Hybrid Workplaces Need to Adopt Technology Faster Than They Have

The office sector of CRE has some big challenges. How many people will ultimately return to work in a company’s facilities? How much work will happen at home or at satellite locations? How will companies coordinate it all?

According to a new study from JLL based on surveys of more than 1,000 decision makers around the globe, companies will need to find answers. “55% of office-based employees globally have already adopted a hybrid working pattern, while 77% of CRE leaders in our recent Future of Work survey say flexibility is key to attracting and retaining staff,” the company wrote. “The shift to hybrid will demand a much greater reliance on technology. Organizations that empower their workforce and support flexibility with the right tools will reap the greatest long-term benefits.”

According to the survey, 66% of people work at home at least once a week, 73% are in the office once a week, and 36% are in a so-called third place, like a satellite flex facility or even a café.

JLL points to 15 “anchor technologies” for hybrid work that run from the expected to the exotic. Some include remote-working, in-office collaboration, touchless access, coworking and flex space management, occupancy and environmental sensors, portfolio data analysis, health and well-being solutions, virtual reality immersive meetings, and robotics for cleaning, maintenance, and security.

Even remote-working technology, which after the last few years would seem obvious, is in-place at less than have the corporations represented in the survey, although within three years that’s supposed to jump to 90%. The gaps all up and down the list are wide, and only CRE data warehouses, workplace experience apps, in-office collaboration, and remote-working are above 30% penetration. At the bottom of the list are robotics, VR meetings, and smart contracts, the last referring to a blockchain concept. All are below 20% current adoption.

JLL reports that companies are bullish on where things will go. “By 2025, 78% of companies plan to incorporate over 10 of 15 technologies identified as anchors for hybrid work transformation,” the company writes. But that is only three years away and on average, companies have adopted only four. Technology typically takes longer for truly broad adoption. This may be a case where executives say what their companies plan but aren’t realistic about the obstacles and distractions.