Metropolitan Areas Office Demand Survey 2016 New Ways of Working and Office
Ways of working changed. Alternative workspaces are becoming popular.
Keeping workers and improving productivity are urgent matters facing companies in Japan; labor shortage from the aging population and decline in working-age population is a nationwide problem. More companies are starting to allow employees to be flexible on where and when they work. If this trend goes on, it will impact the office space demand. For example, not only the required size of office but also the preferred location and the way of using the office space will be different in the future.
Xymax Real Estate Institute started a regular survey on the use of office space and ways of how people work. Based on the survey, we examine the impact of the trends on the office space demand. The study of new ways of working and alternative workspaces from our first survey is covered in this report. For the office demand trend part, please read the other report released on January 12, 2017.
Summary of Survey Results: New Ways of Working and Office
Initiatives on New Ways of Working (Page 2 – Page 5)
Companies that hire more are more positive. Different industries take different approaches.Figures 2 and 3
More than half of the companies made mobile working available for employees.
Large companies with more employees are more positive in allowing different ways of working.
Mobile working is popular in manufacturers while hot-desking offices and work-from-home programs are popular in telecommunication industry.
Top management took the initiative (62%).
New ways of working were started aiming to improve productivity (65%).
Alternative Workspaces Year-on-Year Change (Page 6 – Page 7)
Largest progress over the year was work-from-home program (7.0%). Use of mobile-work office (not the main office, not the home) started in the past year (4.4%). Different workspaces are becoming more available.Figures 6
There are not only traditional personal desk areas but also refresh spaces and hot-desking areas.
Companies showed intention to have strategies that allow employees to work away from the main office such as working from home or use of mobile-work office.Figure 9
Office Strategy – Concerns (Page 10)
Cost-control related matters dominated the top concerns. Companies worry that improving the office is costly and its cost efficiency is unclear.Figure 11
