A nationwide survey of more than 300 end users, operators, landlords, and developers found that an agile workplace has a positive impact on user engagement.
The survey—conducted by The Instant Group, a workplace innovation company, and the architectural firm HLW—also exposed a blurring of the lines separating “flex” and “conventional” approaches to office design and operations.
“Agile working practice has been widely adopted and is now viewed as a strategy to mitigate uncertainty and risk,” observed the authors of the research report based on the survey titled The Marketplace for Flexible Work. “Furthermore, many companies now see agile solutions as offering value to their business planning.”
Peter Bacevice, HLW’s Director of Research, adds, “Today’s workplace calls people to action and to do great things. Great workplaces inspire people and provide the essential staging for the cultivation of community from which fresh ideas emerge, evolve, and underpin sustained business growth.”
End users of co-working and flex office spaces spend an average of 54% of their total work weeks in these spaces, the survey revealed. Among its respondents, 83% of the survey’s end users of co-working and flex space claim they’ve benefited from these new work environments over the last five to 10 years. And 71% stated that these workspaces positively affect the ways that they engage their work.
The survey found a high level of satisfaction with flex and co-working spaces among end users. Image: The Instant Group/HLW
End users say they are thriving in flex office spaces because these environments expand their professional networks and business opportunities, engender innovation, and give them a higher feeling of energy. The experience in these kinds of office spaces is akin to what users might encounter in hotel operations, observed John Williams, Instant’s head of marketing.
It’s not surprising, then, that while the majority of end users expect they will be working in a range of work environments in the future, more than two-fifths (42%) expect to be using flex office spaces more going forward in their work lives.
Three-fifths of corporate respondents to the survey agreed that the rise of co-working and flexible approaches to office design and operations has benefited their businesses, particularly in the area of being able to add or reduce the amount of space needed to seat employees at any given time.
Corporate tenants are looking for maximum flexibility from the workspaces they lease. Image: The Instant Group/HLW
For landlords, flex and co-working space creates value for their portfolios, the survey found. And office operators see the growth of these approaches as a way to gain more market share from corporate tenants.
While corporate tenants remain divided on co-working and flex space as a short or long-term solution for their companies, more than two-fifths of landlords agreed that flex space is a long-term solution, and 72% agreed that working with co-working operators that have a strong brand has “significant benefits” for their development.
“There is still much work to be done by the landlord market to assess who these potential clients [for flexible spaces] are and their specific demands, but the desire is there to adapt their offer to the market,” wrote John Vaughan, Instant’s Director.
Overwhelmingly, all respondents agree that wireless connectivity and wireless security are the most important technology-related features of flex and co-working spaces. Printing compatibility and printing security were also very important to almost two-thirds of respondents.
And with leases, on average, down to as low as 5.2 years, and with the average tenure or stay around 36 months for operators, the choice among tenants between a “flex” or “conventional” approach is now based more on cash-flow and strategic considerations than the length of stay.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Oct 17, 2017
Top 110 office architecture firms
Gensler, Jacobs, and HOK top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest office sector architecture and AE firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Sep 28, 2017
Plans for Chicago’s historic Post Office building revealed by 601W Companies and Gensler
The redevelopment project is currently the largest in the nation.
Office Buildings | Sep 27, 2017
Gensler designs New Jersey law firm’s new headquarters space
The HQ occupies 75,000 sf in a 400,000-sf suburban office building.
Mixed-Use | Sep 26, 2017
Perkins+Will designs new international business community in Cali, Colombia
The new free trade zone is designed to resemble a small village.
Office Buildings | Sep 20, 2017
Five Stantec offices move into one Fifth Avenue location
The new location provides the firm with 40,000 sf of space.
Industrial Facilities | Aug 29, 2017
Clayco completes construction on Georgia-Pacific Distribution Center
The new facility expands on the company’s old distribution facility by over 300,000 sf.
Green | Aug 24, 2017
Business case for WELL still developing after first generation office fitouts completed
The costs ranged from 50 cents to $4 per sf, according to a ULI report.
Market Data | Aug 20, 2017
Some suburban office markets are holding their own against corporate exodus to cities
An analysis of mortgage-backed loans suggests that demand remains relatively steady.
Office Buildings | Aug 17, 2017
Toyota’s new North American HQ opens in Plano
Toyota invested $1 billion in the project, which was designed by Corgan.
Lighting | Aug 2, 2017
Dynamic white lighting mimics daylighting
By varying an LED luminaire’s color temperature, it is possible to mimic daylighting, to some extent, and the natural circadian rhythms that accompany it, writes DLR Group’s Sean Avery.
