Several large companies across Belgium halving their office spaces

Several large companies, such as NMBS, Proximus, Bpost, Engie, BNP Paribas Fortis and KBC, are halving their office spaces in their Brussels headquarters as the option of teleworking persists and continues to change the way we work.

Several of the companies mentioned above have now developed a teleworking scheme allowing employees to work from home on a structural basis throughout the week, giving large companies the possibility to sell large office spaces, De Tijd reported.

In Belfius, for instance, 77% of the 3,000 employees signed up for the home-based status, while employees promise to telecommute at least 100 working days per year and come to the headquarters at least 50 working days per year.

Belfius is moving branches to its head office on Rogierplein to avoid vacancy the building’s vacancy.

For Engie Electrable, employees come to the office two to three days per week, as only 60% of the staff is present on average. That means half of the 60,000 square meters of office space is sufficient for the energy company.

Others, such as the NMBS, are looking toward new offices, as the company plans to build its new headquarters near the Brussels Midi/Zuid Station. As employees are now spread across seven different buildings, this shift will reduce the office space by almost half, which is up to 75,000 square meters.

Bpost will move from the Muntcentrum to the renovated Multi Tower on the Anspachlaan, renting six floors totalling 16,500 square meters – less than half of the previous office space.

However, teleworking does not necessarily mean a smaller office, as insurer Ageas is moving into the larger Manhattan Center in the Northern Quarter, which see an increase of a third of its previous space, which is up to 5,900 square metres.

The new office will have a winter garden without desks, Ageas spokesperson Michaël Vandenbergen told De Tijd. “We see the office primarily as a place to work together and find inspiration.”