Long-term leases cited as the biggest barrier to adopting a hybrid workplace model

A survey of UK business leaders and C-suite executives has found that many businesses may have to wait to adopt a hybrid working model because of being locked into a long-term lease.

This key finding in a survey that forms part of a new white paper published by flexspace operator, Clarendon, suggests that while hybrid work is being lauded as the solution to the post-pandemic workplace, it may not be easy for many companies to make an immediate switch.

Other notable barriers to hybrid working were a lack of experience with flexspace and worries about losing company culture. The survey also asked respondents about their workplace priorities, with employee wellbeing, financial security / reduced financial risk, and talent attraction and retention being the top three.

Corporate real estate leaders have the unenviable task of devising a strategy that meets the needs of the business and its employees, which don’t always align. That may include having office space in both a city centre and a regional location. A decentralised future: Is flexspace the answer? explores key themes around remote work, employee wellbeing and the rise of decentralised workplaces.

The paper includes an in-depth Q&A with Piers Barttelot, a Corporate Real Estate Executive. He notes that: “It seems like most organisations will adopt a hybrid approach” and that the pandemic has “made flexspace providers go back to one of their traditional tenets, which is ultimate flexibility.”

Julian Cooper, Managing Director at Clarendon, commented: “The last year has demonstrated that a lot of people can work from home, but also that the office certainly has a big part to play in a healthy and productive workplace. Flexspace will be essential for businesses looking to adopt a new workplace model thanks to the agility it offers with finances, location and scalability. The switch to hybrid will be a gradual one as businesses need to plan for an overcome various barriers.”