The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic forced many companies to transition most of their staff to remote work. This shift took several days, while a complete return to the office will take at least a few weeks. According to a survey conducted by Axi Immo, among office occupiers, fewer than 20 percent of respondents had a policy of remote working for any part of their staff before the pandemic. The situation changed radically as a result of the lockdown – 73 percent of the companies surveyed by Axi Immo declared that more than 90 percent of their employees are currently working from home. Meanwhile, 57 percent of respondents stated that they are planning to negotiate rental holidays or rent reductions. “The economic slowdown is causing a shift in companies’ attitude towards the cost of office space. Increased financial discipline may result in less emphasis on creating attractive working environments aimed at attracting and retaining talent, with spending on fit-outs likely to drop. We expect a high number of renegotiations and relocations, with the latter focussed on cost cutting,” said Martin Lipiński, head of the office agency at Axi Immo. “This may increase the attractiveness of offices in non-central locations, such as Warsaw’s Mokotów district.”
