What to Expect from Office TECHNOLOGIES

7 in 10 companies plan to invest more in technology in their offices

According to the CBRE report “EMEA Occupier Survey 2019,” as many as 70% of companies plan to invest more in office technologies over the next 3 years. This is an increase of 8 percentage points compared to last year. In addition, as many as 83% of companies expect the importance of artificial intelligence and robotization in the workplace to grow. CBRE experts point out that new solutions will be increasingly tailored to employees’ needs. Automatic sensors in offices will be replaced by navigation apps for users, and building management will be based on the needs they report.

– The most important elements whose personalization in the office will be ensured by new technologies include, among others, temperature and the type of lighting – its intensity and color. In addition, companies can offer the ability to decide on one’s own workstation; for example, some people like to work standing for a while, which of course requires appropriate furniture. Personalization also includes access to various communication channels, services, amenities, and locations, such as proximity to friends. One of the more interesting value-added features provided by technology is so-called wayfinding, meaning the ability to find available meeting rooms or services – says Mikołaj Sznajder, director of the office space department at CBRE.

Employees want to decide

The planned increase in spending on new technologies in offices is linked to other indicators confirming greater openness to such improvements. For example, 30% of companies already pay attention to them when deciding on a headquarters lease, while only a year ago it was just 16%.

Decision-makers like flexibility

Flexibility instead of price

Compared to last year, the cost of rent is of key importance to fewer companies – a decline from 91% to 86%. The same is true for floor layout – a decline from 54% to 51%. A major change, by as much as 7 percentage points, occurred in the perception of the importance of location and transport. Last year it was a key element for 81% of companies, and now for 74%. At the same time, lease options are clearly much more important to tenants – their importance more than doubled, from 27% to 61%. According to CBRE experts, this is the result of more companies wanting the option to conclude flexible agreements that, if necessary, allow them to modify the space and adapt it to the stage the company is at. This means, among other things, the ability to expand or reduce leased space, shorten the lease term, and renegotiate rent.

It is not finances that keep entrepreneurs awake at night

Talent shortage is a challenge

Office technologies: personalization and flexibility in the modern office

Compared with 2018, the number of companies for which finding suitably qualified employees is the greatest challenge has doubled – according to the CBRE report “EMEA Occupier Survey 2019.” In the previous year, this problem kept 17% of entrepreneurs awake at night, and now it is as much as double that – 34%.

– Breakthrough technologies, economic uncertainty, and rising costs remain key challenges for employers. However, more than one third of companies see labor and skills shortages as a key strategic challenge, which doubles last year’s result. This applies in particular to skilled people with specific abilities that companies need. This is one of the reasons why employers are increasingly focusing their attention on new technologies that allow them to stand out in the labor market, as well as on artificial intelligence - says Mikołaj Sznajder from CBRE.

The full version of the CBRE report “EMEA Occupier Survey 2019” is available here.

Summary

The CBRE report “EMEA Occupier Survey 2019” shows that 70% of companies will increase spending on office technologies within 3 years, and 83% expect the role of artificial intelligence and robotization to grow. Personalization of the work environment is becoming increasingly important — from lighting to workstation choice, including wayfinding solutions. Tenants’ priorities are also changing: the importance of flexible lease options has more than doubled (from 27% to 61%), while cost and location are losing importance. The biggest challenge for 34% of companies is finding qualified employees — twice as many as a year earlier. Technologies are meant to help employers stand out in the labor market.