Sunday, 18 October 2026
Hybrid working has become an established feature of Poland’s corporate landscape, prompting businesses to reconsider how much time employees spend in offices and what physical workplaces should provide. According to the latest Hybrid and Beyond ’26 research from Colliers Define, 93% of surveyed organisations combine remote and office-based working, while only 5% operate entirely from offices and 1% work exclusively remotely. The findings suggest that employers are moving beyond debates about bringing employees back to their desks and are instead concentrating on improving cooperation, communication and the effectiveness of their existing workplace arrangements.
The fifth edition of the Colliers study, conducted during June and July 2026 among 270 respondents representing organisations operating in Poland, indicates that a relatively even division between home and office remains the preferred approach. Approximately 58% of participating organisations follow arrangements involving two or three office days each week, while only 8% favour a predominantly office-based schedule. Companies are also becoming more selective about applying identical requirements across their operations. The proportion adopting different arrangements for individual teams has increased from 5% in 2022–2023 to 19% in 2026, reflecting greater recognition that working patterns should correspond to operational responsibilities.
Most participating organisations appear satisfied with their current arrangements. Around 60% consider the existing balance between remote and office attendance appropriate, while 17% anticipate increasing the amount of time employees spend at their workplaces. Only 1% expect to expand remote working further. However, uncertainty about future policies has increased, with 22% of respondents unable to identify their organisation’s longer-term intentions, compared with 13% previously. These results suggest that although hybrid working is firmly established, businesses are continuing to refine their approach rather than adopting permanent, inflexible policies.
Separate workplace research from CBRE indicates that similar developments are taking place across Central and Eastern Europe. Its regional findings suggest that approximately four in five surveyed organisations offer hybrid working arrangements, although actual attendance does not always correspond with company expectations. Some employers formally require employees to spend most of their working week in offices but report lower levels of attendance in practice. This distinction is important for property owners because corporate workplace policies do not necessarily translate directly into occupied desks, building utilisation or additional demand for office accommodation.
The reasons companies encourage employees to attend offices are also changing. Colliers found that strengthening relationships between colleagues was the leading motivation, identified by 32% of respondents, followed by improving communication at 25% and supporting cooperation at 23%. These findings indicate that employers increasingly value physical workplaces for activities that benefit from personal interaction, rather than simply providing employees with a location to complete individual assignments. For office developers and landlords, this places greater importance on meeting facilities, shared environments, technological infrastructure and building layouts capable of supporting different working requirements.
CBRE’s European Office Occupier Sentiment Survey 2026 reinforces this direction. Across its European sample, 85% of participating occupiers identified interaction with colleagues as an important reason for office attendance, while 81% highlighted the importance of an effective working environment and 77% valued opportunities to engage directly with company leadership. The same research found that 65% of occupiers were considering relocation within three years, indicating that many businesses are reassessing whether their existing accommodation meets operational expectations. Although these findings cover Europe rather than Poland alone, they provide useful context for understanding the pressures facing office owners across the region.
Despite growing emphasis on workplace interaction, employers continue to recognise significant advantages from allowing employees to work remotely. In the Colliers study, 73% of respondents reported positive effects on employee wellbeing and the balance between professional and personal responsibilities. Recruitment benefits were identified by 64%, while 62% considered remote working helpful for retaining employees. These findings suggest that flexibility remains an important consideration for employers competing for experienced professionals, particularly as demographic changes and responsibilities outside the workplace influence employees’ expectations.
The greatest difficulties identified by participating organisations concern maintaining effective relationships and sharing information. Approximately 56% of respondents reported negative consequences for employees’ sense of connection with their teams, while 51% identified problems with communication during everyday operations. Another 36% highlighted difficulties introducing new employees to their organisations. Rather than demonstrating that remote working necessarily reduces individual productivity, the findings suggest that companies need more effective approaches to coordinating activities, developing employees and maintaining organisational relationships when teams are not consistently present in the same location.
For the commercial property industry, changing workplace expectations create both opportunities and challenges. CBRE’s European research found that 88% of surveyed occupiers considered certain building amenities essential when evaluating accommodation. However, the proportion willing to pay additional costs for enhanced facilities declined from 54% in 2025 to 48% in 2026. This suggests that businesses may increasingly expect higher-quality working environments without accepting substantial increases in occupancy expenditure. Landlords could consequently face pressure to improve buildings, introduce more adaptable facilities and demonstrate value while remaining competitive on rental and operating costs.
The financial importance of these decisions is illustrated by separate research from Savills, which examined workplace expenditure among 50 publicly listed multinational companies. The analysis found that such costs represented an average of 8.4% of company revenue and 12.5% of operating expenditure within the sample. For Polish office owners, developers and investors, the combined research points towards a market in which occupiers are likely to place greater emphasis on the usefulness, efficiency and adaptability of their workplaces. Hybrid working does not necessarily mean companies will lease less space, but it is changing the considerations behind accommodation decisions. Buildings that successfully combine suitable working environments, opportunities for interaction and competitive operating costs may be better positioned to attract and retain tenants as corporate workplace strategies continue to evolve.
