Like all businesses, the commercial real estate industry experienced a significant shock in 2020. Suddenly the world started working from kitchen tables, beds and sofas. With the realisation that home working on a larger scale could be viable on a long-term basis, much has been written about the future of the workplace and ways of working. Some predicted COVID would be the death of the office; that no one would want to return to the commute and that work-life balance had finally been achieved.
But as time wore on and the novelty wore off, the highs of the beginning of lockdown turned to lows for many. Opportunities to socialise were missed and boredom from being within the same four walls set in, particularly during the long winter months. Our mental health suffered as we realised that remote working blurred the boundaries between office and home, and that we were actually working longer hours.
In our ‘CRE - Our industry today, tomorrow & beyond’ report I look at how management must change to avoid the pitfalls of remote working.
