Office space requirement to shrink,thanks to technology:Survey -Governance Now

Office space requirement to shrink,thanks to technology:Survey

The study, titled, 'VWork - Measuring the benefits of agility at work', noted that only 7 per cent of the respondents predicted an increase in the space required.

PTI | June 2, 2011

The requirement of office space is expected to shrink substantially in the near future, thanks to the increased use of technologies by businesses worldwide.

According to a joint study by office space provider Regus and research firm Unwired, out of 600 executives surveyed around the world, nearly 60 per cent of respondents from large organisations predicted a decrease in the need for office space as a result of future work styles.

Innovative technologies such as video conferencing are making inter-personal, as well as business communications faster and easier.

The study, titled, 'VWork - Measuring the benefits of agility at work', noted that only 7 per cent of the respondents predicted an increase in the space required.

Moreover, over half of the respondents (51 per cent) indicated that the office will become a place for occasional use.

"As the utilisation of an office today is typically only 45 per cent, empty desks no longer make sense in a world where mobility and agility will become accepted by people as the most effective and sustainable way of working," Unwired CEO Philip Ross said.

The survey was done to highlight how companies are responding to agile working.

Besides, 71 per cent of those surveyed believe that younger workers and the generation still at school, will be more accepting of virtual working and reject the traditional office.

While working virtually is getting more importance, only 12 per cent of people surveyed would like to work from home.

"It will be critical for companies to find a new measure for the cost of 'provisioning work' that leaves behind the traditional approaches of rent and rates in a 'per square foot' fixed world," Ross added.

Interestingly, the majority of the large enterprises surveyed have already rolled out new ways of working and said they no longer struggle to work effectively outside the workplace.

Further, 79 per cent of respondents feel they have the right technology to be productive in their workplace and increasingly are being given technology enablers to be able to work from any location.

Comments

Other News

How the mind can help the body heal itself

Why do some people recover from illness against all odds? Can our beliefs, emotions and consciousness influence the body’s ability to heal? Drawing on over three decades of experience in medicine, research and medical innovation, internationally trained ophthalmologist and author Dr Dinesh Verma ex

1,364 anti-cancer formulations to cost less from today

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, has capped trade margins on the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of 137 anti-cancer drugs. This was based on the recommendations of an Expert Committee constitute

Who checks the books?

I read about the news about the Coimbatore library over coffee this morning. On the face of it, the headline was about a political ‘war’ between the DMK and TVK. But what stayed with me was something much more important than the blame game behind what had transpired. A writer walking through

Development paradox: Falling poverty miracle and an inequality problem

India’s reduction in poverty over the past decade is a development achievement of considerable significance. The World Bank’s April 2026 ‘India Development Update’ estimates that the share of Indians living below the international extreme-poverty line of $3.00 per person per day i

In Arunachal, a river we call mother

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Siang is not just a river. For many of us, especially the Adi people, it is part of our family. Our grandparents fished in it. Children learned to swim in it. Our farms drink from it. When someone says a huge dam will be built on it, we do not hear the word "project".

A new retelling of the Mahabharata delves into key moments

In a time when every decision carries consequences and questions of ambition, power, loyalty, identity and moral choice continue to shape our lives, Dr. Arun Krishnan’s new book, ‘Mahakshana’ (Penguin India) offers a strikingly relevant retelling of the Mahabharata.