Gone Are The Days of Show Up, Work, Go Home and Repeat
As the past year completely transformed the workplace and employees became less dependent on the physical office to perform their job, employers were ushered toward a new era of innovation and creative problem-solving. As a result, businesses are developing new workplace strategies and reviewing their real estate portfolio to make the office a greater source of efficiencies.
A Blended Approach
Despite the initial challenges of working from home, many employers have come to realise how valuable remote work can be, not only to their business operations but the talent pool, employee satisfaction and employee retention.
While remote work is often considered an all or nothing approach, there is no one-size-fits-all-solution and instead, many organisations are opting for a blended approach, combining the benefits of in-office and remote work.
The blended model varies from company to company as industry, culture, team dynamic and geography all come into factor. As worker flexibility increases, so too must the flexibility of the office that supports them. As a result, organisations are adopting a greater variety of space types for its employees to leverage to get work done while supporting their safety and wellbeing.
The Physical Office Reimagined
The need for teams to spend time together will always be essential and while the city centre headquarters likely won’t disappear completely, organisations are opting to offer employees the choice between a cluster of remote locations.
Adopting a network of spaces allows employees to choose to work remotely however this may not necessarily be from their homes. To avoid the time and cost commuting into the urban core, employees may opt to work from a regional hub, in an environment that offers them the amenities, technology and spatial design conducive to productivity, enjoyment and connections with others.
To allow for this while increasing space utilisation and efficiency, many are turning to flexible office and coworking providers. Combining the benefits of office life and remote work, flexible office providers are meeting the collaborative, educational and social needs of a growing hybrid workforce through its fluid spaces that support activity-based working catered to daily movement and various workflows.
For its occupiers, there are immense cost-savings benefits, with no capital commitment and month-to-month membership structures, there is no risk of being stuck with unneeded space, a compelling combination where the future is more uncertain than usual.
As each company will have their own approach to the hybrid model, it’s safe to say, the function of the office is swiftly shifting away from traditional to more collaborative, dispersed and innovative spaces supporting the new workforce demands.
As employers navigate a more complex work environment, flexible office and coworking providers have emerged as the perfect model to support a hybrid workforce. With their intentional workplace design, occupancy and policies, companies are making the office a greater source of efficiencies and hub for collaboration and innovation
