What is Flexible Workspace? Why Flexible Office Spaces are becoming common
By Varun Bodhi
A flexible workspace is an office space with an environment where employees can work in a variety of settings. This could be a coworking space, hot desks or an open office floor plan.
Flexible workspaces are becoming more common as business look for ways to be more agile and productive, while also having the freedom to scale up or down as necessary. This office model, also known as 'flexispace', provides employees with the freedom to work in any location.
Types of flexible workspaces
There are a range of flexible workspaces a business can incorporate, with each one having its own merit.
One of the most common ones is Coworking, which is when employees from different businesses share an office space. This is often seen in start-up hubs or incubators, as it provides a sense of community and collaboration.
Hot desking is another popular type of flexible workspace, where employees do not have their own assigned desks and instead can sit anywhere in the office. This encourages more interaction between colleagues and can lead to a more flexible and creative workplace.
Open office floor plans are also becoming increasingly common, as they allow for more natural light and collaboration between employees. They also give businesses the ability to reconfigure their space as needed.
With an open office floor, the layout is one of the most important factors that will need to be considered as well as the type of furniture that will be used. Before committing to an open office floor, it's important to consult with an expert to ensure that it will be the best fit for your business.
Many forms of workspace models are gaining traction, indicating a clear shift from the traditional office space. Another great example of this is the Hub-and-Spoke Office model.
Why should a business use flexible workspaces?
Since Covid, working from home has become common place and when heavy restrictions were in place, the trend of flexible workspaces not only enabled businesses to continue to operate, but also shed light on how employees can remain efficient under these conditions.
There are many advantages of using flexible workspaces, including:
- Increased productivity: employees have the freedom to work in a variety of settings which suits their needs. This improves on morale which leads to employees being more productive and taking less unnecessary sick days.
- Cost savings: businesses can save on costs by not having to lease a traditional office space. This is often the most pivotal factor when a business is deciding between the desired workspace.
- Scalability: businesses can easily scale up or down their workspace requirements as needed. As a result, it also reduces the risk factor of having to commit to a lease which is often the biggest difficulty for small business.
- Access to talent: businesses can tap into a global pool of talent by using coworking spaces. This factor may also tie into cost if the talent's location has a weaker currency.
Are flexible workspaces still trending?
Flexible workspaces are not only trending but they are here to stay. With the rise of the gig economy and more businesses looking for ways to be agile, it's no surprise that flexible workspaces are becoming more popular.
Statistics on how common flexible workspace is:
- In 2018, there was a 22% growth in the number of coworking spaces globally.
- In 2019, there were 30,000+ coworking spaces worldwide.
- The global flexible workspace market is expected to grow from $26 billion in 2019 to $77 billion by 2030.
For smaller businesses where once having a traditional office space was a high priority to appear established, is no longer a stress factor thanks to the preference of flexible workspaces.
Essential aspects of flexible workspaces
When looking for a flexible workspace, there are a few key aspects that you should keep in mind, such as:
- The location: it's important to find a space that is easily accessible for your employees. Without easy access to the office space, the whole concept of flexible workspace is defeated.
- The type of space: as discussed, there are a variety of flexible workspace options available, so it's important to find one that best suits the needs of your business.
- The Layout: this should be conducive to the type of work that will be done there.
- The Amenities: the space should have all the amenities that your employees need in order to be productive.
- The Price: this should be within your budget but also should consider the value being received. Settling for a cheap solution which offers minimal value will only take your business a step back.
Coworking and Hot Desks
Coworking spaces are one type of flexible workspace that has become increasingly popular. Coworking spaces are shared workspaces where people from different companies can come to work. These spaces often have a variety of amenities such as printers, scanners, meeting rooms and more.
Hot desking is a variation of coworking where employees can choose to work at any open desk in the office. Hot desking can be done in a coworking space or in a traditional office space. The benefit of hot desking is that it allows employees to move around and find the best place to work for them on any given day.
For small businesses looking for coworking spaces or hot desks with amenities that can help them propel into the global market by having enterprise level technology, Servcorp is the ideal solution.
Why is Servcorp Coworking better than others?
Servcorp Coworking is the perfect solution for small businesses because it offers all the amenities of a large office space without the high price tag.
Servcorp's coworking spaces are located in prime locations around the world and give access to amenities such as:
- Enterprise level technology: whether it's a tier 1 internet connection with customisable Wi-Fi security or our call routing technology which enables you to have full control over your business communications thanks to a dedicated receptionist assigned to answer your calls, Servcorp has it all.
- Meeting rooms: our meeting rooms are designed to impress clients and help you close deals. For businesses which work remotely or from home, deciding on where to meet clients for the first time can be difficult, which is where meeting rooms are ideal.
- Community events: these events are great for networking and building relationships with other businesses in the Servcorp community.
- Printing, scanning and photocopying: while these may be standard across other providers, Servcorp has its own unique OneFax technology to ensure high levels of security.
- Onsite IT support: with our team of IT professionals, you can be sure that any issues you have will be resolved quickly and efficiently.
In addition, Servcorp's coworking spaces come with a dedicated desk option which gives businesses their own space within the coworking area. This is ideal for businesses that want to have a more permanent space but still want the flexibility to move around and collaborate with other businesses in the coworking space.
As a business owner, recognising value will lead to success - choose wisely.
