How the growing flexible office market lowers our commute

A lot of travel time can be saved by working with flexible office providers in addition to a head office, according to research by real estate advisor Savills, in collaboration with booking platform Workthere. It can also provide a good workplace for employees who don’t have a suitable home office. Operating from a central point, connected to regional flexible offices, is also called the hub-and-spoke model. This model significantly reduces the travel time of employees.

The Dutch commute much more than average

Although the Netherlands is a small and densely populated country and distances are shorter, it appears that, from a European perspective, the Dutch travel time between their work and home is above average. The Dutch spend almost 10% more time every day on their commute than the average European. In total, 30% of the Dutch travel from home to work for at least 45 minutes. This percentage is 23% for the whole of Europe.

Jordy Kleemans, Head of Research & Consultancy at Savills in the Netherlands, explains:

According to previous Savills research, travel time is an important factor in job decisions. The vast majority of Dutch employees (69%) see the workplace as their primary reason to look for another job. Companies can therefore score points with a hub & spoke model, for both existing and new staff, leading to more satisfied employees.

What are the optimal locations for hub & spokes?

To investigate the most optimal locations for hubs, you can track travel directions of Dutch employees. Interestingly enough, it turns out that most employees travel between the G5 cities. For companies based in Amsterdam, it would make sense to open flexible office locations in Utrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague. In turn, these cities can form a hub for the surrounding municipalities, through good public transport connections to the region. This opens doors for talent who initially lived too far from headquarters. Workforce from cities such as Almere, Amersfoort, Haarlem, Breda, Tilburg and Leiden also travel relatively frequently to one of the G5 cities. Therefore, we expect an increasing demand for spoke locations in these municipalities.

Ed Bouterse, Head of Workthere Europe, says:

An additional advantage is that these secundairy cities also have an attractive city center, which means that an attractive work environment can be created when spoke locations are opened. For employees from these cities, commuting can therefore be easily reduced, while maintaining a dynamic and comfortable work environment.