Flexible Office Trends in Professional Services 2022

Expectations for Increased Use of Flexible Office Space

U.S. professional services companies expect to double their use of flexible office space by 2024, with the biggest adopters planning a fivefold increase.

Figure 2

Source: CBRE Agile Practice, 2022.

Popular Flexible Office Solutions

Enterprise space is the most popular flexible office solution.

Most respondents chose a combination of different products to suit their needs. The most common combinations are:

• Enterprise Spaces + Suites
• Enterprise Spaces + On Demand

Figure 3

Source: CBRE Agile Practice, 2022.

Why Use Flexible Office Solutions

Flexible office space is used mainly to accommodate an evolving workforce and to reduce capital expenditure.

Professional services companies see the most value in using flexible office space to accommodate remote workers, avoid capex spend and bridge the gap between long-term solutions.

Figure 4

Source: CBRE Agile Practice, 2022.

Challenges of Flexible Office Space Adoption

Cultural fit is the biggest challenge for professional services companies when using flexible office space.

Cultural fit, space availability and IT security issues were cited by nearly all the respondents as the biggest obstacles to a broader adoption of flexible office space.

Most companies are accommodating VPN access in flexible office space for employees who are not prohibited from using such systems due to regulatory restrictions. This approach is similar to how they provide remote network access for employees working from home.

For larger footprints, companies require rights to install their own IT network.

Figure 5

Source: CBRE Agile Practice, 2022.