Managing directors believe that the conditions for doing business in the next six months will be the same or better than now. Only 9% of people fear that it will get worse. This optimism translates into the belief that employees will return to their offices in mid-2021, according to the CBRE report "The Future of the Office Survey". Currently, companies are prevented from physically returning to their office space by the high number of cases in a given country, the risk of the virus spreading through the company, and the employees’ reluctance to return.
"Two conclusions can be drawn from our analysis of the mood of the managing directors surveyed. The first relates to the economic environment and the belief that the situation will not worsen. The second conclusion is a consequence of the first. Managing directors believe that the situation will not get worse, or may even improve and want to return to the business they know from before the pandemic. It is clear to everyone that it will not be the same, but at the same time we want to restore normality as much as possible. We miss full offices, face to face meetings and, provided the environment is favourable, managing directors will strive to restore the business they know within the framework, which the situation will allow", says Daniel Bienias, Managing Director of CBRE in Poland.
Longing for business as usual
The CBRE report "The Future of the Office Survey" shows that 48% of managing directors believe that the conditions for doing business in the next six months will be the same as today. 43% expect the situation to improve and 9% fear that it will get worse. Compared to the previous edition of the survey, the percentage of managing directors who are rather non-committal has increased significantly, and the percentage of managing directors who hope for improvement has decreased. Nevertheless, 67% of employers hope that all employees will return to their offices by mid-2021. A slightly less optimistic forecast is indicated by 34% of managing directors who say directly that they are not sure when it will be possible to bring employees back to work in the office. This group certainly includes those who know that not all employees will want to return to the office full-time.
"Business as usual, once the pandemic situation has normalized, will not be the same as what we have known so far. The popularization of remote working, accelerated automation of processes and the related adaptation to the new business environment mean that there is no escape from change. Companies understand this, but they also know that there are elements of the business reality worth coming back to. It is impossible to replace all meetings with remote ones, employees should be in contact with each other, and the robot will not take over all our duties. If all companies scrupulously approach the issue of safety, it will be possible to return to a reality similar to that before the pandemic. However, I am inclined to the fact that it is currently difficult to indicate when it will be possible", says Daniel Bienias.
Safety first
The top three concerns that currently prevent companies from the full return of employees to their offices are: the high number of cases in a given country (86%), the risk of the virus spreading through the company (83%) and the reluctance of employees to return (70%). Employers also need to take into account the situation of employees related to e.g. caring for children who learn remotely (58%).
Nevertheless, companies already know what they must do to ensure that employees can return to their offices safely. In the first place, managing directors indicate access to disinfectants (99%), then the need to cover the mouth and nose (95%), minimizing the reception of guests (93%), measuring temperature (93%) and changing the office layout in such a way to increase the space between desks (92%).
