By June of 2020, it was estimated that 42% of the U.S. workforce was working from home on a full-time basis. As we slowly transition into the post-pandemic era, the impact these new work arrangements will have on real estate will need to be addressed.

“Figuring out who will work from home and who will require actual office space, which offices to prune and which to keep, how they will be configured and shared, and precisely where they should be sited,” said Professor Richard Florida in the Harvard Business Review.

Planning these strategies is underway, but what can we expect from the workplace in 2022?

For starters, workplace arrangements will likely fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. The hybrid model has gained traction in popularity in recent months as research shows that employees want more options in their work environment.

And it seems that leaders are taking note. A Colliers International survey showed that 86% of decision-makers are allowing employees to work from home one to four days each week.

This means that offices are not going anywhere, but they will serve a new purpose in the future. Moving forward, it is expected that the office will become more of a corporate center meant for collaboration and connection.

As a result, workspaces will expand beyond a single location — they will become an ecosystem of offices comprising homes, coworking spaces and more, spread across various regions.