UK Workplace Trends 2023: February

Welcome to our monthly round up of UK workplace trends, where we pick out the key workplace trends which are affecting the UK workplace and find out a bit more about the stories behind the headlines.

Professional service firms are driving london office recovery

A recent report by Avison Young, featured in BE News, found that it was professional services firms, rather than finance companies, who led the take up of London office space in square footage terms in 2022 and kick started the market’s recovery.

Professional services firms, which includes legal, accountancy and management consultancy businesses, took 2.5m sq. ft of office space in Central London – almost 50% higher than in 2021 and 35% higher than the previous annual high point in 2010.

Read the article here.

Remote and hybrid working associated with anxiety and depression increase

A study conducted by the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) to better understand the impact of home and hybrid working on employees has showed that those who work in an exclusively home or hybrid pattern exhibit higher levels of anxiety and depression. An article in Allwork.space reveals that the study found that employees who work remotely full time (40%) and hybrid (38%) were more likely to experience depression and anxiety symptoms than those working in an office location (35%). Additionally, the percentage of individuals on mental health prescription drugs grew from 20% to 22%.

Read the article here.

New green office recommendations announced

The BCO (British Council of Offices) has released its latest update to the BCO Guide Specification, which has considered the impact of the pandemic and the growing need for environmental change on the built environment. Recommendations included increasing the suggested office space per person to 10m2, attaining a minimum sustainability target of BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and 5 Star NABERS UK target for new buildings, set aspirational targets for carbon use to meet the 2030 NZC (Net Zero Carbon) goals, improving air quality with increased levels of outdoor air supply and reducing building power requirements with more efficient lighting.

Read the article here.

The trends that will affect building design for the next decade

Gensler, the global architecture and design company, have recently published their design forecast for 2023, sharing predictions on the key trends that will affect cities in the decade to come. These include reclaiming the experience of human interaction that buildings give us post-pandemic, increased focus on the live-work connection, adaption strategies for existing buildings, smart buildings making intelligent use of PropTech and office space flight to quality.

Download the report here.

UK workplace trends summary

So, in summary this month, the key topics are around the effects of working patterns on mental health, higher environmental targets for the office sector and an increase of professional service firms returning to London offices.

If you are looking for a new London office for your team in 2023, LentaSpace have 14 flexible workspace locations across London, offering a variety of office sizes from 1 to 60 on flexible terms, meeting rooms and virtual office services.  Contact our team on 0207 953 8080 or complete the contact form here to find out more.