The changing requirements for office space

The way people work is changing. For many years we have been used to a traditional mode of desktop working, but recently there has been in a significant shift in the way occupiers use their space.

In the past, providers took a, “If you build it, they will come” approach to creating office space. But as the market has changed, so have the requirements.

In an age where every business is in some way a digital business, where workforces are increasingly mobile, providers now need to create a variety of spaces that cater to these needs. We are in an era of stand-up desks, powerful mobile tablets and oversized computer screens. Individual offices and cubicles are a thing of the past as employers seek areas that promote collaboration among their staff. Amenities such as meeting rooms are still considered necessary, but they are no longer the only selling point.

The truth is, you can’t understand the changing requirements for office space, unless you understand the companies that are demanding it and the speed at which those demands are changing. At Workspace we are talking directly to our customers ­– from their first phone call to enquire about space through to the day-to-day relationships that they build with our centre managers. This ongoing dialogue means we understand and can meet the needs of today’s occupiers – cafés and restaurants integrated into reception areas, dry bike racks, showers, meeting rooms, social areas or even terraces and outdoor space where staff can meet their clients or colleagues. 

And while our focus is on emerging and growing companies, this offer is not exclusive to the smaller scale of the occupier market. Even larger corporates now require these same amenities that enhance the working life of their employees, thus making their businesses more productive.

These changes are not only occurring in the workplace, but also in the location of the office itself. In cities such as London which are always changing and diversifying rapidly, this trend is even more pronounced.

The demand for office space has reached record highs in London owing to the fact that a strong residential market has fuelled competition for any available space. At the same time, the introduction of Crossrail and other infrastructure initiatives have meant that Londoners are well served both by transport and by technology enabling new areas to blossom as business hubs.

The variety of available locations this creates means that London’s small businesses, which generate around £430bn of turnover a year, are able to base themselves in areas which suit them. There are many reasons for this, including convenience, transport links or complementary clusters of businesses or simply because of what the building or location offer them.

Nowhere is this seen more clearly than in the growing co-working trend where small businesses or sole traders have chosen to dispense with traditional fixed office space and operate with the flexibility and advantages co-working in spaces such as our network Club Workspace, can offer them.  Indeed, London now boasts more than 160 co-working spaces, accelerators and incubators – the majority of which have been launched in the past two years.

What is clear from this grass-roots level of London’s growth economy is that what businesses want from their work space is changing. As an industry, we need to adapt – we’ve always needed to know where the next location is going to be but now we also need to know what the next customers’ needs are.  London is not just changing, it has changed.

Jamie Hopkins is chief executive of Workspace