As COVID-19 cases witness a significant fall, a majority of employees in telecom and consulting sectors have returned to office, according to a survey by Colliers and Awfis. It added that IT and new-technology companies are witnessing the lowest rate of return.

“After a gap of two years, return to offices has gathered momentum with ebbing COVID-19 cases, signifying positive occupier confidence. At the same time, about 74 per cent of the occupiers are looking towards distributed workspaces as a strategy to shift from location-centric to people-centric workspaces. This will enable flexibility to employees while furthering productivity gains for businesses,” according to the study.

According to the study, more than half of the IT/ITeS companies (the largest occupier group) prefer a distributed work model for their employees.

“Therefore, we can see opportunities for flex spaces not only in metro cities but also in non-metro cities. In fact, in non-metro cities, total flex spaces are likely to grow more than two-fold to 5.5 million sq feet by the end of 2022,” said Ramesh Nair, chief executive officer (India) and managing director (market development-Asia), Colliers.

It added that about 53 per cent of the occupiers prefer a hybrid workplace plan for their employees, with working from home and office in varying degrees. Time and cost savings, increased employee convenience and overall well-being of employees are key priorities for occupiers, as they look to enable distributed workspace strategy.

“About 79 per cent of the occupiers who are ready to opt for flex spaces see time and cost savings as major benefits. Clearly, pursuing business goals in tandem with benefits to employees is at the core of occupiers’ interest,” it said.

Awfis founder & CEO Amit Ramani said, “The findings of the survey are a testament to the success of the distributed work model and subsequently of flex spaces in catering to the ever-evolved workspace needs of India Inc. The survey unveils that currently, 74 per cent occupiers have adopted flex centres for their workspace needs, given the multiple benefits associated with flex working.”

Ramani added that going forward, 77 per cent occupiers will include flex spaces as part of their workplace strategy. We expect exceptional demand in the future, driven largely by large corporates for de-densification of existing traditional offices.

“Keeping employee centricity at the forefront, 79 per cent of the occupiers feel that distributed workplace strategy will be highly beneficial to save time and money. Additionally, work-life balance, mental wellbeing and team productivity are fueled when opting for flex spaces,” said Sumit Lakhani, deputy CEO, Awfis.

In the first half of 2022, flex operators leased about 3.5 million sq feet, accounting for about 13 per cent of the overall leasing, in line with the surging demand for flex space by occupiers.

“About 90 per cent of the occupiers from e-commerce and consulting sectors are likely to include flex space in their current portfolio. Occupiers see dual benefits arising out of distributed workspaces. They view time and cost-saving benefits followed by better work-life balance for employees,” said Vimal Nadar, senior director and head (research) at Colliers India.

This story appeared in the 4 August, 2022 issue of News 18 and was originally published at: Return To Office: These Sectors Witnessing Highest Physical Attendance of Employees

As many as 53 per cent of the employers prefer a hybrid workplace plan for their employees, with working from home and office in varying degrees, revealed a survey by Awfis. Time and cost savings, increased employee convenience and overall well-being of employees are key priorities for occupiers, as they look to enable distributed workspace strategy, the report said.

About 74 per cent of the occupiers are looking towards distributed workspaces as a strategy to shift from location-centric to people-centric workspaces. The report says that that telecom and consulting sectors see the 75 to 100 per cent of return to office. Meanwhile, sectors with the lowest (0-25 per cent) of return are IT and new technology workspace.

The report further added that about 74 per cent of the occupiers are likely to adopt distributed workspace while about 53 per cent of occupiers prefer working from home and office as their preferred workplace portfolio strategy. Further the report also claims that about 49 per cent of the occupiers are likely to adopt flex centres to enable distributed workspace, followed by setting up their own offices in metro and non-metro cities.

“Keeping employee centricity at the forefront, 79 per cent of the occupiers feel that distributed workplace strategy will be highly beneficial to save time and money. Additionally, work-life balance, mental wellbeing and team productivity are fueled when opting for flex spaces.”, said Sumit Lakhani, Deputy CEO, Awfis.

“The survey has made it clear that a distributed workspace strategy is the way to go for occupiers in this new era of experiential workplaces, as occupiers emerge from the after-effects of the pandemic. Flex spaces, in particular, are leading this growth, as occupiers from varied sectors are housing teams in flex centres across cities. This shift in strategy also reflects in the leasing by flex operators – flex operators leased about 3.5 million sq feet of space in H1 2022 across the top six cities, almost three-fourths of the flex leasing in entire 2021,” said Ramesh Nair, Chief Executive Officer.

Amit Ramani, Founder & CEO, Awfis said, “The findings of the survey are a testament to the success of the distributed work model and subsequently of flex spaces in catering to the ever-evolved workspace needs of India Inc. The survey unveils that currently 74 per cent occupiers have adopted flex centres for their workspace needs given the multiple benefits associated with flex working. Going forward, 77 per cent occupiers will include flex spaces as part of their workplace strategy. We expect exceptional demand in the future, driven largely by large corporates for de-densification of existing traditional offices.”]

This story appeared in the 4 August, 2022 issue of News 18 and was originally published at: 53% of Employers Prefer Hybrid Workplace Plan for Their Employees: Survey

A survey conducted by Awfis found that 53 percent of employers prefer a hybrid workplace plan for their employees, who work from home and in the office to varying degrees. Time and cost savings, increased employee convenience and overall employee well-being are key priorities for occupiers as they look to incorporate a distributed workspace strategy, the report said.

Some 74 percent of occupiers are considering distributed workspaces as a strategy for moving from location-centric workspaces to people-centric workspaces. The report says that in the telecommunications and consulting sectors, the return to office is between 75 and 100 percent. Meanwhile, the sectors with the lowest (0-25 percent) profitability are IT and new technologies.

The report also added that about 74 percent of residents are likely to adopt a distributed workspace, while about 53 percent of residents prefer working from home to the office as their preferred workplace portfolio strategy. In addition, the report also states that about 49 percent of occupiers are likely to adopt flex centers to provide distributed workspace, followed by opening their own offices in metros and other cities.

“Keeping the focus on the employee at the forefront, 79 percent of occupiers believe that a distributed workplace strategy will be very beneficial in saving time and money. In addition, the choice of flexible spaces promotes work-life balance, mental well-being and team productivity,” said Sumit Lakhani, Deputy CEO of Awfis.

“The survey found that a distributed workspace strategy is the way to go for occupiers in this new era of experiential workplaces as occupiers emerge from the effects of the pandemic. Flex spaces in particular are leading this growth as residents from various sectors are housing groups in Flex centers in cities. This shift in strategy is also reflected in flexible operator leasing, with flexible operators leasing approximately 3.5 million square feet of space in the first half of 2022 across six leading cities, representing nearly three-quarters of flexible leasing for the whole of 2021,” said Ramesh Nair, Director Executive Director.

Amit Ramani, Founder and CEO, Awfis, said, “The survey results are a testament to the success of the distributed work model and, accordingly, flexible spaces to meet the ever-evolving workspace needs of India Inc. The survey shows that 74 percent of residents have currently used flex centers for their work needs, citing the many benefits associated with flexible working. Looking ahead, 77 percent of residents will include flexible spaces as part of their workplace strategy. We expect exceptional demand in the future, which will be driven mainly by large corporations to de-densify existing traditional offices.”

This story appeared in the 4 August, 2022 issue of Paris Town News and was originally published at: 53% of Employers Prefer Hybrid Workplace Plan for Their Employees: Survey