Wihlborgs releases new AI report about tomorrow’s office – expectations rising

3/9/2022 8:30 AM

From a focus on home offices, ergonomics and longing for social company during 2020, the first year of the pandemic, the conversation has shifted to handling the possibility of hybrid working and about the office as a place.

The approach to the study Kontoret i ny tappning (The Office in a new guise), with a large amount of data analysed with the help of AI, it is possible to analyse new underlying flows and tendencies, or remaining trends, that we do not always communicate openly. One such conclusion that we have been able to draw is that more people are connecting their work situation to wellness in general.

The shift in conversation means that expectations for the office have increased, according to Ulrika Hallengren, CEO of Wihlborgs:

“Hybrid solutions are here to stay, which sets higher requirements on leadership, organisation and technological prerequisites. It puts the function of the office in an entirely new light. Workplaces are expected to be even more attractive and designed as meeting places for innovation and development. It’s become an important part of employers’ brands.”

The study also shows that companies are increasingly aware of employees’ new expectations and that changes are being made to create more room for individual needs. However, there is a difference between what flexibility means in practice for companies and for employees. 

“There is no universal solution that all organisations can apply. Instead, they need to create them based on the goals that the company wants to achieve through its operations. Otherwise, flexibility can easily become rules that have the opposite of the intended effect and lead to fewer opportunities for employees.”

Ulrika Hallengren sees a lot of opportunities for companies and other organisations to reconsider their approach to the office:

“Those who can find the key to flexible hybrid solutions will also become attractive employers. They’ll also have more opportunities – for example being able to expand their recruitment pool geographically.

“We’re also noticing that many of our customers are taking the opportunity to upgrade their premises according to new needs. They’ve done their homework and are deliberately designing their premises to strengthen their brands and corporate cultures. For example, they have an increased interest in sustainable solutions or reusing fittings and furniture as ways of expressing their sustainability goals visually.” 
 

About the study

The study Kontoret i ny tappning (The Office in a new guise) is a follow-up to the first study, Kontorsmarknad i förändring (A Changing office market), presented in 2021, which was based on 5,300 responses from individuals and 4,400 responses from companies via social media as well as one million Google searches. The new study investigates how digital conversations on social media and our search histories have changed according to three time periods over the course of two years: 2019/2020 (pre-pandemic), March to October 2020 (outbreak of the pandemic) and March to October 2021 (when hope of a return to normal started to spread).

Wihlborgs Fastigheter AB (publ)

Wihlborgs Fastigheter AB (publ) is a property company that focuses on commercial properties in the Öresund region. Its property portfolio is located in Malmö, Helsingborg, Lund and Copenhagen.In Malmö, Lund and Helsingborg, Wihlborgs is the leading property company. The book value of the company’s properties totals SEK 50 billion, representing an annual property rental value of SEK 3.5 billion. Wihlborgs’ shares are listed on the Large Cap List of Nasdaq Stockholm.