Step Into My Office: CBRE’s Take on Rethinking Office Space and the Future of Flexibility

Commercial Property Executive

Over the past couple of years, landlords and companies have been reevaluating their office space needs. Many have resized their portfolios and adapted to the need for more flexibility in office settings. Although return-to-office strategies are widely reinforced, there’s still a gap between actual attendance and these policies.

While some regions and industries register higher office return rates, CBRE’s Head of Occupier Research Julie Whelan noted a 25 percent decrease in average lease sizes and a 9 percent reduction in space per worker across the country. Despite these changes, leasing activity and space utilization have plateaued, leading to a higher possibility of market stabilization in 2025.

In this episode of CPE’s Step Into My Office podcast series, Whelan joins Associate Editor Olivia Bunescu to discuss the future of the office market and the factors that will influence hit performance in the upcoming year. She also highlights the importance of adopting flexibility across your portfolio and some barriers and trends shaping the future of work and the traditional office as we know it today.

Here are the main topics they discussed:

• The hybrid work revolution: where are we now? (1:55)
• Regional and industry differences driving office utilization (04:09)
• Bridging the gap between attendance policies and actual practice (08:33)
• Strategies for integrating flex solutions into traditional office settings (11:10)
• Lack of experience remains a barrier to the wider adoption of flex office models (15:08)
• Defining success in office and flex office portfolios (20:09)
• Where technology comes into play (24:50)
• Other trends shaping the sectors (27:39)
• Will the office market stabilize in 2025? (30:06)