Traditionally, workplaces have been rigid, regimented affairs. However, the notion of having all staff working the same hours from a single location is not as relevant as it once was. As business continues to evolve, so too does the concept of what a workplace should be. Now the focus is on flexibility and efficiency, not uniformity. Here are seven ways in which modernising the workplace has a positive effect on business.
Hot Desking & Flexible Workspaces
Modern tech has transformed the very idea of what constitutes a workplace – from a physical space to a network. Many startups and small businesses are benefitting from the flexibility of having employees work remotely from anywhere in the world. By hot-desking via the use of serviced offices, businesses reduce their space requirements, catering for lower numbers of staff in the physical workplace at any one time. It’s a great way for businesses to keep costs down without sacrificing productivity.
The Rise of Telecommuting
Modern employers recognise that people lead busy lives and need flexibility to accommodate that. Research has shown that staff who work from home are happier, more productive and less likely to quit – and modern workplaces are reaping the benefits of these arrangements. Allowing staff to work from home minimises workspace needs, and keep costs down. When face to face meetings are absolutely necessary, renting a boardroom or meeting space at one of our Corporate House locations is a cost effective solution.
Breaking Down Physical Barriers to Communication
Over the last 20 years workplace design has trended away from partitioned layouts towards open plan spaces – and with good reason. They encourage greater communication, collaboration and resource sharing between employees and are great for growing businesses as the space can be quickly rethought and reallocated as more employees come on. Open plan spaces promote greater teamwork, problem solving between teams and lead to more innovative solutions.
The Agile Approach
The waterfall methodology for project management defined much of the 20th century. Waterfall saw projects as sequential, which often proved slow, expensive and squandered valuable resources in the process.
Businesses worldwide are switching to agile methodologies to capitalise upon the rapid pace of change in today’s industries. Agile brings teams together to complete a project in iterative format and makes use of all available resources in the process.
Satellite Offices
For many businesses the priority is to have workplaces that are easily accessible for all staff. Having smaller spaces around the city decreases transport costs and travel times for employees and the business as whole. It provides a low-cost option to keep you close to your customers, strengthening those all-important relationships. Corporate House has six convenient locations in South East Queensland to choose from with more planned to open in 2016 and beyond.
Local Teams to Service Clients
Businesses can be defined by their client relationships. For smaller businesses and startups, sending staff to client meetings can be disruptive and costly. As technology enables businesses to operate more fluidly in the physical environment, many are finding efficiencies through smaller spaces in multiple locations. This increases productivity and cuts travel time and cost for staff and management alike.
Efficient Collaboration and Communication Tools
One of the greatest areas of improvement that technology tools offer businesses is in efficient communication between employees. Low-cost, easy to use and accessible tools now define the modern workplace. There is a huge variety of collaboration tools available to businesses today including Slack, Skype, Google Apps and multiple Project Management software solutions which all reduce the need for often inefficient face to face meetings and ultimately improve productivity.
If your business is shifting to embrace the modern approach to workplace efficiencies, Corporate House has a variety of solutions to minimise your overheads and maximise your productivity. Book a tour of our serviced and virtual office facilities at a time that suits you to learn how we can help you achieve your business goals.