2024/03/28
People in Lithuania are most likely to work from the office or in a hybrid way. A representative public survey conducted by Spinter Research showed that only 10% of the population work exclusively remotely from home, 12% say they combine work from home and the office, and almost a third (31%) go to the office every day. The rest are either not currently working (24%) or are working in a location other than their home or office (18%).
"With all the talks in the public about the difficulties of getting employees back into the office after the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a misconception that the vast majority of the population have chosen to work remotely. This survey shows that the reality is somewhat different: 42% of the country's population either works permanently in the office or in a hybrid mode. This means that the need for offices, perhaps slightly modified by changes in working habits, remains, especially in large cities where even more people work in offices," comments Gintarė Žemaitė, Head of Commercial Real Estate Development at Realco, the company that initiated the survey.
The largest share of those working either solely from an office or in a hybrid mode is in the top cities, at 50%, followed by around 38% in other urban or district centres and rural areas.
Convenient urban location is important
The survey showed that while most metropolitan residents go home after work (85%), a significant proportion of them spend this time on other activities. Almost a third (29%) of respondents living in a metropolitan area said they go shopping at the end of the working day, 16% say they go for a walk, 12% run errands in the city centre or play sports, 10% meet friends, 7.6% go to the cinema, theatre, concert, or other entertainment.
According to G. Žemaitė, the results of the survey show that the location in the city, the convenient access to the service points or the additional services in the business centre itself can be additional added values for employees.
"Convenience and time-saving are very important when it comes to after-work activities, no matter it is shopping or playing sports. It is indeed much more convenient for residents to find all the places they need close to where they work, so that they don't have to go to the other side of the city. In this respect, offices in the central parts of the city, where services, shops, entertainment venues, sports centres and walking opportunities are concentrated, almost always win. We also emphasise the city location as one of the key advantages in the project of our business centre Hero, which is under development at the beginning of Kalvarijų Street in the central business district of the capital city”, - says the expert.
The Hero Business Centre, scheduled for completion in Q2 2025, will have 32,000 sqm of office space for lease, including 4,000 sqm on one floor. There will also be more than 400 parking spaces in an underground car park, parking and charging spaces for electric cars, and space for bicycles. The business centre will aim to be awarded the WELL Healthy Offices certificate and meet the criteria for the BREEAM Excellence certificate for sustainable buildings.
The business centre is being built in the central business district of Vilnius, which is characterised by excellent accessibility to both public and private transport, including scooters and bicycles. Shopping centres, restaurants, banks, hotels, wellness, beauty and other services are located nearby.
The business centre itself will also offer a wide range of services to meet the needs of those who work and visit it. Hero is planned to include a fitness centre, catering outlets, a 300-metre running track on the roof of the building, shared work and leisure spaces, etc.
A survey conducted by Spinter Research between 19 and 26 January involved 1008 respondents aged between 18 and 65 years. The question was open to multiple answers, bringing the total to over 100%.