The growing adoption of hybrid working has transformed the workplace, creating both opportunities and challenges due to the diverse and conflicting values of employees and organisations. This shift has also influenced the demand for office space, which has become more flexible, uncertain, and unpredictable. As a result, there is a driving need to reduce office space demand more effectively. In the literature, several instruments exist that each address parts of this problem; however, their integration has not been tested. Although the Preference-based Accommodation Strategy design and decision-making approach (Arkesteijn, 2019) could potentially be applied in this context, it is currently a general method that does not explicitly address hybrid working preferences or demand.

This research addresses this gap by adapting the Preference-based Accommodation Strategy (PAS) method to test the fit-for-purpose design and decision-making of the integrated research instrument. The research instruments are referred to as the Hybrid Office Portfolio Optimisation (HOPO) model, which aims to identify preferences for implementing goals and criteria, and to stimulate portfolio optimisation through the demand model. The research follows the ten design steps that allow for an iterative, prescriptive approach that combines literature review, model development, and the application of the PAS with interviews and workshops.

Three reference models (Hybrid Working Trends based on literature, Knowledge Workers based on survey data, and Policy Accommodation based on policy documents) were developed to capture general, user and organisational preferences, complemented by a development portfolio demand model. These instruments were integrated into the PAS method and empirically tested through a pilot study with the Netherlands Police, one of the largest public real estate owners in the Netherlands. The pilot included three stakeholder perspectives: user, organisational, and real estate. The reference models are tested in the interviews, and the demand model in the workshops.

The findings show that the reference models added limited value due to the expertise of stakeholders, timing of communication and the quality and completeness. The policy accommodation had the most potential, as it directly linked organisational strategy to decision variables. The demand model successfully quantified the hybrid working preferences of demand, but was constrained by the scenario thinking in the outcome.

The research concludes that although the integration of hybrid working demands into the PAS method was not so successful, however, it cannot be concluded that it will never work. Future research should focus on making the reference models more comprehensive and improving the way of communication to present earlier. The HOPO-PAS model thus provides a foundation for further development in enhancing the PAS design and decision-making method with the integration of research instruments.