Another week, another ‘Wave’ ??

5 news items from the world of work and workplace that you can digest in 5 minutes.

This week:

1. Companies still want offices but to stay nimble
2. Facilities Management “on the edge of a cliff”
3. Hybrid work is essential for female employees & attracting female talent

Nimble Leases: Companies still want office space, but they also want to stay nimble, reports Bisnow . 52% of companies said they are planning new satellite locations, while 28% are looking to downsize existing spaces. Satellite locations offer one approach to workplace flexibility, along with hybrid work arrangements and shared workspaces. 46% of respondents said shared desks or offices provide the best office working environment, and 99% said it’s important for their company to reduce their carbon footprint. “Companies are changing how they view their real estate and equipment leases. Once a widely overlooked area of the business, lease portfolios are now helping companies remain agile,” said Visual Lease CEO, Robert Michlewicz . Read Full Article.

FM on the Edge: The Facilities Management profession is “on the edge of a cliff" as office space is slowly becoming obsolete, according to Facilitate Magazine . Research by Leesman , which measures and analyzes the experiences of employees in their places of work, showed 41% of workers chose to come into the office one day a week or less. Tim Oldman , Founder & CEO told attendees at the Workplace Futures Group conference in London: “One day a week or less in the office means big things. Big change is about to happen. 40% less people in offices means at the very least – 40% less offices. 40% less real estate. 40% fewer cleaners, janitors, kitchen staff, you name it. The Facilities Management industry is on the edge of a cliff because people don’t need the space.” Read Full Article.

5 New Ways of Hybrid: As the dust settles post-pandemic, the future of work is becoming clearer. According to the Future of Work: 2030 Vision Report, 60% of IT and CX professionals believe the workplace will predominantly be hybrid by 2030. City AM shares some of the latest hybrid working trends that seem to be here to stay: Thursday is the new Friday, output over hours (no longer fixating on clocking in and clocking out), a bigger focus on wellbeing, and culture building trends like “spike” or “focus” weeks, where everyone comes together to strategise or work on big projects. Read Full Article.

Women Want Hybrid: Hybrid work is essential for female employees and attracting fresh female talent, reports Property Wheel . “Firms need to consider the balance between the ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors that affect women’s willingness to stay in their roles. Key among pull factors is a clear, effective hybrid working policy,” said Fatima K. , Group Chief Commercial Officer at International Workplace Group plc . “Hybrid working is especially important for women, who still shoulder more domestic responsibilities than men. It makes a vital difference in my life: I am empowered to co-parent my daughter, take good care of myself and progress in my career – priorities that would be far more difficult to manage successfully if I were traveling back and forth to a central office every day. IWG’s Women in the Workplace report makes clear that young women are highly ambitious but not prepared to sacrifice their wellbeing to advance at work." Read Full Article.

What Balance Means: What does work-life balance mean in a changed work world? In a 2022 Forbes Health survey, the only thing that rivaled financial stability was work-life balance, with 90% calling it “an important aspect of their work”. “It became quite ideological, this idea that, being busy, being constantly available makes you a really good professional,” said Ioana Lupu , Associate Professor at ESSEC Business School . But today workers are defining what actually constitutes ‘balance’, rather than their companies. “If work intrudes on your family life – on your non-work time – why shouldn’t the opposite be OK? There’s this shift in the mindset, realizing that they can and should take more time for themselves, and use the flexibility in both ways.”?Read Full Article.