Making Sense of Office Space Post-Covid

Covid has had a huge effect on work habits and office culture in the UK. If you’re looking for guidance to navigate your workplace strategy in these ever-changing times, this article offers advice on the key things to consider as you weigh up your next move.

Location

The post code pride days having been coming to an end for a while but Covid-19 has almost edged it out of existence for most businesses. Working closer to home, being part of the local community, enjoying local cultures and shortening travel time for all to embrace a better work life balance is key.

Destination

Making the workplace a desirable destination to be. We have read the stories of the success of working from home but there are just as many horror stories. The future of the workplace is a mix of home working and office working. Ensure the office space is the place to be, worthwhile of the journey, simple and smart, collaborative and friendly, a place to escape the home office!

Journey

The journey is always more important than the destination. Engaging in your search with an emphasis on cycle lanes, walking routes, single train/tube journeys will help your staff find the enthusiasm for their journey in.

Flexibility

With so much uncertainty it seems sensible to stay flexible in your approach. Look, flex space isn’t for everybody! There are sacrifices you need to make to make it work but it does provide a HQ for a short period of time whilst the world recalibrates itself. 3 year leases are common, 12 month rolling if you would prefer, or a time in between the two if you want to settle for a while but not get cold feet over a longer term commitment.

Space

Space has never been so cheap. Not that I remember anyway. Prices per desk have dropped by 20%, lease terms have shortened and costs are ready to be negotiated. There is more opportunity than ever before to get a deal that suits. This means you no longer need to be as strict around space. Allowing more space within your office allows you to be Covid-19 safe. Take more space, pay less money, create a better office fit out and environment for your people to thrive.

How we can help

At Soul Spaces, we understand the challenge of navigating the rocky road of office space decision making. If you’re thinking of a move or are simply keen to assess the options available to you, give us a call on 0208 588 9879 or leave your details via our contact form and we’ll get back to you.