JLL: The Future of Work Survey 2022

As businesses continue to evolve their workplaces to best meet the needs of their employees, JLL’s global Future of Work Survey finds that 72% of decision makers believe the office is critical to doing business. The research shows that over the next several years companies anticipate hybrid work to become the dominant model and will be looking across their real estate portfolios to re-think their office spaces, invest in new technology and prioritize sustainability.

Hybrid working

Hybrid working is here to stay and calls for the rejuvenation of the office.

Rethinking the office layout to accommodate hybrid working in the long-term

The mass adoption of hybrid work will have a lasting impact, with 77% of CRE leaders agreeing that offering remote or hybrid working will be critical to attracting and retaining talent in the future. As the trend toward dynamic working will continue, successfully operationalizing hybrid working will be the most important strategic priority for commercial real estate (CRE) executives over the next three years. This includes exploring flexible space options, with 43% of companies planning to accelerate investment in flexible space between now and 2025, and 51% saying they will lease flexible space through a third-party provider.

“As the office finds a new purpose post-pandemic as a destination for collaboration in employees’ hybrid workstyles, occupiers will need to continue increasing their investments in creative spaces,”

said Cynthia Kantor, Chief Client Value & Growth Officer, JLL Work Dynamics.

“Enhancing socialization, especially among a large, often geographically dispersed, workforce will be critical to future talent strategies, as the office accelerates its role as the innovation hub of the work ecosystem.”

Forty-five percent of organizations consider collaboration to be one of the primary purposes of office space and 73% have planned or are planning to make all office spaces open and collaborative, with no dedicated desk spaces. Many companies are also investing in spaces that support new workforce priorities around health and wellbeing.

Environmental and social aspirations will shape future portfolio transformation

As organizations face ever increasing pressure to deliver clear outcomes in the race to net zero and create social value through real estate, 77% say investing in quality space is a priority. With green strategies having a direct impact on real estate decisions, 74% say they are likely to pay a premium for green credentials; further, more than half of occupiers (56%) plan to do so by 2025.

However, stakeholder aspirations are not solely environmental, with nearly 8 out of 10 companies saying their employees expect their workplaces to have a positive impact on society. This means increasing investment in social considerations will be equally as important as funding environmental objectives. With diversity, inclusion and wellbeing now falling high on the corporate agenda, companies are underpinning these objectives with further investment and resources. Seventy-nine percent of respondents agree that their organizations are acting today to make the workplace more inclusive and diverse for all employees.