As we head out of the pandemic and back into the New Normal, the flexible workspace model is front-runner when it comes to serving businesses, employees and the community. An increasing percentage of companies are beginning to use a flexible workspace to help keep their overheads low, while still affording their employees an enjoyable place to work.
As we head out of the pandemic and back into the New Normal, the flexible workspace model is front-runner when it comes to serving businesses, employees and the community. An increasing percentage of companies are beginning to use a flexible workspace to help keep their overheads low, while still affording their employees an enjoyable place to work.
{{divider}}
Across the water, emerging studies are starting to paint a picture that sees around a third of Americans positioned in flexible workspaces within the next few years. Predominantly because such models make exceptionally holistic sense.
{{divider}}
A flexible workspace can mean a lot of things and is generally a blanket term for an office space that comes with creative desk options. This level of flexibility can vary depending on the company and what the workers require, but there are a few different types:
{{divider}}
- Co-Working: popular with freelancers, remote workers and companies that work in teams, co-working spaces are curated for collaboration. In a world that increasingly relies on inter-disciplinary models to bring us into the next paradigm, the power of the co-working set-up is not to be underestimated. Such spaces often come with flexible, monthly rolling contracts, creative events and packages, as well as access to meeting rooms and the latest in smart office tech.
- {{divider}}
- Hot-Desking: a common choice for the solopreneur or parties that prefer to hop around. Hot-desking allows you to pick any available seat within a communal workspace. These desks are generic work stations often divided into categories or areas based on how they come equipped or leased out.
- {{divider}}
- Mobile Workspaces: another name for an area that is set up as a working environment but intended for individuals that might need to move from one working space to another within a city or geographical area. Companies such as x+why have a variety of flexible workspace locations where individuals can show up and work.
- {{divider}}
- Open Offices: an entire office space equipped with furniture and other necessary items for those who need to get work done, but no dividers or private rooms, they are often ideal for groups who want to work collaboratively without having to lease and furnish an office space of their own.
- {{divider}}
Flexible workspaces are becoming an increasingly prominent part of start-up strategy given their budget friendly options, high quality facilities and ability to cater to choice. Renting out a traditional office and filling it with furniture is much more expensive than getting a membership at a co-working space, or leasing out a small part of an existing flexible office.
{{divider}}
This type of modern workplace also blends employees and freelancers from a wide variety of companies and industries, allowing for greater variety and diversity while avoiding the pitfalls of regular office politics. Some users have concerns that open workspaces are more prone to distraction and noise. However, most modern spaces come with dedicated quiet areas which can increase productivity by up to 38%.
{{divider}}
The key element that makes the flexible workspace so successful is the necessity of individual fit. There is no ‘one-size-fits all’ approach to work and no model understands that better than the flexi-space, enabling it to have survived and emerged stronger than ever after nation-wide lockdowns.
{{divider}}
Working from home has proved popular with employees given the greater autonomy over their own schedules and reduced commute times. However there have simultaneously been many drawbacks including a lack of facilities at home, blurred boundaries between work and home life and inevitable fatigue and distraction.
{{divider}}
The local community flexi-space provides the perfect intermediary - allowing employees to harness the benefits of the office closer to home. This style of hybrid working is rapidly gaining ground, with a recent FlexJobs survey estimating that a whopping 65% of respondents desire to be full-time remote post-pandemic, and 31% prefer a hybrid set-up.
{{divider}}
Shared workspaces have been around since the 1960s, so there is now a growing body of evidence to support their employer and employee benefits. Having initially found form amongst the digital nomad and hackathon communities, their progressive approach to combining the offices of old with the technologies of the modern day has rippled out across the globe.
{{divider}}
Not only is the flexible workspace model built on sound economics, but it could also be of assistance in the ‘second silent pandemic’ that has been insidiously building for a while. The growing mental health epidemic has been a result of flailing psychiatric paradigms, widening inequality, rapid workplace changes leaving many unskilled and ill-equipped, and the inability of health care systems to cope.
{{divider}}
An increasing number of SMEs are taking the lead when it comes to making health central to the workplace revolution. From finding more meaning and purpose through work, to fostering community and adjusting workspace practices, there’s never been a better time to join such a progressive space.
{{divider}}
Although they may lack large HR departments and corporate occupational health programmes, small businesses are finding that sometimes, the simplest solutions are often the best ones: with many local co-working spaces offering everything a start-up could need for the world of tomorrow, under one roof.
{{divider}}
At the heart of fulfilment lies meaning and purpose. Dystopian believers sense that the increasing level of automation in society may lead to increased job losses and homelessness. However many proponents believe that automation creates as many new jobs as it replaces. It also has the potential to help open up more meaning in human-driven work.
{{divider}}
In addition to this, the two key tenets of businesses that are still standing post-COVID include sustainability and resilience. Many believe that COVID has accelerated the move away from an outdated Friedman paradigm, and towards a more purpose-driven era of socially responsible Capitalism.
{{divider}}
The prevailing predisposition for purpose means that the future looks bright - creating enterprises and societies that are focused on advancing more than just the bottom line. The B Corporation movement has come to signal the gold-standard of what it means to incorporate all of community, employees, environment, customers and governance into the integrative mix.
{{divider}}
From private office options, super fast wifi and exclusive membership perks, to the latest in smart technology and spaces furnished with wellbeing in mind. Being able to outsource these needs to the experts, at a lower cost and greater returns is the winning strategy of the new normal.
{{divider}}
This future-proof solution is benefitting all of employers, their employees and local communities across the nation. So when it comes to baking purpose into the core of your company - thinking thrice about the triple bottom line starts with the office. The office of the future is here, and it's more flexible, autonomous and fair than ever before.
{{divider}}
Find Out What A Flexible Workspace Could Do For Your Business Today
{{divider}}
