Managing traditional commercial office space was a more predictable process when everybody was using it from 9am-5pm , five days per week . When business tenants were in the office full time , landlords had a clear picture of what their fixed costs would be , and when technical and operational services should be on standby to support tenants throughout their working day .
“ But the accelerated post-pandemic shift towards a hybrid working model has made this more complex . Instead of a steady stream of employees using commercial office space at the same time , there ’ s an ebb and flow of activity , which means landlords need to plan for the provision of services and resources for their business tenants ”, says Alan Van Der Westhuizen , Head of Partnerships , IWG , South Africa .
Boosting Staff Productivity Hybrid working – where employees split their time between working from a flexible office space in their local area , their company ’ s headquarters , and working from home – is a response to the collective realisation that having a choice of work location is beneficial to people ’ s productivity and wellbeing .
Employees of the digital workforce have appreciated saving the time , energy and money of commuting to a city-centre office every day and , according to the UK ’ s Office of National Statistics , 85 % of those who worked remotely during the pandemic would prefer to work hybrid from now on , rather than returning to the office full time .
Recognising the boost in staff productivity , the benefits for their team ’ s mental health and the cost efficiencies of hybrid working , businesses are evolving their workspace strategies and writing them into company policy .
This shift to hybrid working patterns makes it more difficult for landlords leasing traditional office spaces to know for certain how many people will be occupying their properties on any given day . It also means landlords could be deploying services they don ’ t need – such as the daily clean of a workspace that ’ s been left unused for four days , or a fixed energy tariff based on 100 people for a 40-hour working week ( when that hasn ’ t been the case since March 2020 …).
A Data-driven Approach As office facilities are being used in a more on-demand fashion , solutions are needed that help landlords understand and respond to demand as and when it happens . To monitor the occupancy levels of commercial property as the hybrid working movement gains momentum , landlords are turning to a more datadriven approach – and implementing technology that tracks daily office usage in real time . Workplace analytics platforms such as VergeSense and Infogrid are examples of this .
SA Real Estate Investor Magazine MARCH 2022 67