Future workplace strategy in the Middle East 

To help understand the current state of workplace usage and future plans, Deloitte captures sentiment from companies across the Middle East in relation to the evolving nature of their bricks and mortar requirements, work from home (WFH) experience and policies to reflect the ’new normal’.

Survey findings include:

• Only 6% of the respondents said they are looking to reduce their office space, compared to 17% last year.
• Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) represent the majority of the respondents considering relocation when their lease expires.
• Professional Services companies i.e. Legal, Consulting and Architecture, comprise the majority of the respondents expecting an increase in office space requirement.
• The relative importance of office space varied by industry, with focus and productivity still being dominant for staff attendance.
• Businesses are trying to adapt to the remote working environment with ‘introducing digital collaboration platforms’ ranked as the most important factor for making remote work sustainable.
• Face masks are considered the primary safety measure for returning to the office in person.
• 71% of the respondents do not have a current WFH policy within their organisation, while 18% have a full-time WFH policy. Respondents expect these policies to remain the same over the next 12 months.

If you would like to discuss the findings in more detail, please reach out to: 

Stefan Burch, Head of Real Estate, Deloitte Middle East
Manika Dhama, Real Estate Development, Deloitte Middle East