A practical guide for companies looking to return to the office — but on new terms
In recent years, remote work has become the norm. Teams have grown accustomed to video calls from the kitchen, to flexible hours, and to the office being a laptop on the couch.
Now, more and more companies are realizing that fully remote work has its limits. Spontaneous conversations are missing. It's harder to build team culture. Onboarding new hires via Zoom doesn't work as it should. And some employees simply want a place outside their home where they can focus.
The solution isn't a five-day-a-week return to the office. The solution is a hybrid model — a few days in the office, the rest remotely. The problem is that traditional offices weren't designed for this rhythm.
Serviced office — yes.
.jpg)
In a hybrid model, the team is in the office 2-3 days a week. The rest of the time, they work from home. This means the office sits empty for half the week.
With a traditional lease, you pay for the entire space — regardless of whether someone is at a desk or not. You have 15 workstations, but on Monday 8 people come in, on Tuesday 12, and on Friday 4. Half the desks are empty, but rent, cleaning, and administration cost the same.
On top of that, there are other issues. A 3-5 year lease that doesn't account for changes. A fit-out that cost tens of thousands of zlotys and is now too large. Separate contracts for internet, cleaning, reception — even when only a handful of people are using the office.
Traditional offices were designed for a model where everyone comes in daily. In the world of hybrid work, this model generates costs without proportional value.
.jpg)
A serviced office reverses this logic. Instead of paying for space you don't use — you pay for what you truly need.
You don't have to rent an office for 15 people if only 10 at most come in at once. You can rent a smaller private office for your core team and supplement it with hot desks or dedicated desks for those who come in on a rotational basis.
At Cluster, you can combine both models within a single location — a private office for 6 people plus coworking access for the rest of the team. When everyone is in the office — they have a place to work. When half are working from home — you're not paying for empty desks.
The hybrid model is something companies are still testing. In six months, you might find you need more space — or less. A traditional lease doesn't give you that freedom.
A serviced office allows you to scale your space month-to-month. Team grew? You take a larger private office. Some people went fully remote? You reduce the space. No relocation, no renegotiations, no contractual penalties.
In a hybrid model, the last thing you need is office management. Who will order coffee for two days when the team is on-site? Who will handle the cleaning? Who will pick up a package when no one is there?
In a serviced office, these questions don't exist. The internet works. Coffee is refilled. Cleaning happens daily. Packages are received by reception. You don't have to think about it — neither on office days nor on remote days.
In hybrid work, the office changes its role. It stops being a place to sit at a desk — because that can be done from home. It becomes a place for meetings, collaboration, and building relationships.
That's why conference rooms and meeting rooms are gaining importance. In a serviced office, you have access to them included in the price — you book them when you need them. You don't invest in a room that sits empty four days a week.
.jpg)
Transitioning from remote to hybrid work doesn't have to be a leap into the deep end. You can do it gradually, testing and adjusting along the way.
Before you decide on an office, ask your people. How many days a week would they like to work from the office? Which days? What do they need in the office that they don't have at home? Do they need quiet, or rather a space for collaboration?
The answers might surprise you. Some people will want to come in every day. Some — once a week. Some — only for meetings. This knowledge will help you choose the right space.
Don't count heads in your team. Count the maximum number of people who will be in the office simultaneously on the busiest day of the week. If you have 15 people, but a maximum of 10 come in on the same day — you're looking for an office for 10, not 15.
Three options that work well for hybrid work:
Private office + hot desks. A permanent office for those who come in daily (e.g., management). Hot desks for the rest of the team — they come in, sit wherever there's a free spot, and work. At Cluster, you can combine both options in the same location.
Dedicated desks for everyone. Everyone has their permanent spot, but not everyone comes in every day. Convenient because you can leave your equipment and return to your desk. More expensive, but more comfortable.
Passes for rotational staff. For people who come in 2-3 times a week. 10 entries per month, use them when you want, in any location. At Cluster, passes work in all cities — if your team is distributed, everyone can work from the nearest location.
You don't have to sign a year-long contract right away. Most serviced offices offer flexible terms — starting from one month. Begin with a trial month. See how the team reacts, how many people actually come in, what needs arise. Then adjust.
A hybrid model requires a few agreements: which days are office days, how to book rooms, how to communicate with remote staff. But don't create a 20-page rulebook. A few simple rules will suffice — you'll adapt the rest in practice.
Many IT teams at Cluster Zabłocie work in a hybrid model. They have a private office they come to 3 days a week. On other days, they work remotely. The office awaits them exactly as they left it — monitors on desks, belongings in lockers, coffee in the kitchen.
On days when the entire team is on-site, they book a conference room for a joint stand-up or planning session. On days when fewer people are present, they use the quiet zone in the coworking space for a change of scenery.
Three locations in Kraków (Zabłocie, Stare Podgórze, Plac Inwalidów) offer additional flexibility — if a team member lives closer to another location, they can work from there.
At Cluster Sienna Center on Sienna 75, we see a similar pattern. Small businesses — 2-4 people — rent an office, but not everyone comes in daily. The founder works from the office four days a week, the developer two, the designer one.
The office is their base — a professional address, a place for client meetings, a space when they need to focus. But no one tracks their attendance. Flexibility is built into the model.
The location near Daszyński Roundabout means commuting is no excuse — metro, trams, buses. Five minutes walk from the station.
Cluster Stary Dworzec in Katowice attracts companies from across the region. Two minutes from the PKP train station — for those commuting from Gliwice, Sosnowiec, or Chorzów, it's an ideal location for office days.
The most common model we see: a 10-entry pass per month. A person comes in 2-3 times a week, works in the coworking space, and uses meeting rooms when needed. The rest of the week, they work from home. Simple, affordable, flexible.
.jpg)
Costs depend on the city and the chosen model. Here are the approximate rates at Cluster:
Passes work at all locations — one pass, any city.
Price depends on size and location. Contact us — we'll prepare an offer tailored to your team and work model.
.jpg)
"My team won't want to come back to the office." Don't force it — invite them. Let them see the space, feel the atmosphere. People are more willing to return to an office that's pleasant than one they fled for remote work. Start with one day a week and listen to their feedback.
"I don't know how many people will actually come in." That's why you should start with a flexible model — a pass or a short-term office contract. After a month, you'll have real data instead of assumptions.
"A traditional office is cheaper." Seemingly. When you factor in fit-out, furniture, separate contracts for internet and cleaning, reception, administration, and empty desks half the week — a serviced office in a hybrid model often turns out cheaper. Especially for teams of up to 20 people.
"We'll lose our company culture." That's exactly why you're returning to the office — to rebuild it. But culture isn't built at empty desks. It's built around a shared table, in meetings, in daily conversations. A serviced office with a good atmosphere and an intimate scale supports this process better than an anonymous office building.
.jpg)
Transitioning from remote to hybrid work doesn't require a large office and a multi-year commitment. It requires a space that adapts to your rhythm — not the other way around.
A serviced office gives you what a traditional lease cannot: flexibility in size, contract flexibility, and zero administration. You come in, you work, you leave. The rest takes care of itself.
And if you don't yet know what your hybrid model will look like — this is the best time to test it out. Come for a trial day at any Cluster location and see how it works here.
Cluster Offices
Krakow — Zabłocie, Stare Podgórze, Plac Inwalidów
Warsaw — Sienna Center
Katowice — Stary Dworzec
www.clusteroffices.com | +48 726 550 404
