Flexible working model is the perfect solution for corporates wanting to open new office space
Expense, stress and uncertainty are words no business leader wants to have to think about when it comes to making decisions that benefit their company. But those can be the harsh realities of relocating to a new office.
A survey by utilities giant E.ON found that moving to a new site was the second most stressful work task faced by managers, with a staggering eight days of productivity lost on average every year due to the logistics and organisation required to make the move.
The survey of 600 businesses also found that 78% of managers actually delayed moving due to the hassle involved, choosing instead to stay in often “cramped, dilapidated, expensive or inefficient buildings”. And the challenges are the same whether it’s an SME looking to relocate to a more modern premises, or an established international looking to set up a presence in a new country.
According to some estimates, setting up a new site – in a country like Japan, for example – can cost more than £38,000, with initial expenses such as real-estate brokerage fees and office equipment sending the cost sky-rocketing.
Even without the challenges of having to acclimatise to a new country’s property market, the financial implications are still daunting. One report found that the cost of just kitting out a new office can range from £7,800 right up to £98,000, while renting the space itself can come in anywhere between £78 to £780 per employee, per month.
When it comes to the bigger picture and the impact on finance directors’ budgets, it’s not just the bottom line that matters either but the wider implications of being able to attract and keep hold of the very best talent.
The nature of work is changing. Millennials don’t want to be cramped into grey office blocks from nine-to-five: they want to have the option of working flexibly. A report by Deloitte found that, above all, what they want is a better work/life balance, with the option at least of flexible working and to work in modern pleasant environments.
A simple solution is to consider the thriving flexible-office space model. As one of the most disruptive trends in real estate, the flexspace way of working is revolutionising global business. New sites are being established all over the world – many often now outside the traditional big business hubs, allowing companies to maintain a presence closer to their own markets and staff.
IWG already serves 2.5m people at 3,500 workspaces in over 120 countries, with clients ranging from startups and SMEs to large multinationals. Its Enterprise Plan is specifically aimed at larger businesses with teams of 10 or above that want to give staff on-demand access to state-of-the-art offices all over the world, as and when they need to.
To find out more about IWG’s Enterprise Plan and how it can help you, visit the website or email enterprise.sales@iwgplc.com
