If you own a company or manage a team right now, where to work moving forward is a big consideration. Perhaps your company downsized their main office and you no longer have a go-to office that can house everyone. CEO, COOs and Operations people we feel your pain! And while your team is finding their newfound choice in work environment as a blessing, you might still require a central place to meet and collaborate when it REALLY matters.
You're probably scouring the internet looking to see what's out there. Only to find that a lot of prices and term requirements of a traditional office lease are now more costly and involved than before the Pandemic. This makes it even more of a BIG DECISION.
But what if you really need that person-to-person interaction at your business? Is there any other way to achieve your goals of company synergy in this new situation? That's what a lot of people are asking themselves today. Can I reap the benefits of both the new paradigm of remote work AND still get the interpersonal and team cohesion we had prior?
The short answer is yes, but it requires some adaptation to the old way of working. Many consider this middle path, this adaptation, or evolution in the workplace, "Hybrid Work". So what is hybrid work and how is the "Flex" in "Flex Space" incorporated?
Definition: Hybrid work is a flexible work model that supports a blend of in-office, remote, and on-the-go workers. It offers employees the autonomy to choose to work wherever and however they are most productive. (From Webex.com; https://www.webex.com/what-is-hybrid-work.html)
Depending on the type of hybrid work model you choose to suit your team's needs, you will need a central space or a few work hubs. Flex Space offer teams the amount of space they require month-to-month, allowing scaling up and down according to your needs and timelines. So when you are getting very busy and need all-hands-on-deck for a project or sprint, you can flexibly adjust the amount of space you have on hand.
The nice thing about Flex space membership like what we offer at Phase Two is that the memberships can be on your team's account. If someone needs to transfer or take leave you can adjust the membership or transfer it to their replacement as needed. This allows those who work better away from the home (preference, internet, focus, there are a few reasons) to come in more often, and more productive "remote" workers can come in to meet periodically.
At the point you're ready to go through the process of bringing your team back into the fold and returning, either full-time or part-time to the office. This is an ideal time to evaluate your options. Many spaces like ours offer free tours and if you come visit you can also request a free trial day to test out the space either solo or with your team!
At Phase Two Space our private offices are separated from our open floor-plan hot desk areas. While entrances are shared, depending on the size of your teams and privacy needs we have certain sections of the floorplan to accommodate those requests. All of our more private locations within the space are first come, first serve so please come tour if that is of interest to you and your team.
Our advice is to ask your team about what work environment works for them. Pick their brains to get information about what has and hasn't worked lately. From there you can take that feedback and see what workplace strategy would be most productive and cost effective!
There will always be a need for a central work hub or satellite office, even with rapid distribution of teams and the evolution of work. It's just HOW MUCH and WHEN. The near unanimous thing we hear from our members and people touring our space is that an office like Phase Two is a godsend. We love that affirmation, but the important thing to note is that not everyone likes being home or at the same office all the time. And flexibility has been a key driver of these changes post-pandemic.
Things "the office" still provides that a fully remote workforce does not:
