during their remote and hybrid work times. After all, you’re saving money from the arrangement, so why not reinvest those assets into making the experience better and more meaningful for your employees?

If you work with a technology provider like i-medIT to handle the implementation and management of your remote work needs, then you’ll know for sure that your infrastructure can handle this shift for long-term success. To get started, call us today at 630-549-6199.