Trust building

"Many firms do seem to be downsizing, partly due to a less than effervescent economy and partly due to the fact that working from home does seem to work — at least for some employees," Basmajian notes. "This may not be true in the long term, however, because we are social animals and there is a sense of collaboration, teamwork and camaraderie to be gained from being together with workmates in an office setting."

Truddy Cheung, real estate services firm Colliers' director of Workplace Advisory Asia, agrees that measures already in place will continue to instill trust in building users. These include "access to flex spaces such as co-working spaces, increase of touchless access devices and social distance measures, alongside limiting capacity in all public spaces," she notes.