Flexible Office Space Answers Business Needs and Employee Demands

The pandemic rattled the world in a way that arguably hasn’t been seen since World War II. Current generations will forever hold the two years of home isolation in their minds, whether fondly or negatively. One thing is certain, preferences in the workforce have changed, and with the labor market being incredibly strong, businesses are struggling to convince their staff to return to work as normal.  

From an employee’s perspective, why would they want to return to an office to complete a role they have effectively fulfilled from the comfort of home for the past two years? For employees, a return to the 9-5 reflects a loss of personal time and added commuting costs. Meanwhile, companies are paying expensive rent on empty office spaces. 

Are we staring down the barrel of the end of office work?  

Not quite, but we should expect to see an exciting shift in the coming years as the pandemic’s effects settle into ongoing work culture. Office work has been a part of the Western World since the British Empire. It is ingrained in the modern culture.  And while the office environment isn’t about to disappear, we are seeing a change in its function as well as the amenities provided.  

If you’re a business leader and you’re not considering how your office space impacts your employees and clients going forward, you should be.  The pandemic saw new businesses form and some old players shrink. Consumer demands shifted, and technology became the rising star, providing solutions to many of the challenges the world faced over the past two years.  

Rising demand for flexible office space should come as no surprise as companies and workers adapt to new hybrid working models.  Flexible workspaces provide employers and employees alike numerous amenities that are not available in a traditional office lease, while creating access to collaborative and technologically equipped workspaces that employees demand.  

Attract Top Talent with Flexibility and Autonomy 

If your staff has stuck through the pandemic with you, they’ve proven their capability to work under unique circumstances. For example, a survey of 5,000 knowledge workers said that 59% would prioritize flexibility over salary, and 61% would prefer a management style that allowed them to come to work and work from home as needed.  

What most top talent are demanding isn’t just flexibility but autonomy. Skilled employees want to be the primary decision-maker in where and when they work. Attracting talent back to the office requires creating an environment they actually want to work from. Class B offices and dated cubicles are no longer going to cut it.  

Businesses wanting to hire and hold top talent need to provide them with the flexibility they want. That means 24/7 access, move-in ready furnished workspace, flexible work conditions, and a sense of location independence. 

Flexible workspaces give employers the capacity to adapt to changing staffing levels by giving them the option to expand and contract their office requirements as needed.  Calculate your workspace needs

Collaboration and Environment 

Employers need to provide staff with something they’ve been missing: connection and space to collaborate. Post-pandemic, collaborative spaces are utilized 25% more than previously. So yes, office space still holds value. 

Flexible offices have excellent lounge spaces, meeting rooms, and breakout areas. Leveraging these “collaboration hubs” fosters an enjoyable work environment while added amenities including a coffee bar, member networking and educational activities, and plug-and-play technology create a modern workplace vibe where employees want to work. 

Flexible Solutions  

Flexible office space represents both a short-term and long-term solution for many businesses.  

As we adapt to post-pandemic work life, it’s a great short-term option for businesses:  

• Who need short-term space while their long-term lease location is being built out.  
• Have outgrowth their current office space and therefore require overflow space.  
• Unable to commit to a long-term lease because their business is new, or they want to wait until their business stabilizes. 

What members of flexible office space have found, however, is that it also solves long-term needs often better than traditional office space. They fit for businesses that:  

• Seek a turn-key, furnished office space with shared high-end amenities.  
• Prefer the flexibility of multiple locations, such as a suburban and city office (a Hub and Spoke model) to meet with clients or cater to shifting employee needs. 
• Want to eliminate the administrative functions of an office, such as scheduling cleaning services and maintaining office furniture and equipment, and focus on their work. 
• Value the ongoing ability to network with other members and generate new business. 

Flexible office space provides an alternative to traditional offices as both employers and employees navigate the post-pandemic landscape. The space isn’t limited to small businesses; spaces are available in options from co-working to private offices to large office suites.  

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