Let’s get back to the office

Britain is going back to the office.

After a year of working from bedrooms, kitchen tables and the garden, offices are back open for business.

But for many investors and landlords, there remains the uncertainty about what this return to work will look like and whether businesses will look to downscale their office space requirements and what employees will expect from their offices in this brave new world.

That’s why Orega, the UK’s No.1 provider of flexible workspace under management agreements with over 500,000 sq ft under management, wanted to find out more.

Over the last few weeks, we have commissioned an in-depth survey of more than 500 business leaders and over 2,000 office workers across the UK to give you insights into their future requirements, what space they are looking for and whether hybrid working is here to stay.

I’ll present the findings at Property Week’s Property Finance and Investment Forum on June 3, where Orega is the lead sponsor and I’ll be one of the speakers.

But we’re going to give you a sneak peek of our survey.

Last year, there was lot of talk about people working from home full time. HSBC has decided to let 1,200 of its UK call centre staff work from permanently and reduce its office space by nearly 40% over the next few years.

Spotify is offering its employees to ‘work from anywhere,’ giving them the choice to work full time from home, from the office, or a combination of the two - the hybrid model.

But of the 2,000 office workers Orega surveyed with respected pollsters Survation, only 17% expect to WFH every day.

The office STILL has a future and a bright one too for landlords and investors.

At the Property Week’s Property Finance and Investment Forum, we will look to to see how our industry can recover from the pandemic and discuss the new opportunities that lie ahead for the real estate investment sector.

We will also explain why landlords and investors are increasingly considering partnership management agreements with a flexible workspace and hospitality expert like Orega over a traditional lease.

Orega pioneered these management agreements, which have been delivering above-market returns to landlords for more than 20 years.

So welcome back to the office.

Here at Orega, we’ll have the coffee ready for you and in most of our locations - you can even order it remotely via Siri and your smartphone using our touchless coffee points.

And because we understand that your success is our success, we will make sure you have the flexibility you need to grow your business.

Zach Douglas is CEO of Orega