The ideal office solutions for an agile business
The term “agile working” is one you are probably familiar with, but whether you can precisely define it is another question. It is often mistaken for “flexible working” – but, as ITProPortal explains, the former’s “concept and scope is much broader and often difficult to define”.
That’s because agile working can take place in many different ways – which means that, to take full advantage of agile working, your business needs office solutions to suit. In fact, introducing this type of working to your office can practically redefine the latter as you know it.
Does an agile business still need a traditional physical office?
It would be easy to assume not, given the admission of the UK’s Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) that agile working constitutes “an activity, not a place”. Its success is measured entirely by results rather than measurements of physical presence, such as attendance hours.
Agile working is indeed a move away from the traditional 9-to-5 office environment, which itself has often been held culpable for hampering productivity. Therefore, agile working can start with flexible working, which is ideal for loosening workers’ usual ties to fixed office hours and locations.
In one survey of employees, 81% claimed that working flexibility improved their commitment and overall productivity. This is a strong incentive for you to start assembling the pieces of that agile office – but what exactly are those pieces?
The definition of an agile office space
As agile working is possible both in the physical office and outside it, not all of your employees have to be in that office at any given time. This has implications for how the office is designed and laid out. While your workforce might currently be accustomed to large banks of desks, shaking things up can leave your staff with comparatively flexible hot desks, breakout spaces, and rest areas instead.
Therefore, a physical office, albeit one close to whether the right clients, talent and resources remain close at hand, can still form the core of your agile business strategy. You could, for example, look into flexible workspaces in London from BE Offices, which will offer various onsite amenities.
Naturally, essentials like phone and internet access will be covered. However, your staff could also make use of complimentary gyms and a Friday supply of fresh fruit, doughnuts, and cakes.
You can scale your workplace up or down as required
No company’s growth trajectory can be predicted with certainty, so it’s reassuring that agile office solutions can also let you limit your onsite space, desks, meeting rooms and so forth to what you need. As explained in an ITWeb article, “space costs money, so making the most efficient use of that space makes good business sense.”
Certain office spaces are explicitly geared towards startups, but those could consider switching to serviced offices later in the corporate journey, as Business Matters advises. This is an example of the kind of fluid path your business can take when a greater degree of agility is thrown into the mix.
