Humans are creatures of their environments, where feeling well helps you to work well. While the Industrial era ushered in a pragmatic age that treated man like machine, the decay of grey-scale, window-less office blocks akin to battery farms, and their organic replacement with the increasingly wellness-focused spaces of today, is demonstration of the move towards an increasingly healthy, hybrid and human paradigm.
Humans are creatures of their environments, where feeling well helps you to work well. While the Industrial era ushered in a pragmatic age that treated man like machine, the decay of grey-scale, window-less office blocks akin to battery farms, and their organic replacement with the increasingly wellness-focused spaces of today, is demonstration of the move towards an increasingly healthy, hybrid and human paradigm.
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Shopping around for a new environment is like trying to source the perfect Little Black Dress - there is no one size fits all, it’s a timeless piece that withstands fluctuating styles and trends, value is more important than cost, and form is as important as function.
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Few companies previously considered the extensive role of the physical office space on their business models and forecasts. Beyond being a monthly expense on the balance sheet, the choice of office space, location and contract has demonstrated the potential to make or break a business - with its irrefutable impact on budget, network, employee wellbeing, opportunity and tech.
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Here are a few of the main factors that you may want to consider:
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Location and Membership
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The daily commute has a major impact on employee mental health and wellbeing. It’s therefore sensible to consider whether you’re looking to work closer to home, considering relocating, or have a job that requires a flexible membership option with locations up and down the country.
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Gone are the days of restrictive, bureaucratic processes. The office of today understands that change is the only constant and flexibility means agility. With a variety of monthly rolling contracts available to suit different kinds of needs, there is now less space wastage as your office changes size with you.
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Although the majority of the workforce have been working from home over the last few months, the office isn’t dead - but it is getting better. A return to ‘the new normal’ means more flexibility, more adaptability, more choice and greater wellbeing for both companies and employees alike. Remote working is likely set to become a permanent way of life - but being confined to the house need not be.
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Working from home provides many societal benefits, including reduced pollution and emissions thanks to a reduction in the rush hour commute, improved future development of areas outside major cities as people retreat back to commuter belts, and a better work-life balance thanks to greater freedoms and autonomy.
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However on an individual level, there are also many benefits to be had from venturing out to a local workspace, including immersion into a passionate community culture, increased social support, better facilities and improved boundaries around work and home life. Popular with freelancers, start-ups and corporate companies alike, x+why’s flexible co-working spaces both inside and outside the Capital have something to offer everyone.
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Facilities and Focus
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These days, there’s no need for costly private furnishings, as every space comes fully equipped with everything you could need to stay connected (and sanitised). In fact, smart offices are proving both popular and effective in the fight against the Corona Virus outbreak, with technology facilitating the transition back into work.
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Mobile apps are helping members to check-in or reserve desks at the click of a button, all while being able to view live space occupancy and avoiding unnecessary contact with surfaces. Smart offices also come equipped with some of the most exciting and engaging technology in the space, including interactive boards or facilities that can automatically detect residency and help to save on costs and energy.
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A survey of 12,000 employees in 12 countries found that 58% at companies considered to be ‘technology laggards’ had negative feelings towards their employer. Many well-established institutions such as the NHS, still run on technology that’s slow, out-dated and ineffective, making it frustrating to use. Over time, this frustration erodes employee satisfaction, hurts productivity and leads to poor staff retention rates.
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Co-working spaces are usually open 24/7, which enables people to work around their own schedules, whilst offering the necessary environment to create structure and discipline that working from home often makes difficult.
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If employees lack the space and resources to do their best work, a company is set up to fail. This isn’t limited to allocating the right amount of space per person, but also to having the right kind of space available. Co-working spaces offer access to quiet areas where they can concentrate on productivity not just comfort, as well as communal areas designed to facilitate collaboration.
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Culture and Community
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While all these features are incredibly exciting, one thing that does deserve a class of its own is the capital of community. The rapid shift into the world of remote work brought many employee benefits including increased flexibility and autonomy and reduced time spent commuting.
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On the one hand, this regenerated local communities as people were able to move away from cities and retreat to greener pastures. On the other hand, the lockdown restrictions and kitchen table laptop sessions left plenty of people feeling isolated, frustrated and disconnected from both humans and adequate technology.
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The hybrid workspace filled the gap for the creative solution that catered to all. Companies were able to keep their central head quarters in the city, while employees simultaneously found solace and refuge in the holistic local co-working spaces closer to home. This created the container for the best of all worlds to come together under the umbrella of choice.
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We all know the benefits of community from fostering a greater sense of wellbeing and belonging, to whipping up inspiration and ideas, while incubating greater connection and meaning in life. What makes the community at x+why so special though, is its unique and authentic commitment to the Triple Bottom Line in every single one of its homes.
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We unite, inspire and amplify the message of all of the mission-driven businesses that we house - through our extensive business networks, podcasts, newsletter and exclusive members events.
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Price and Value
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With many of us spending most of our lives at work, all of our spaces have been deliberately designed to counteract the burnout epidemic, and transform it into the breakthrough epidemic.
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Furnished with wellbeing in mind, we house bike parks, standing desks, member-wellness events, and even natural light and bird song. We have more than one plant per person in the spaces, which creates a positive and peaceful atmosphere where you can relax and breathe.
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All of our members also get free access to our partners at Betterspace – a science-based wellbeing platform which helps you to manage your mental and physical wellbeing at work. We also have facilities on hand to support new parents, with Mother & Baby quiet rooms for those who need a private space for nursing, or just meditation and prayer.
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Choosing a workspace that aligns with your values makes it easy to feel reconnected to self and environment. All our spaces are designed and managed to be as sustainable and ‘green’ as possible – from the chair you sit on, to the living roofs, and energy efficient lighting. As a community we are proud to be working towards 13 of the 17 UN sustainability Development Goals.
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We’ve been working with partners Useful Studio to ensure that our fit-out and furnishings are as sustainable as they possibly can be, in order to achieve our exciting SKA Gold accreditation. We rescued all of our office chairs from a building in Manchester, which was left unoccupied by the previous tenant. Through our supply chain, we have these individually checked, refurbished, re-covered and re-warrantied ready for their next phase of life.
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From waste management, encouraging use of up-cycled materials and supply chain diligence, to ensuring fixtures and fittings meet the highest of environmental standards, the SKA is a great way of making sure that any fit out is performed as well as possible.
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Part of being a fully qualified B Corp business means creating products that prioritise the environment. For us, that means building and renovating flexible workspaces that help to protect the natural resources around us. This is a win-win situation for all partners involved.
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Wellness is more than just a buzzword, it’s at the heart of everything from company culture, to output and longevity. Workplace design has to cater to more than just efficiency. With challenges continuing through the pandemic, sustainably improving workplace mental health has never been more important.
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The good news is that recent research shows how and where action can be taken. Workplaces across all industries can take this knowledge and act now to shine a light on the critical topic of workplace mental health, helping people to thrive outside of the shadows.
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x+why are committed to uniting and inspiring a likeminded community of change-makers, and most importantly working collaboratively to amplify all of their great work. When you join our community, you gain access to spaces specifically designed to help you do your best work, while connecting to a likeminded community of innovation and impact-driven creatives that make our buildings a truly inspiring place to be.
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