As people return to work in Prague, interest in office spaces will not reach pre-COVID levels, according to a survey by Savills. The survey found that occupancy of offices in the Czech capital has risen by 16% to 54% from June 2020 to February 2021, but this is still far from the pre-pandemic level of 70%. The survey also found that the increase in occupancy was the highest among European capital cities. Representatives from Scott.Weber Workspace and CBRE companies noted that a hybrid work model, which divides work between the office and home, is becoming more common.

Filip Muška from CBRE believes that regular meetings in the office have advantages for a healthy company, but setting limits on office work may cause problems. The manner of enforcement, such as setting limits on three or more days of office work per week, can make some employees feel misunderstood or lose their freedom. Adam Zvada, owner of Scott.Weber Workspace, said that a hybrid work model is standard and that more and more companies realize its benefits.

According to studies, interest in flexible offices and coworking centers will triple by 2030, said Zvada. Managing hybrid working teams puts demands primarily on managers, and the next few months will be about finding balance, according to Muška. He estimated that for most companies, the hybrid work model will stabilize at 50% of the time in the office and 50% of the time working from home or elsewhere.

Daily office visits are highest in Prague from Monday to Wednesday, at 56-57%, and drop to 54% on Thursday and 49% on Friday. However, this is still higher than the European average on Friday, which is around 45% occupancy, according to Savills’ survey. Pavel Novák from Savills CZ&SK noted that the lower occupancy rate of offices naturally favors operators of serviced offices, who offer offices based on the actual use of workspace.

Article by Prague Forum