Office equipment is becoming more expensive, also because of the home office
In a comparison of 26 European cities, Prague ranked second in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region in terms of office fit-out costs. Belgrade is the most expensive, and more than a thousand euros are also paid for furnishing a square meter in Warsaw.
The cost of fit-out thus reaches the level of what is common in Milan, Rome, Lisbon or Amsterdam. By far, however, office equipment in German business centers and in Britain will be the most expensive, where the median cost exceeds two thousand euros.
The main reasons why the Czech Republic was ranked so high in the ranking of the consulting firm Cushman & Wakefield are price increases in supply chains and problems with the workforce. However, a full fifth of the costs are made up of audiovisual and IT technology. Due to the increase in the use of online platforms for remote work and the need to equip meeting rooms for this, real estate consultants are still expecting an increase in the cost of audiovisual systems, which is accompanied by a lack of electronic components.
“In addition to representative meeting rooms, companies also need other spaces equipped for team collaboration. They can be so-called huddle rooms, i.e. informal spaces more reminiscent of a relaxation zone, or island solutions where employees can sit within a larger work room,” explains Michal Černý from the Audiopro company.
Spatial solutions differ according to the needs and focus of the company, but they tend to have demands on technology. “So that it is possible to communicate online with remote meeting participants without technical problems, to share information with them, and all this in a secure system,” adds Černý.
The future of the office has been the subject of discussions for two years. A flexible and hybrid model seems the most likely solution. At the same time, offices have not lost their importance, whether for maintaining productivity, meeting colleagues or cooperation between teams. The move towards a more flexible workplace increases the cost of office design and equipment. Working alternately at home-office and in the company office, on the other hand, reduces the requirements for the size of the space.
“Changes in working conditions affect many areas, including the design of work spaces. The trend is to arrange flexible spaces, to move away from permanently occupied offices, to establish places for quiet focused work and to increase shared space. But it is equipped in such a way as to allow the attendees to maintain a sufficient distance, and at the same time to support creative cooperation,” adds Michal Novák from the Profesia company.