7 Main Market Trends

This 2021 market-insights deck from AllOfficeCenters outlined seven trends affecting flexible offices and corporate workspace searches. It described disruption in office-space markets and a growing preference for dedicated units, while identifying phone booths and video-conferencing areas as important selection criteria. The deck also reported greater attention to meeting areas that supported staff interaction and presented membership cards as a significant development in flexible-workspace access. Hybrid and remote employment patterns were illustrated through a hypothetical company of 30 employees planning to expand to 40: 10 employees attended the office daily, 10 attended three days per week, 10 worked entirely remotely, and 10 additional employees were due to be hired. The presentation argued that these changing workforce arrangements required new office concepts. A location comparison illustrated how a 300-square-metre space in an A-location could be considered against a 500-square-metre space in a B-location, indicating a trade-off between location, floor area and cost. The deck stated the trends but provided little supporting market data or research methodology.

Key findings

• Phone booths and video-conferencing areas were identified as key criteria in office searches.
• Meeting areas designed for staff interaction received greater emphasis.
• A hypothetical growing company divided 40 staff into four groups of 10: daily office users, three-day users, remote workers and planned hires.

Published by AllOfficeCenters, 2021