JLL’s latest Global Future of Work Survey has found that most organizations are set to retain a sharp focus on workplace efficiency and increased utilization of office space over the next five years — making smarter and more responsible use of their real estate portfolio. More than 60% of respondents said they are ready to explore a wide range of possibilities to achieve this.

The 2024 global survey of decision makers found that, in an increasingly complex, ambiguous and dynamic environment, companies are adopting a cautiously positive outlook.

Many are planning to increase and rebalance organizational headcount in the coming years and are ready to invest in their real estate, expecting to increase both their budget and footprint. In fact, more than half of respondents expect their total footprint to increase over the next five years.

According to survey respondents, the biggest constraint on operations is the difficulty to think long-term given the fast-changing and dynamic environment. Maintaining momentum on their sustainability commitments is another major challenge.

The survey showed that CRE professionals are also having to constantly adapt to major changes to the way people work — including shifting and dynamic work patterns, and the resulting impact of this on workplace expectations and talent demands.

The survey highlighted several factors which are driving the need for change:

• A desire to increase and rebalance organizational headcount, in an attempt to recruit the right talent and skills to be future-ready;
• A strong focus on organizational efficiency that requires smarter long-term investment decisions;
• Competing visions of ‘how work should be done’ to achieve the best performance — often coexisting within the same organization;
• A requirement to transform workplaces for the future, including the need to consider how space design can support the coexistence of different workstyles within the same workplace — while still maintaining an acute focus on efficiency and costs;
• An attempt from ‘Office advocates’ to promote equal work practices among their workforce and to design more inclusive workplaces;
• The recognition that flexibility in workstyles is the best way to strengthen organizational performance among ‘Hybrid adopters’.

According to the JLL research, some 44% of organizations can now be characterized as ‘Office advocates’ who would like to see staff in the office five days a week. The remaining 56% have a preference for the hybrid model and are operating a range of strategies — from fully remote to at least three days a week in the office.

The survey showed that ‘Hybrid adopters’ are more likely to be large organizations of 10,000+ employees and based in EMEA, where hybrid workstyles are now considered a key component of the Employee Value Proposition.

Hybrid also appeals to certain types of organization, such as those in e-commerce, energy & renewables, technology, and life sciences. JLL observed these are all new economy, knowledge-based industries where staff attraction and retention are crucial to success in high-growth sectors.

# # # #