5 Reasons Why Australian Businesses are Choosing Flex

When working from home became the new standard for countless companies in 2020, the corporate world was forever altered. The question is whether office buildings will ever go back to pre-covid capacity. It took drastic circumstances, but have businesses come to the realisation that working smarter could mean not being in the office at all?‌

Employees who have been working from home have collectively determined that they do not want to return to the traditional office and routine.

Only 2% of respondents in a flexjobs survey said they would prefer to return to the office full-time, while 65% want to remain fully remote. Nearly 33% prefer a hybrid schedule working both in and out of the office. That last group of folks may be on to something.
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Working from home has certainly proven successful around the world. But is remote work sustainable? The answer lies somewhere in the middle. The pandemic demonstrated that people can get work done while at home. Now that we know this, sending the troops back to the office post-pandemic seems unproductive.
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What if the new normal is a hybrid schedule of working remotely and going to the office when necessary? An impressive 3.1 million people around the world are using alternative and flexible office options. The projection is for this to increase to 5 million over the next several years. When that day comes, the people who took advantage of serviced offices today are going to be considered early adopters of the new normal.

Let's dive into 5 reasons to use serviced offices moving forward.

1) Flexibility of rental terms

Does it make financial sense to sign a multi-year lease for an office that is only used for 40% of the year? Most business leaders would say no. ‌

‌Serviced offices not only eliminate getting stuck in a long-term contract, but the commitment with them can be as minimal as month to month. If a longer commitment is required, there are license agreements for three-month, six-month, and twelve-month periods.

2) Pay for what you use

Only need meeting rooms once a week? Then pay for them only when you need them, unlike a lease where you are always paying for unused space.

Have a team of 10 today but aim to be 30 next year? Then rent an office for 10 and move when you need to — the office should be as flexible as you are.

3) Grow your office as the team grows

What is on the opposite end of having too much space and paying for things that sit unused? That would be running out of space. Achieving company growth is always the goal but can put a business in a real predicament when it comes to space. If unforeseen growth was not accounted for ahead of time, a necessary new employee might have no desk.

Every business experiences growing pains and adapts as it moves forward. But you should never have to sacrifice the quality of someone's job by having to scramble to find them a place to sit. Growing pains are the perfect reason to use serviced offices.  

4) Meeting room on demand

Have you ever been a visitor at an office and walked by a large, dark room? Many offices have rooms like these. Whether for a private internal meeting or an important client visit, conference rooms serve an important purpose. However, in many businesses they are rarely needed.

If a conference room sits dark and empty 90% of the time, it is likely costing the company something. It may be hard to pinpoint or measure that cost. One example is simply the space itself. A particularly large conference room adds to the total square meters of the space, likely increasing the cost of the lease. Serviced offices allow you to shop on demand when it comes to temporary needs.

5) Multiple locations for when you’re on the road

How often does a person's desk sit empty and unused at the office while they are on the road? When you partner with a serviced office specialist, you can be confident that your employees are fully taken care of when they are not working away from the office.

An important meeting does not have to depend on the bandwidth of a hotel's network. When an employee working outside of the office is expected and required to be online and accessible, you do not have to worry about losing them to a spotty wifi connection in a cafe.

Having the option of a serviced space anywhere in Australia means both supervisors and employees can feel confident the tasks at hand are on course. Some hosts even let out individual meeting rooms by the day. Having this option could positively impact the days employees are on the road.