As Teleworking Increases, Companies Need to Adjust

NEW YORK—Almost half of the American workforce toils remotely, according to an analysis that GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com conducted using the US Census Bureau’s 2005-2017 American Community Survey.

Even more people want to telework. While about 40% of the American workforce works remotely at least on occasion, 80% to 90% of the US workforce says they would like to telework at least part-time. “Part of this is driven by changing demographics, with millennials now the largest generation in the workforce,” says Aaron Block, co-author with Zach Aarons of PropTech 101: Turning Chaos into Cash Through Real Estate Innovation. “Millennials are the architects of the so-called sharing economy, and they are fine with spending their workdays in coffee shops or co-working spaces.”

Right now, 50% of the US workforce holds a job that is compatible with at least partial telework, according to GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com.

“You have to look at telecommuting along the spectrum of trends that are already happening,” says Aarons, co-founder and partner at MetaProp. “It’s like the idea of hoteling or hot desking. You’re in the office some of the time and you use the time [in the office] to have meetings and interact with people.”

While teleworking is increasing among workers, Aarons says there is real value to going into the office, at least part of the time.

“When you are in an office, you get that contact that you can never get telecommuting with the extemporaneous interaction with co-workers that leads to all the creativity and innovation so many studies refer to,” Aarons says. “And with the proliferation of autonomous vehicles and video technology, like Zoom, telecommuting will become even more prevalent but the idea you’re never going to the office is not accurate. Going to an office can work but perhaps not for all the reasons it used to.”

Aarons says the rise of telecommuting affects how much office space a company needs and the layout of that space. He says the ideal situation is to have a natural flow of some people hoteling and some people using phone booths.

For inspiration, companies can look to tech-enabled firms, such as WeWork, Convene and TechSpace. These companies also allow workers, whether freelancers or a member of a large team, to book workspace through apps.

Block says these companies are not only changing the way office space is leased, managed and configured, but also how it is conceptualized. With workers spending more of their time at home or in coffee shops, sharing conference rooms, kitchens and other facilities with multiple businesses may make sense for some companies.

“There was a big shift to the open plan office but that doesn’t work for most.” Aarons says. “What works is an open plan with some conference rooms with a phone booth with a third space, and a coffee shop and a gym. It is all about having flexibility without spending too much money.”