FEATURE


The hub and spoke model provides a great compromise between the centralised office and working from home. The ‘spoke’ offices are often situated closer to workers’ homes, allowing them to reduce their commute, in turn leading to better health and wellbeing and greater productivity. In contrast to working from home, employees have a place to gather, collaborate, and socialise, all in a space with the usual workplace amenities.


Flexspace acts as an ideal spokes thanks to a number of benefits. Flexspace contracts are simple to manage for a tenant as the rent, IT and office management is all packaged up into one monthly bill.


“Having a centralised ‘hub’ gives the


organisation a heart.”


In an increasingly competitive operator market, high- quality tech, helpdesks, conferencing facilities, and other features come as standard in most flexspace settings.


Many operators are very open to working with tenants on the design and layout of a space, allowing businesses to create a space that feels on-brand and a genuine extension of a head office. Flexspace operators also offer much more flexible tenancies than traditional long-term leases, reducing the financial risk for tenants while providing the agility to scale up or down at short notice.


Why keep the hub? With so many obvious benefits to ‘spokes’, it can be tempting to switch to an entirely decentralised organisational model and doing so might well suit some companies. However, having a centralised ‘hub’ gives the organisation a heart. The core leadership team will still want a place to come together, and retaining a prestigious address can make a great impression on clients. In addition, a centralised hub offers a place to meet clients and host events. Indeed, we may see companies utilising flex for both their hub and spokes because of the agility it provides to scale up or down at short notice.


New models for a post-pandemic world Flexspace was once a popular choice for start-ups and the tech-driven new wave of trendy organisations that were creating workspaces designed to ‘break to mould’. This began to change as larger corporations saw the numerous benefits that these spaces had to offer.


However, satellite offices and flexspace still tended to make up a very small proportion of CRE portfolios. For many, those spaces seemed replaceable; staff could utilise hybrid working by taking a day or two a week to work from home or a coffee shop. But the pandemic changed that. The option to escape home and find more creative spaces such as coffee shops disappeared and the novelty of being


www.tomorrowsfm.com


able to work in pyjamas very quickly wore off. These spaces are no longer a reliable alternative. In addition, a coffee shop might be a good option for the occasional afternoon of work, but it cannot replicate a true workspace and all the necessary amenities it includes.


While the start-ups and SMEs that drove the move to flexspace may be looking for greater security, larger organisations will be looking for the freedom to adapt to post-pandemic working approaches. Flexible spaces that can be tailored to need while reducing risk. This balance will be in serious demand as we move away from the pandemic. It will be particularly important for organisations that have had to streamline and may still be returning to pre-pandemic working levels. The size of many organisations will continue to shift and adjust for possibly some years yet.


An evolved built environment In order to understand how employee outlook will evolve as we return to shared environments, we have to look at the broader built – and natural - environment. For many living in once highly sought-after city centre flats, the benefits of living in a city – shops and socialising - have been totally out of bounds for a year or so, while green spaces, places to escape to and breathe, have been distant and inaccessible.


The spaces we choose to inhabit are going to be changing. For some, green spaces will be idealised and cities will begin to feel claustrophobic. For others, the chance to socialise and be close to friends – when this is once again an option – will be the most important thing. Already, there is an age differential between inhabitants of cities and more rural areas, and this may become more extreme still; people have become more aware of their environment and their communities.


This sits alongside drastic changes to our high streets as many organisations have not survived repeated closures. Many physical shops have become near irrelevant, but community and social spaces are more important than ever. These spaces provide opportunities for office-social space blends that can service satellite offices and bring to life areas that were once purely offices or residential. John Lewis and M&S are notable brands that have already unveiled plans to close or downsize flagship London stores and convert part of the building into office space.


These changes bring with them exciting opportunities for organisations to move away from the traditional models in which they have long been mired. Necessity being the mother of invention, the pandemic has brought numerous developments to the workplace sector, but we have yet to comprehend the long-term impacts.


The time and space this year has given us has forced many to reassess priorities and better appreciate the pros and cons of working and living closely with others. Once the world has once again opened up, this greater understanding of our own priorities and working practices will drive many people to make changes, no longer satisfied with compromising when there are better alternatives out there.


www.clarendonbc.co.uk/ TOMORROW’S FM | 25


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74