CBRE’s new research titled “Korea’s The Future Is Flexible: The Evolution of Work and The Office in Korea” has identified how the pandemic has shaped the workspace industry.

The findings reveal that there is an increase in demand for flexible workspaces, remote working and activity-based working environments. However, CBRE adds that in order for flexible offices to be successful moving forward, they will need to reconfigure their layouts to accommodate physical distancing and sanitation protocols.

“In the future, companies will need to rethink the balance between office work and remote work considering what the office does for efficiency as well as take into account the recent trend of using the office as a means of corporate branding and collaboration,” said Don Lim, Managing Director of CBRE.

According to an interview conducted with four large coworking firms by CBRE Research, the companies saw that the pandemic actually had little impact on business. In fact, the firm revealed that H1 2020 saw an increase in leasing and membership inquiries looking for short-term workspaces as a result of the pandemic.

“As more companies review the efficiency of space with implementation of remote work, it will lead to changes in the size, role and features of the office,” said Claire Choi, Head of Research at CBRE Korea.