The Push to End Remote Work Yields Results: Czechs Return to Offices en Masse

The pandemic-era trend of working from home is slowly receding across Europe, and the Czech Republic is no exception. Recent data reveals a significant increase in employee attendance at offices over the past two years. While offices were only about one-third full during the height of the pandemic, average occupancy has now surpassed 60% for the first time since COVID-19 struck.

Lenka Pechová, an analyst at Savills consulting firm, suggests that “the need for personal interaction among employees and better facilities for work” could be driving this trend. Companies are gradually limiting the option to work from home.

These findings stem from an October analysis of the office market in selected European cities conducted by Savills researchers. Prague’s office occupancy emerged as one of the highest, reaching 61%—a nine percentage point increase year-on-year. For comparison, pre-pandemic office occupancy typically hovered around 70%.

Interestingly, Prague’s office occupancy remains above 60% for four out of five workdays. Friday is the exception, with employees most likely to work from home. However, even on Friday, remote work is on the decline.

As the pandemic subsided, employees were reluctant to relinquish the popular remote work regime. In response, companies introduced hybrid work models, allowing office attendance only on certain days of the week. Simultaneously, they’re devising strategies to entice employees back to the office.

To achieve this, companies are reimagining office spaces. They’re creating more segmented work areas for privacy, investing in amenities, and building relaxation zones, gyms, and spaces for natural colleague interactions. As Martina Havlíčková, fit-out manager at Wood Real Estate, puts it, “Employers must offer something extra beyond the desk and chair employees have at home.”

While some corporations are taking a firmer stance, ordering employees back to the office full-time, others are sticking with the hybrid model. Given this mixed approach, Savills doesn’t anticipate office occupancy rising significantly beyond the current 60% in its next survey.