Office rents in some areas of Dubai have been rebounding to pre-pandemic levels. Antonie Robertson / The National
Office rents in some areas of Dubai have been rebounding to pre-pandemic levels. Antonie Robertson / The National
Office rents in some areas of Dubai have been rebounding to pre-pandemic levels. Antonie Robertson / The National
Office rents in some areas of Dubai have been rebounding to pre-pandemic levels. Antonie Robertson / The National

Flexible working spaces in Dubai expected to grow as employees return to the office


Ian Oxborrow
  • English
  • Arabic

Dubai's supply of flexible office space is set to grow as corporate entities look to adapt and employees seek an alternative to working from home, estate agent Savills has said.

In 2018, flexible office take-up by providers accounted on average for about 8 per cent of total office absorption across selected global markets, Savills said. By 2021, this had dropped to 5 per cent as the Covid-19 pandemic led many organisations to transition to working from home.

Savills eyes a "gradually reversing" trend, however, and highlighted Dubai's growth potential on the back of the UAE's strong economic rebound during the past year.

“In line with global trends, the city has recorded a steady increase in flexible space providers over the last few years," said Swapnil Pillai, associate director of Savills' Middle East research.

"Though their share of the overall office market remains limited as on date, it is gradually increasing as new players enter the market and existing providers expand their footprint.”

Flexible office space provides workers with different places and ways to work and can be easily scaled up and down to fit changing team sizes.

Savills picked Dubai among 18 major global office markets in terms of cities likely to drive flexible demand in the coming years.

London, which topped the index, as well as New York (4th) and Paris (5th), are cities where the concept of flexible offices developed and expanded in the years since the global financial crisis and the rise of the gig economy.

In Dubai, flexible space operators across are recording high occupancy levels, with a few players reporting 100 per cent occupancy and charting plans to further expand offerings across Dubai, Savills said.

Office rents in some areas of Dubai have been rebounding to pre-pandemic levels.

In Dubai, Business Bay has led the recovery, with average rents in the first three months of 2022 — the last available period — surging 33 per cent to Dh101 ($27.50) per square foot compared to 2020, Knight Frank said.

HR companies reported that many job candidates now expect flexible working conditions, with a limited number of days in the office.

A study from Hays this year found that working from the office full-time was again the most common working practice in the UAE. It found more than 40 per cent of companies had staff back in the offices about five days a week.

Top 15 companies to work for in the UAE, according to LinkedIn — in pictures

Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20synchronous%20electric%20motors%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E660hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C100Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E488km-560km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh850%2C000%20(estimate)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOctober%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Brown/Black belt finals

3pm: 49kg female: Mayssa Bastos (BRA) v Thamires Aquino (BRA)
3.07pm: 56kg male: Hiago George (BRA) v Carlos Alberto da Silva (BRA)
3.14pm: 55kg female: Amal Amjahid (BEL) v Bianca Basilio (BRA)
3.21pm: 62kg male: Gabriel de Sousa (BRA) v Joao Miyao (BRA)
3.28pm: 62kg female: Beatriz Mesquita (BRA) v Ffion Davies (GBR)
3.35pm: 69kg male: Isaac Doederlein (BRA) v Paulo Miyao (BRA)
3.42pm: 70kg female: Thamara Silva (BRA) v Alessandra Moss (AUS)
3.49pm: 77kg male: Oliver Lovell (GBR) v Tommy Langarkar (NOR)
3.56pm: 85kg male: Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE) v Rudson Mateus Teles (BRA)
4.03pm: 90kg female: Claire-France Thevenon (FRA) v Gabreili Passanha (BRA)
4.10pm: 94kg male: Adam Wardzinski (POL) v Kaynan Duarte (BRA)
4.17pm: 110kg male: Yahia Mansoor Al Hammadi (UAE) v Joao Rocha (BRA

If you go

The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.

Rafael Nadal's record at the MWTC

2009 Finalist

2010 Champion

Jan 2011 Champion

Dec 2011 Semi-finalist

Dec 2012 Did not play

Dec 2013 Semi-finalist

2015 Semi-finalist

Jan 2016 Champion

Dec 2016 Champion

2017 Did not play

 

Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
  1. Steve Baker
  2. Peter Bone
  3. Ben Bradley
  4. Andrew Bridgen
  5. Maria Caulfield​​​​​​​
  6. Simon Clarke 
  7. Philip Davies
  8. Nadine Dorries​​​​​​​
  9. James Duddridge​​​​​​​
  10. Mark Francois 
  11. Chris Green
  12. Adam Holloway
  13. Andrea Jenkyns
  14. Anne-Marie Morris
  15. Sheryll Murray
  16. Jacob Rees-Mogg
  17. Laurence Robertson
  18. Lee Rowley
  19. Henry Smith
  20. Martin Vickers 
  21. John Whittingdale
Updated: September 01, 2022, 9:05 AM`