Over the past 10 years the flexible workspace has evolved from being a useful solution for freelancers and startup companies to becoming a business-savvy option for a variety of companies, and even landlords. The trend is also growing in popularity as more workers begin to work from home.
Flexible workspaces offer employees with comfortable and attractive workplaces, meeting rooms, and other spaces for collaboration. It can inspire them to work harder and boost their efficiency, and all it takes is for the company to provide a stimulating workplace where employees can enjoy some autonomy, while allowing them to stay focused and engaged in their work.
This will allow companies to work with the hybrid arrangement of work from home which allows employees to split their time between their homes and office. It will reduce the density of offices and ensure a certain degree of physical distance once they return to work.
Whatever the case, a flexible working space is often misunderstood with other work environments similar to it. Many people believe that coworking and activity-based working are distinct from flexibility in the workplace, while others claim they’re all similar, however they’re all founded on the same principle.
There are other concerns that a lot of people have regarding this, so we’re trying to dispel them. Find out the definition of a flexible workspace and how it can aid your company.
What is a flexible work space?
Flexible workspace often referred to as Flex spaces, is a workplace arrangement that offers a lively setting. Within them, you’ll see everything you would normally observe in a typical office space: desks, chairs, telephones computers, and so on. The distinction is that you are able to arrange them in a adaptable way.
A workspace that is flexible adapts to any requirements your employees may face. They might be working with the group in an office space one day , but sitting at an office with a hot workspace and working on their own in the following.
It’s not restricted to just that. It is possible to alter the layout of the office to what’s needed at this moment, should it be required. Flexible workplaces are adaptable, which means that your workplace could be able to have multiple flex areas or that the whole office could be filled with them in order to make the most of the benefits.
How can a flexible Workspace Can Benefit Your Company?
There are numerous benefits of a flexible workplace design including savings for the company and improved employee satisfaction. greater employee engagement and retention of employees. This arrangement can be even better if your business is expanding or has a lot of employees who are part-time or remotely employed.
Savings
Using a flexible workspace Finsbury Park can dramatically lower your company’s overhead expenses. There aren’t all employees who must be at their desks while they work. Many of the employees working on site are mobile and do not tend to be in one place for long periods of time.
In addition, since a lot of employees are currently opting for remote and hybrid work arrangements, there’s no requirement to provide an assigned desk for each employee. It means that a large part of your office is likely to be inefficiently used.
If you can figure out how many employees go to work every daily, then you will be able to make the most value out of the space you have or lease using the flexibility of a workspace, like open floor plans or non-assigned seating. It’s possible that you can accommodate more employees than the space you have available while reducing overhead costs.
Enhances Employee Satisfaction
The level of satisfaction that employees have has an impact on all aspects of the work environment by encouraging innovation in employees and happiness, from making them more satisfied by improving their physical and mental health wellbeing. It is a pleasure to have influence over the place they work as well as their methods used to finish their jobs.
A flexible workplace which allows employees to be mobile and change their environment positively impacts their productivity, motivation, and many other. If they’re happy working in a relaxed environment, the likelihood of employees being stressed at work will decrease. This is among the top reasons for absenteeism among employees.
Employees also interact with one another as they are moving around. If you’ve got a positive organization, this more interactions between employees could improve their satisfaction at work.
Additionally, this type of work arrangement has a variety of benefits for health for employees who work in work spaces that are flexible that include activity-based working. This type of arrangement allows employees to be productive without having to be tied to a specific cubicle or workstation.
Since people are constantly moving from one place to another during their workday and are constantly moving around, they tend to be less inclined to suffer muscle injuries. They also may improve their posture, and thus have lower risk of suffering from diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses and avoid other injuries from ergonomics that result from the sedentary lifestyle of working. In the end, your employees are healthier, they also have fewer sick days. The productivity of your employees increases because of their satisfaction, which significantly increases the production of your company.
Aids in attracting and retaining talented Employees
The expectations of employees have changed over time because technological advancements have made it simpler to work at the comfort of your home. Today there are many professionals who work remotely and this trend is increasing. Finding talented employees to join and work in a workplace setting is becoming increasingly difficult and it’s essential to get them to come in. Their enthusiasm for working for your company could depend on the amount of flexibility you’re able to provide them.
The latest technology allows employees with a lot of flexibility in working from home, especially when using the readily available productivity and collaboration tools. Although they can make certain aspects of their online work more convenient, others may begin to feel isolated and lonely from other employees, especially in the event that they are working at a distance.
Designing a flexible, well-designed workspace can inspire your employees to join in and connect with one another more. An agile, multi-purpose workplace could create a social zone at work that encourages interaction. It allows employees to build connections with one another and strengthen their working relationships, and makes people more involved in their work.
You could also consider implementing virtual team bonding to combat loneliness and improve engagement, and allow the employees to work at home. It is also crucial to assist or motivate them to set up in place a suitable digital and physical workspace regardless of their working arrangement.
Each of the benefits is related. Employees who are content take less time off work and increase their productivity, which increases the company’s revenue. They may be unable to convince employees who are looking for work or else by implementing an agile workspace system within your organization, allowing you keep your skilled workforce and attract top potential candidates.
Designing a flexible workspace
If you’re trying to eliminate the cubicles at your workplace and adopt modern, flexible designs There are a variety of options to go about it. One of the most common features in a common flexible work space includes is multi-use, collaborative areas with modern, flexible office furniture.
The change in an office’s layout into a more flexible one isn’t possible without an extensive overhaul. If you’re trying to lease or purchase an office then you should look for one that has an open, flexible floor design. Find offices that have wide-open spaces , and avoid offices with lots of permanently installed fixtures, equipment, or rooms that are separated.
It is possible to easily divide open floor plans into smaller work areas by partition walls that move or partitions that can be rearranged, or furniture. This will allow you to effortlessly allow your employees to work when it expands in size. You can also adapt the space to any evolving organizational needs as time goes by.
When it comes to furniture, choose furniture with a clever and mobile design which allows you to move around your workplace swiftly and effortlessly. The majority of office furniture available for an ergonomic office meets these requirements, except for the standing tables that are electric.
But, these desks are still great for corner spaces or when you’re following a modern design for flexible work such as hot desks. Ergonomic office chairs, mobile storage solutions, wall dividers and tables that fold up to can easily be put together for meetings are all furniture that can help you maximize the benefits of a flexible work space.
It is also possible to put TVs and monitors onto extendable brackets that you can pull off the desk or wall to move them in various direction and angles. This flexible design and furniture layout will help you save money in the long term. It is possible to reuse the majority of the furniture when your business expands and the office culture and changes.
Flexible Workspace Trends
The previous discussion consists of an open and modular office design that is able to easily adapt to the daily requirements of work. It allows collaboration in whatever shape it requires and fosters an environment that is comfortable for employees. But, there are other patterns you can observe when designing a flexible workspace space.
There aren’t many distinctions from one another since they’re all based on the notion that flexible work. The majority of them share the essential elements of break-out spaces or quiet zones as well as shared resources, while mostly implementing open-plan designs. Here are some strategies that you can implement at your workplace.
Hot Desks
Hotdesking lets employees to select any office seat available upon arrival at their workplace. It was an opportunity to boost interaction and collaboration between employees. While it utilizes the tiny office space effectively but some employees aren’t keen on this concept unless it is accompanied by strict guidelines.
If your company has a lot of departments, your employees might end up working with those they don’t have contact with. Even though the best case scenario might lead to a new relation, there’s the possibility for conflict in the event that their roles differ fundamentally.
The best method for implementing hot desking is to separate your workplace into separate areas so that employees are not mismatched. It is also possible to create an area of quiet for those who are required to concentrate on their work. Take the time to learn about the peculiarities of your employees and determine which secure workplace space is most suited for them, if you are looking to use this design for a flexible workspace.
Activity-based Work
A workspace that is activity-based offers various spaces that have different designs and office equipment to assist your employees in whatever work they are currently working on. They are able to select the location they would like to work in and the way they work. The spaces vary from small, dedicated areas that are enclosed to huge and open-air team sharing rooms.
These flexible workplaces are built to increase efficiency and comfort, since employees can decide to work in the way they want to. The most common examples of workspaces that are based on activity include focused rooms and individual workspaces. The workspaces are similar to an office. It could provide various individual work spaces including private carrels for individuals, focused areas, or even a basic office desk with a chair in an enclosed room.
Lounges that are open and spaces for collaboration are also a part of this flexible workspace. These spaces provide employees with an area to work comfortably. Collaboration spaces differ in style, including small spaces with moveable furniture to large open spaces that have specific seating arrangements, as well as portable whiteboards.
An open-plan lounge must have comfortable seating options, workplace accessories like laptop tables and power outlets. These spaces are ideal for those who need to catch up on work, to collaborate on a project or take a short but effective break, or perform work in an open space.
Many meeting rooms that meet many different needs are also part of work environments that are based on activity. Pitch rooms equipped with central podiums, seminar-style seating and lounges with private spaces or training rooms, as well as conference rooms that can accommodate more or less people are examples of the many needs that you could meet.
It is also possible to create private nooks and booths to give employees a space in which they can work on their own or make calls with no interruptions to others.
Coworking Spaces
Coworking spaces, to put it in simple terms, are a collaborative space where workers from different organizations can meet and perform their work. They provide the essential office equipment including printers, wi-fi desks, meeting rooms as well as other amenities like social spaces.
If you think the thought of remodeling your office and creating the concept of a flexible workspace bit too overwhelming then you could opt to hire a coworking facility. While it was initially intended for freelancers and workers who work remotely but some small-scale business and businesses are now using coworking firms to manage their workspace needs.
In the end, a flexible workspace provides a lot of benefits for your employees. It enhances their overall health and wellbeing and job satisfaction. It also enhances productivity for employees. These can all result in your company doing better. Determine which design is most suitable for your employees and then take the appropriate steps to adopt it.