Results of Mindspace’s Back to the Office Poll Reveal Top Covid Fears

‘Going to the loo’ and ‘the commute’ are top concerns for Londoners

LONDON, June 30th, 2020 — Mindspace, the global flex space provider, today announced the results of a new survey of over 1,000 members across their sites in the UK, the US, Europe and Israel, revealing anxieties, intentions and changing habits as employees in the Western world begin to return to the office since the virus took hold.

Key findings for Londoners include:

• Going to the toilet (43%) and the commute (48%) top the list as the most feared factors for heading back to the office
• In-office life, Londoners have missed being around their colleagues (74%) and bouncing ideas off one another (43%) more than anything else
• 33% plan to return to the office by the end of the summer, with 53% aiming to return later in the year and 15% not planning to return at all this year
• 44% plan to return for 2-3 days a week, with only 5% looking to return for the full 5 days
• Nearly 75% take public transport to get to their offices (located in Shoreditch and Aldgate), 30% of which intend to change their method of commute and 30% saying they will continue as before

Key findings across their global community, including Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, and Poland, where lockdown restrictions have already been lifted:

• Top concerns are: Coworkers not taking social distancing seriously and the ability to social distance while working (65% of those interviewed ranked at one of these factors as their biggest concern)
• Countries, where the virus has a less severe health impact, have already seen a significant number of workers return to Mindspace offices:
  • Israel: 57% indicated they had already returned, with another 27% indicating they are going back in the next 4-8 weeks
  • Germany: 33% indicated they had already returned, with another 40% indicating they are going back in the next 4-8 weeks
  • Poland & Romania: 27% indicated they had already returned – with another 42% indicating going back in the next 4-8 weeks.
• 30% (an average of all members who were surveyed) of those who commute on public transport either have already changed or intend to change their method of commute whereas 34% will not.

Mindspace is part of two industry initiatives: WORC – the global council of workplace operators, and Safe Spaces – both intended to educate and support safe workplaces post-covid. The flex workplace provider is implementing a new health and safety standard across all 31 of their locations according to each country’s regulations, eliminating the ‘Covid headache’ for their tenants.

“Operating in markets that have already opened up, we know that these practices have instilled a sense of safety among our members and played a key role in aiding a faster return to the office. We believe this approach will garner similar results for our sites in markets returning to the office in the weeks ahead, and with London in particular, we’re exploring partnerships with ebike and escooter vendors for our members as an alternative commute,” says Mindspace CEO Dan Zakai. “We’re also discovering that offering total flexibility of workplaces, both physically and financially, is proving particularly favorable among our members, enabling us to create solutions for those companies who wish to return to work on a more gradual basis. This level of flexibility will be critical to ensure business continuity in the months ahead.”

Mindspace is proceeding with plans to open its third London site on 1 July 2020 in Hammersmith, one of the first workplace providers to do so since the crisis struck. Mindspace will build and manage 35,000 sq ft of high-end flex space, on floors 6-8 of the Metro building, owned by a fund managed by PATRIZIA AG. The new Mindspace site will accommodate approximately 630 members.

Dan Zakai adds, “Our new site in Hammersmith presents an ideal location for businesses with workforces who primarily reside across West London, prefer to ‘go local’ and minimise the commute, not only due to the current climate but also long term.“