- The demand for satellite offices is on the rise as employees ditch the 
traditional morning commute to city centres five days a week.

A study by global workplace creation experts, 
Unispace[https://www.unispace.com/], has found that employees' new working 
preferences have created an immediate need for firms to re-think their real 
estate footprint. Today, with over 60% of employees choosing to work remotely 
or in a hybrid way, rather than commute to city centres five days a week, 
employers should consider the use or addition of satellite offices to their 
portfolio.

According to the study of 3,000 office 
workers[https://www.unispace.com/the-reluctant-returner/download-english?hsCtaTr
acking=7ca34edb-918a-4efe-929b-7f1bedf15a25%7Cb63e261e-2a85-4a40-b075-b9ff4a8dd1
f2] across Europe, 79% of the workforce would be happier to return to the 
office if it was just five to 10 minutes away from their home, suggesting that 
satellite offices could be a solution to boost collaboration, socialisation, 
engagement and staff retention.

The publication – The Real Estate Dilemma: Is now the time to reduce your real 
estate 
footprint[https://www.unispace.com/reluctant-returner/realestatedilemma]  – 
reinforces the notion that hybrid working is the preferred arrangement for the 
majority of office workers, which will clearly impact strategic decisions 
around where office space is located and how buildings can best be utilised. At 
the time of the survey, just 26% of employees were working full-time in an 
office, and 13% were entirely home-based, with the majority (63%), working in a 
hybrid way. Just 27% said they would prefer to be completely office based in 
the future.

Businesses are certainly responding to the new working styles with the amount 
of abandoned office space in London now 
estimated[https://www.bigissue.com/news/empty-office-space-london-increasing-mea
nwhile-spaces/] to have reached 20.2 million square feet. However, Unispace's 
research indicates that abandoning the workplace isn't the best response, with 
over half (53%) of their sample saying working from home restrictions had made 
them value the office more and a further 77% indicating that it was easier to 
bond with, and get to know, colleagues in the office.

Employees are clearly looking to employers to curate their workplace 
experience, providing options based on the type of work or activity taking 
place on any given day. This could include satellite offices together with a 
destination workplace such as an HQ, which focuses on events, training and 
development, product launches, or hosting clients, alongside the required focus 
and collaboration spaces.

Lawrence Mohiuddine, CEO EMEA at Unispace comments:

"The advantages of working collectively shouldn't be underestimated. In a 
post-pandemic world, workers are craving the human contact that they may have 
taken for granted pre-Covid. With 79% of employees admitting they would be 
happier to return to the office if it was just five to 10 minutes from home, 
creating satellite offices to supplement an amenity-packed HQ could be a 
logical approach for firms seeking to meet the diverse needs of their people 
post-pandemic."

"Crucially, firms must look to understand not only the needs of their current 
employees, but also the composition of their future workforce and their 
distinct preferences, which we know differ from country to country and by 
numerous demographics such as life-stage, income and gender. By taking this 
approach, organisations can effectively optimise short and long-term real 
estate decisions.

About Unispace

A strategy, design, and construction leader creating people-centric spaces for 
a rapidly changing world. Unispace is a global firm that offers a unified team 
solution for creating spaces that spark brilliance, deepen connections, foster 
a sense of belonging and propel success. With 5,500 projects completed, a 
presence across 26 countries, and 600+ employees worldwide, Unispace creates 
spaces powered by collaborative client partnerships, delivered seamlessly 
across borders, and enabled by real-world insights.

Contact: Vickie Collinge, vickie@bluesky-pr.com, +44 (0)1582 790 705 

Source: Unispace