For 58% of French companies, finding premises and fitting out workspaces is increasingly complicated…

More than 64% of companies struggle to find partners capable of supporting them in their overall real estate strategy. 79% of companies are lacking benchmarks and experience for optimal layouts.

Search for offices, facilities, CSR, telecommuting, ... In 2023, are real estate projects a real obstacle course for companies?

This is the question that AKTIS-PARTNERS.COM, Business real estate consultant and precursor of the "operated office", wanted to answer by interviewing 2.511 professionals (business leaders, executives, HRD, CFO, managers). A survey that reveals growing difficulties on the part of companies to realize their projects and even glimpse the key steps to achieve it.

It was better before…

There's no denying that the business world has undergone more upheaval in just three years than in decades. But these developments have clearly complicated the real estate strategies of companies: hybrid work, flexible offices, inclusiveness, etc. More than 58% of companies in France believe that it is much more complicated today to find premises and to arrange workspaces than before and only 15% seem to consider these missions as easier now.

The triumvirate of complexity: telecommuting, tools and QVT

Unsurprisingly, among all the factors that complicate thinking about the work environment, three stand out: 71% have a lot of problems with the obligations related to teleworking (hybrid, flexible offices, etc.), 67% more particularly with the equipment and layout of new tools (virtual spaces, callboxes, etc.) and 62% struggle to establish measures of quality of life at work.

Looking for special partner...

A less obvious and less expressed difficulty is that of meeting or detecting partners capable of supporting these companies in the success of their real estate strategy. In fact, 64% of the companies surveyed cannot find companies, agents or lessors who can answer all their problems, from the reflection of their project to the development of workspaces.

Lots of shortcomings...

With regard to the layout of workspaces, companies lack three main factors: 79% are looking for benchmarks and significant experiences for well-organized and optimal offices, 68% also have a strong need for human skills and internal resources to achieve this and finally 65% ​​just need financial resources to carry out their projects.

When real estate rhymes with success

To the question: "In your opinion, do office spaces contribute to the success of a company?" », more than 85% of companies answer in the affirmative! In detail, 59% are totally convinced of this and 26% believe that they only partially contribute to it.

Forecasts still unclear

Faced with all these questions and despite the inevitable needs for transformation, French companies still seem to be waiting for their development projects. In fact, 29% think they are planning changes to their workspaces in the next 5 years and 27% will do so from this year 2023. Even less reactive, 21% only envisage them in 10 years.

Well-being at work: Priority No. 1 for companies

The workplace is now a place of life for the employees of a company. Thus, many companies wish to offer additional benefits and services in order to optimize and embellish the employer brand to the delight of employees. Everything relating to the field of well-being/beauty therefore tops the list of services that companies want to set up on their premises with more than 57% of votes. Postal services, such as relay points, are in second place with 55%, just ahead of sports courts with 51%.

* Methodology: survey carried out among 2.511 professionals (business leaders, executives, HRDs, CFOs, managers) spread throughout France aged 18 and over. Survey carried out online, on the BuzzPress France proprietary panel, according to the quota method, during the period from January 30 to February 07, 2023. Breakdown of respondents by company size: 28% of VSEs, 67% of SMEs, 4% of ETI and 1% of GE. All the information put forward by the interviewees is declarative. All weightings are based on administrative data and data collected by INSEE.