Purpose
Hybrid working is becoming commonplace, but scientific research on employee preferences for hybrid-working arrangements is still scarce. The current study investigated knowledge-worker preferences for hybrid-working scenarios, considering the relative importance of hybrid-working aspects and differences among knowledge workers associated with differences in preferences.

Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted in a large governmental organization in the Netherlands. Attributes and levels for the choice-based experiment were developed in an iterative process involving several groups of stakeholders. A survey containing sociodemographic and work-related measures and a choice-based experiment was completed by 263 policy officers.

Findings
Conjoint analyses showed that the most important attribute was the “Distribution of days” (i.e. the percentage of time at home versus the office). Four employee segments were identified: home workers, hybrid fixed, hybrid flex and office workers, each with a different pattern of preferences. The segments differed on age/tenure, task interdependence, household composition (young children or not) and motives for coming to the office.

Research limitations/implications
The study reveals that differences in preferences are associated with different combinations of demographic and work characteristics rather than one specific characteristic. Findings align with theories on work–life balance, (family) life-cycle stages and needs-supply fit.

Practical implications
Study findings support managerial decision-making on which hybrid-working scenario(s) to implement, considering the preferences of different groups of employees.

Originality/value
The study contributes to the literature on hybrid working and represents a novel application of conjoint analysis.@en

Purpose
PropTech has shown important implications for real estate; however, it remains a poorly understood phenomenon in both academia and practice. This paper aims to advance the understanding of PropTech by disentangling what the real estate sector needs from technology and, in parallel, observing closely the activities of PropTech businesses in two different countries.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts a mixed-method approach relying on qualitative data collected through interviews with PropTech players and real estate operators, and quantitative data collected through multiple sources on the Finnish and Italian PropTech ecosystems. The analysis is exploratory and descriptive.

Findings
This study underscores the potential benefits that digital technologies, introduced by PropTech, can add to the real estate sector: data integration; decisions informed from data; balance of new and old approaches to problem-solving; change in vision; adaptability of technologies and business models; and new professional profiles. These benefits are obtained when technology enables innovation from cross-pollination of different sectors. This becomes evident through the analysis of NACE activities, which demonstrates that innovation not only depends on interactions between property and technology, but the phenomenon covers a much broader spectrum of activities and industries.

Originality/value
Our exploratory analysis brings up new evidence that not only the real estate sector and property sector are affected by PropTech but the phenomenon covers a much broader spectrum of activities and industries. This paper contributes to the debate on technology innovations and value chain in the real estate and construction sector, while adding a cross-country perspective.@en