How can the flexible office reconcile real-estate costs and employee expectations?

For decades, the office has been seen as an immutable anchor: an assigned position, a fixed desk, a space designed to accommodate every employee from Monday to Friday, between 9am and 6pm. But this model, long considered indisputable, is now faltering under the impact of profound transformations in the world of work. Massive telecommuting, renewed employee expectations, the search for balance and meaning, and economic pressure on real estate are all forcing organizations to rethink their approach.

How is the flexible office naturally taking hold in France?

For several years now, a new vision of the office has been gradually taking hold: that of the flexible office, a space that adapts to usage rather than imposing a single framework. This silent but decisive transformation is redefining the way companies think about the work experience.

In European capitals such as London, Amsterdam, Paris... as in many regional metropolises, one fact is abundantly clear: offices that used to be packed to the rafters are now finding themselves half-empty on certain days. Customs have changed. More and more jobs are being allocated, but remain unoccupied, while employees are demanding greater autonomy in the way they work. The figures bear this out: the average occupancy rate of traditional offices remains low, often around 60% according to a study by Savills. Although this average is on the rise (+1% over the year), it is still a long way from the average recorded before the pandemic. This waste is costly, and raises questions about the relevance of a fixed model in a world that has become mobile.

This is where the flexible office comes into its own. Far from being just an open space with no assigned place, it responds to a simple logic: to support the diversity of professional rhythms. Instead of a dedicated workstation, the space becomes a veritable ecosystem, designed to accommodate concentration, collaboration, informal exchanges or confidential work. The morning can begin in a quiet zone, continue in a creativity room for an in-house workshop, and end in a lounge area where spontaneous discussions give rise to new ideas.

What changes do flexible offices bring?

Of course, this change of model isn't just aesthetic: it's also profoundly changing people's behavior. Employees no longer come to the office because they have to, but because they find something there that they can't get at home. Presence has a new meaning. The office once again becomes a place of choice, rather than a place they have to endure.

Companies that have embraced this logic are seeing tangible effects. Firstly, on well-being, being able to work in an environment adapted to one's needs boosts efficiency, reduces stress and nurtures a sense of autonomy. Several major studies have documented this on a French and European scale.

Secondly, in terms of commitment, a friendly, well-designed, welcoming space attracts and retains employees. Then there's cohesion: moments of togetherness, often difficult to recreate when telecommuting, or even within the office workgroup, are brought back to life in spaces designed precisely for this purpose. Finally, in terms of performance, by optimizing square meters, modulating surfaces and adapting workstations to the place of people, the company gains in agility.

For organizations, the switchover is also economic. Space is better utilized, costs better controlled, and fluctuations in activity easier to absorb. The flexible office becomes a strategic lever in a context where real estate represents one of the largest items of expenditure.

The flexible office makes people want to come into the office again!

Beyond the figures, this transformation from an evolutionary model to the flexible office reveals a deeper issue: that of the employer promise. Offering a flexible office means expressing a vision of management based on trust, responsibility and quality of life at work. It means affirming our belief in the ability of teams to organize themselves, cooperate and find their own rhythm. And it means accepting the very idea that workspace is not just a fixed cost, but a strategic tool for performance and corporate culture.

At a time when talent can work anywhere, the office has to make people want to come back. A place that goes beyond its primary function.

Offering more than just an office means offering a new way of experiencing work. A way better adapted to today's realities. The flexible office thus appears to be the mature response of organizations that choose to evolve their culture to better support their employees. A strong signal, discreet but powerful: that of a company moving with the times.