Businesses Aren’t Using as Much Office Space as Hybrid Work Takes Hold

The COVID-19 pandemic had many businesses switch to remote or hybrid workplace functions, something which has had a significant impact on the way that employees prefer to work. Many of them have simply not returned to the office, or they have returned in a more limited capacity. Following this trend is a decrease in the amount of space offices use to fulfill their daily operations.

A 2022 Office Space survey conducted by Robin Powered asked various questions to business owners and facilities managers related to their use of workspace following the COVID pandemic, the adoption of remote and hybrid work, and the Great Resignation. You might be interested to know some of the results.

 Here are some quick numbers and details 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 reasons are pretty straightforward, in this case. 83% of respondents indicate that they are making these changes to save money, while 73% have plans to shift to hybrid operations before considering layoffs and other cost-saving practices.

What is particularly interesting from the study is how employees at the businesses surveyed work. According to Robin Powered, here is the breakdown:

• 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.

The question then becomes one of how you can best help your employees, especially when remote and hybrid operations are on the rise and there is a considerable cost savings associated with remote and hybrid operations.

One of the best ways you can make these changes to your own operational infrastructure is by working with a technology service provider like KB Technologies Managed IT to ensure your technology can support such a shift. We can help you acquire and implement the technology needed to sustain remote and hybrid operations long-term.

To learn more about what we can do for your business, contact us today at (954) 834-2800.