Technology / Cultural Changes / Autonomous Collaboration
“Location - Location - Location” was the dominant mantra regarding real estate for decades, but things are evolving. We aren’t eliminating location as an important factor however, thanks to technology and cultural shifts, it now has some competition - namely flexibility and adaptability. Co-working, shared suites, and hotdesks are terms tossed around regarding work spaces, let’s discuss those along with insights into the changing dynamics of work spaces.
Mobility
Work mobility is being transformed by the dual forces of technology and cultural change. Mobility is beyond the idea of where you work, it's a mindset founded on adaptation and growth. When thinking of the type of work space you need it's important to understand what type of space best fits your organization and the type of work you do. Perhaps more importantly you will want the ability to adjust your space to the changing dynamics of your business. The ability to do this hasn’t always been an option because we hadn’t built processes and buildings that reacted to their tenants needs, however now both landlords and developers are recognizing tenants’ needs to adapt to a variety of work tasks. Choosing an office is an important aspect of starting or running your business, we can help you understand the various choices while also building a smart strategy that adjusts as you grow. As you think of your office or work space it may be helpful to consider how mobility and technology fit into your overall vision. It’s very cliche to apply the term democratization to a concept but sometimes it fits. Technology has democratized how we work and increased mobility is a positive side effect of this progress. From large organizations to freelancers, there is an abundance of freedom when it comes to where or how work gets done. This changes the thinking for how offices and buildings should be designed, at a minimum it shifts our view on how leases should be structured.
Until recently there wasn’t wide access to flexible office space. What changed? Entrepreneurs, workers, and organizations have been conditioned via the internet to demand the ability to customize virtually everything they come into contact with. The solution from a property management or building owner perspective was “co-working” spaces and other flexible office environments. If you squint and look into the future you will see that offices and how we work will continue to evolve away from the highly rigid systems of the past. As a tenant you should want a great office along with a highly adaptable leasing process that develops with you. Mobility should go both ways, how you position your organization in the marketplace and your leasing/office structure.
Collaboration / Cultural Shifts
Collaboration and the desire to be autonomous urges us to make changes to our work environments. These changes manifest into a positive feedback loop between technology tools and worker collaboration that creates work environments that are flexible and open. Speaking to the notion of openness, let’s agree that fully open offices aren't always desirable or superior to all people or workflows. Some may prefer a private space to conduct most of their work and others bounce between various settings. It’s important to build an environment that allows for those choices because it increases the enjoyment and productivity of work. The technology driven nature of work today reinforces the idea that it's become culturally normalized to work in various settings depending on the task or personal preference. For example - teams gather in a small conference room to discuss priorities and collaborate then individually the work might happen in a green space, small office, or open loft. The underlying theme is that the work space is optimized to improve output. Over the last ten-plus years co-working environments have been one way that offices have been designed to optimize a decentralized workforce.
Choosing an office/work space requires a careful examination of an organization along with your vision for the future. HBR does a nice job laying out the various factors that go into picking an office layout. Every organization needs to evaluate the various characteristics that embody your team and its processes. If you have a well established group then it might not be a bad idea to be transparent and involve them in this process.
Consider these questions as you think of leasing or building an office:
Which work behaviors do we want to promote and support?
What matters to our employees and how will that change over the next few years?
How do we think of flexibility as work gets completed?
What do we want visitors to think when they visit our space?
Are there other members of the community that might use our space?
What are the most productive areas in our current work space?
Which type of office best suits your organization?
Co-working - Use of an office or other working environment by people who are self-employed or working for different employers, typically so as to share equipment, ideas, and knowledge. This type of space is used by large well established organizations, startups and individual freelancers. Collaboration is a fundamental characteristic of this type of work environment.
Private Suite - Collection of private offices, open areas, and possibly other spaces (meeting rooms, kitchens, reception, etc), that is private to one organization. Think of an organization or team that prefers the flexibility and openness of a coworking space but wants it all to itself. Growing companies or a specific team within a large organization (ex. Data Science team). Private suites work for groups that equally value privacy and teamwork.
Shared Suite - Similar to Private Suite, but shared by multiple organizations. Organizations that have cultures and objectives that complement each other would be ideal in this type of space. Well suited for multiple organizations that want a similar office environment and share the costs.
Private Office - Enclosed work space for one person, suitable for activities which are confidential, demand a lot of concentration or include many small meetings.
Hot Desk - Involves multiple workers using a single physical work-station or surface during different time periods.
How and where we work is evolving to match the way people operate, interact, and produce today. We perform best in an environment that provides access to great tools while in a well designed space that suits the organization and its culture. Collaboration, mobility, and adaptability are more than just buzzwords, they are guideposts that should be looked to as you are considering leasing or building a new office. We love helping people through the process of leasing or building a new office - let us know how we can help.