Office Space Trends To Watch In the Second Half of 2024

Disruption has been the primary theme dominating work and office space trends thus far in 2024. Ongoing inflation, return-to-office mandates, the upcoming presidential election, and an increased focus on work-life balance all have had a significant impact on how and where people work so far in 2024.

In the second half of 2024, all of the above trends are likely to continue with some notable nuances and additions. Offering flexible work and office space options will remain a top priority in employee recruitment and retention efforts during the second half of the year. You also can expect to see many enterprise level organizations and businesses shrink their company-owned workplaces over the next six month period as hybrid and remote work arrangements remain highly popular with workers.

If you’re in a leadership position, you’re no doubt looking for guidance on what workplace and office trends are likely to shape the remainder of 2024 as we enter the second half of the year. In this blog, we highlight the top office space trends that are poised to have an outsized impact on medium- and large-sized businesses like yours in Q3, Q4, and beyond.

Flexible Work Options Reign Supreme

According to data released by respected talent solutions firm Robert Half, a notable 62% of workers report they’d choose a job with flexible work options over a higher-paying position with inflexible in-office requirements. For companies like yours, that means that maintaining or expanding your employees’ access to flexible office spaces can be a major competitive advantage during the second half of 2024.

The good news is that flexible office spaces already exist and abound in the form of coworking spaces and coworking centers. Most coworking centers typically feature a variety of workspace options. These include private offices, custom suites, desks in shared coworking space, day offices, virtual offices, and meeting rooms.

What differentiates flexible office spaces from traditional office spaces is that flex office spaces may be leased for a short period of time — by the day or hour — or for longer periods of time. This flexibility ensures that your organization is never paying for unused office space while allowing your company to offer versatile workspace options to employees. Flexible office spaces notably may be used to support fully remote, hybrid, and in-person work arrangements, as well as flex schedules and job-sharing.

Inclusive Office Design: Meeting the Needs of a Diverse Workforce

Another office space trend that is likely to gain considerable traction in the latter half of the year is inclusive office design, which caters to the differing and diverse needs of employees. Inclusive office design accommodates a multitude of work styles, abilities, and mental health needs. Also sometimes referred to as universal design, inclusive office design entails creating workspaces where everyone’s needs are met so that team members feel comfortable and supported to do their best work.

Inclusive office design includes providing adjustable, ergonomic furnishings, and a variety of workspace options and layouts to meet team members’ physical and sensory needs. Elements such as lighting, acoustics, and building materials are chosen not solely based on cost or aesthetics but instead are chosen for their impact on the workers using the spaces. Inclusive office spaces are welcoming and usable for everyone with the goal of creating an environment where all team members can thrive.

An office designed with inclusion in mind can boost employees’ connectedness to your company, increase innovation, and promote deeper collaboration among team members. Choosing office spaces that are designed to support diverse preferences and needs also may increase productivity and efficiency across your organization while reducing employee attrition and your spend on talent recruitment.

Workplaces Shrinking, Elevating Amenities and Services

Investments in and leases of traditional office spaces are expected to decline in the second half of 2024. According to real estate services provider CBRE, 62% of companies already have reduced their office space footprints significantly since 2020. The same CBRE report finds that the average space per employee shrank by 22% during 2023 alone.

The popularity of hybrid and remote work is the primary driving force in the traditional office space shrink that is likely to continue in the latter half of 2024. Data from Pew Research Center indicates that approximately 14% of all U.S. professionals work from home all the time and 41% work remotely at least part of the time. As a result, the office space needs of enterprise organizations like yours are changing and becoming increasingly complex.

At the same time, many companies instead are choosing premium office locations in high-end, easy to access locations that are equipped with state-of-the-art technology and modern amenities and services. These include on-site cafés, gyms, quiet rooms, cafeterias and kitchens stocked with healthy food, high-tech meeting rooms, outdoor spaces, and on-site support. Elevating the workplace experience creates attractive work environments for current and prospective employees at a time when remote and hybrid work are more appealing than ever.

More Collaborative Spaces

If you’re like most businesses, at least a portion of your workforce likely works remotely at least part-time. When these team members are in the office with colleagues and supervisors, they’re likely working on projects and tasks that require collaboration, team work, and face-to-face interactions.

Traditional workplaces with rows of cubicles and partitioned desks often aren’t designed with collaboration and project-based work in mind. However, now that the hybrid work model is the option preferred by most U.S. workers, many enterprise organizations are choosing workspaces that feature collaborative spaces such breakout rooms, lounges, cafés, casual seating areas, meeting rooms, and fully-equipped kitchens.

The goal of having these additional collaboration spaces available to team members is to promote team work, enhance communication among employees, and help team members connect while they are in the same physical space. An added benefit is that these collaborative spaces also may be used by employees who do their best work not at a cubicle or traditional desk but in a more casual or relaxed space such as a café, breakout room, or outdoor patio.

Key Takeaways: Office Space Trends To Watch In the Second Half of 2024

• Workers’ desires for flexible work options will drive enterprise organizations to further embrace flex office spaces over traditional office space rentals or real estate purchases.
• Inclusive office design, which accommodates the differing and diverse workspace needs of employees, will likely gain traction in Q3 and Q4.
• Most companies will shrink their traditional office space footprint in the latter half of 2024 while instead seeking premium office locations that feature state-of-the-art technology and employee-focused amenities and services.
• Access to collaborative workspaces will become increasingly important, especially to companies with a hybrid workforce.

Contact us to learn more about how Preferred can help your organization navigate and integrate these office space trends into your strategic planning processes.

Explore Flexible Office Space: Your Secret Weapon for Creating a Successful Return-to-Work Strategy.