Hybrid Working :: Work from home, meet in the office

by Volker Weber

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Yesterday I attended a virtual press event organized by Poly. Here is a condensed infographic which links to the full report at the end.

I have been nodding a lot through the conversation. It has validated a few things I have been thinking for a while. Work is less about being somewhere and more about what you actually do. Offices will have fewer desks and more meeting spaces. Offices will be less centralized, so there will be less need to travel.

This is a transition that had already begun for some companies, Microsoft being a good example. COVID-19 has just accelerated the pace from years to months.

The biggest changes will be in real estate. When fewer people go into office towers, ground floor space sees less foot travel and becomes less valuable.

Companies like Poly see a lot more demand for their products which facilitate remote working, teleconferencing and meetings in general.

Comments

So, once office space is no longer the primary market driver in the inner city, maybe living downtown will become affordable again? That, and the changes wanted/needed to the "car society" may transform our inner city to some more habitable zones again. Streams, crossing :)

Andreas Schoedl, 2020-07-22

Lots of changes. If landlords keep rent up for those store fronts, businesses will give up and spaces will be empty until prices come down. This can start a new cycle. People will be able to apply for jobs further away and demand for inner city living may drop.

So far, German thinking is that big Diesel cars need to be replaced by big hybrid cars or EVs where they really need to be replaced by bicycles.

Volker Weber, 2020-07-22

+1 Volker

Moritz Petersen, 2020-07-22

@Volker: Agree on the notion in Germany (and elsewhere) about cars. We need to rethink our daily commutes. Whenever possible bicycles are indeed the best solution for our cities, the environment, the reduction of noise and air pollution, our health, prevention of flues, overweight, etc. Yet, I still remember how everyone laughed at me in my law firm when I bicycled to work as a young attorney some twenty odd years ago whilst my colleagues were proudly stuck in traffic in their S-classes, 911s and A4s every morning. They thought I was mad, even more so when I chose a Smart to go to court using car sharing services. I guess this hasn't changed much in recent years.

Jochen Kattoll, 2020-07-23

DISCLAIMER: Of course we own a big hybrid SUV ourselves ... In our defense, it's the only car in the family, the kids are really tall, the electricity is 100% made from renewable energy, the purchase price was subsidized, and the 4x4 comes in handy in a country with long winters and lots of snow.

Jochen Kattoll, 2020-07-23

+1 Volker

Nils Michael Becker, 2020-07-23

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