Why Flexible Working is Here to Stay

Flexible work is the future. for many businesses and teams, COVID-19 served to abrupty introduce them and their teams to the plausibility of working from home. Companies that had previously resisted the lure of 'flexible' or 'hybrid' work arrangements quickly found themselves adapting their processes, technology, and calendars to support their staff working from wherever they needed to. Employees that had long looked at flexible work arrangements as out of reach suddenly had all the work-from-home time they could dream of – and for many, they missed their time in the office alongside colleagues and friends. Working from home has offered a number of benefits for teams and businesses, and the ability to adapt swiftly has served Australia well in a post-2020 world of snap-lockdowns and unpredictable restrictions, but for the majority of business leaders the next goal is creating a long-term business as usual.  

Striking a balance

Australian employees have been vocal about their love of flexible work arrangements, and corporations and government teams are standing up and taking notice. HR teams across the country have been the go-between for employees and employers, working to create a solution that works for all involved – this has involved conducting surveys, creating hybrid work rosters, and organising all-in meeting days in centrally-located spaces designed for collaboration.

An ideal alternative

In the past, many businesses were using traditionally-leased spaces as their status quo, locking themselves into 5-10 year leases and paying for fit-out and design of their spaces. Coworking and flexible office spaces originally emerged into the Australian market as an offering for entrepreneurs, startups, and freelancers in the post-global financial crisis world. As the businesses of these early adopters grew, so did the quality of the offerings, with providers like Hub Australia expanding to offer not just coworking space, but flexible offices, suites, and a host of premium amenities to help members continue to grow their businesses and offerings to employees. Flexible workspaces are not just ideal due to their design and amenities. As a business owner, working on flexible terms allows you to be certain of your monthly costs, with everything included – utilities, fit-out, Wifi, maintenance, cleaning, and more. This helps you avoid unpredicted cost blowouts, predict future costs, and project your business’s growth.  

Flexibility to scale

The emergence of flexible workspaces has led many corporate and government teams to double-check the end-date of their current agreements, as more and more large businesses make the shift to flexible workspaces. The ability to scale workspaces up or down as needed, whether to meet growth or accommodate a hybrid work arrangement for your team, is the deciding factor for many organisations that now find their large offices filled fractionally day-to-day. This scaling benefit has long been used by smaller businesses, who choose workplaces like Hub to allow them to go from a two to a 12-person office as needed, and purchase additional memberships to accommodate staff working flexibly.

This article appears courtesy of The Hub

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FLEXIBLE WORKSPACE AUSTRALIA

Flexible Workspace Australia is the peak body for coworking and flexible workspace providers and partners across all cities and regions of Australia.