(Essen, 27 May 2020 [27.05.2020]). A customer survey by Brockhoff & Partner, the leading commercial property agency in the Ruhr region, found that most companies, especially large corporations, are considering reducing office space through home-working arrangements. Employees do not necessarily support this. They value social contact in their familiar offices and do not want to take out the household rubbish between conference calls just to keep the peace at home.

In recent weeks, many office employees have worked from home to help contain the spread of Covid-19. With schools and childcare centres closed, this was and remains the only way for many families to care for their children while continuing to work.

A survey of Brockhoff & Partner’s business contacts found that most employees do not want this to become a permanent arrangement.

One reason is that they value social contact and a familiar office environment. Another is that many employees’ homes are not suitable for long-term remote work. Working from home can be more stressful because many people lack a separate study with proper office equipment. Neck and back pain, for example from working at the kitchen table, is very common. Slow internet can also delay or disrupt work.

The family’s daily routine can also feel like a burden. It can be difficult or impossible to clearly separate work and family time. “You cannot expect children to keep quiet all the time when their mother or father has to work in the living room or kitchen. At the same time, couples catch themselves expecting their partner to ‘just take out the rubbish’ or ‘just empty the dishwasher’. After all, they are at home all day,” says Eckhard Brockhoff, Managing Partner of Brockhoff & Partner, describing the survey results. Employees see returning to the office as a relief and a welcome change from their own four walls.

Companies, on the other hand, can readily imagine permanent home-working arrangements for their employees as a way to cut costs. This is particularly appealing in cities such as Munich and Frankfurt, where office rents are extremely high, especially for large corporations. In cities with moderate rents, such as the Ruhr region, the issue is discussed far less.

“This is reflected in our latest space enquiries. So far, we have not had a single client reduce its space requirements,” Brockhoff says, describing his current experience in office agency.

_______________________________________

BROCKHOFF OFFICE is the office-letting division of Brockhoff & Partner Immobilien GmbH, founded in 1987. Based in Essen, the company is Germany’s largest local commercial property agency and the leading real estate firm in the Ruhr region.