Five years ago, AirFi cut the ribbon on our shiny new global headquarters in The Haque, The Netherlands. The opening of this vibrant and modern space came five years after the launch of the business itself, and we desperately needed room for our growing company and team to meet, collaborate and thrive. It was a momentous occasion for us, and we all remember the excitement and festivities around that day with perfect clarity.
Fast forward to today. We are cautiously emerging from a global pandemic that has rocked our industry to its core. What’s more, it’s left businesses in all sectors wondering whether they really need an office at all.
An Ipsos poll from February of this year of 2,700 office workers (across nine countries) found that more than a third of office workers would quit if they were forced to go back into the office full-time.
Executives have learned that – given the right tools – remote teams can be effective. Beyond that, many workers are less than keen to relinquish the time for family, friends, or hobbies that they’ve reclaimed from their daily commutes. Plus, co-working and shared office spaces have stepped to the plate with attractive models for flexible access to comfy collaborative settings.