The Future of Flexible Offices: Navigating Remote Work and Office Collaboration

What is a Flexible Office?

A “Flexible Office” is a customizable office space designed to meet the dynamic needs of the business and its users. It offers a balanced environment with a mix of open spaces, private meeting rooms and shared facilities. This setup allows employees to choose how and where they work, optimizing productivity and collaboration.

The Tug of War: Telework vs. Presence in the Office

As the COVID-19 pandemic pushed forward the concept of teleworking, several studies and surveys have come to light. According to McKinsey & Company, 20-25% of the workforce in advanced economies would be able to work remotely between three to five days a week [1]. On the other hand, there is a growing demand for coworking spaces, as shown by an increase in membership with providers such as WeWork and Spaces [2].

In Sweden, we are seeing a similar increase.

Despite these trends, many business leaders are advocating, including those skeptical of the long-term viability of telecommuting, for a return to the office. The most frequently mentioned reasons revolve around maintaining a cohesive corporate culture and stimulating spontaneous collaboration. According to PwC, 68% of employers believe that employees should be in the office at least three days a week to maintain company culture [3].

Concerns: Corporate Culture, Cooperation and Discrimination

Impact on Collaboration: A Harvard Business Review study reveals that unplanned interactions in the office significantly improve performance and idea generation [4].

Worse Company Culture: According to a report by the Gensler Research Institute, only 12% of American workers prefer to work from home full-time due to lack of interaction between teams and departments as well as company culture [5].

Discrimination: The Centre for Economic Policy Research states that only 37% of jobs in the US can be done entirely from home, pointing to a built-in inequality in telework policies [6].

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The New Flexible Office: A Balanced Approach

With these considerations in mind, the Flexible Office emerges as an intermediate solution. It offers a dynamic venue conducive to both individual focus and teamwork. In this way, it solves the problems surrounding teleworking without sacrificing corporate culture and fairness.

Conclusion

The new Flexible Office captures the changing needs of today's workforce by combining the benefits of teleworking and office presence. It offers a solution to the prevailing debate by providing an environment that fosters cooperation, preserves culture and ensures equality.

Sources

[1) McKinsey & Company, “What Comes Next for Teleworking?”

[2] WeWork, “WeWork Annual Report 2022"

[3] PwC, “It's time to rethink where and how the work will be done”

[4] Harvard Business Review, “Workspaces that Move People”

[5] Gensler Research Institute, “U.S. Work-from-Home Survey 2020"

[6] Centre for Economic Policy Research, “How many jobs can be done from home?”

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Sources (sheet music)

Traditional Office - Enhanced Security

Source: Journal of Applied Psychology; Study on “The impact of physical office environments on employee outcomes.”

Traditional Office - High Operating Costs

Source: JLL Real Estate Report; “The Cost of Office Space Around the World”

Fully Remote Based - Lower Operating Costs

Source: Global Workplace Analytics; “Costs and Benefits of Telecommuting”

Fully Remote Based - Security Issues

Source: Cybersecurity Insights Report; “Remote Work and Cybersecurity Risks”

Coworking - Networking

Source: Harvard Business Review; “Why People Thrive in Coworking Spaces”

Coworking - Limited Security

Source: Journal of Business Ethics; “Security Issues in Coworking Spaces”

Open Office - Noise disturbance

Source: Journal of Environmental Psychology; “Noise Pollution in Open Offices”

Open Office - Lack of privacy

Source: Ergonomics Journal; “Privacy and Concentration in Open Offices”

Activity Based - Variation of Work Environments

Source: International Journal of Workplace Health Management; “The Effects of Activity-Based Work Environments”

Activity Based - Customization Curve

Source: Facility Management Journal; “Adapting to New Work Environments”

Flexible Office - Balance between privacy and collaboration

Source: Human Relations Journal; “Work-Life Balance in Flexible Work Environments”

Flexible Office - Complexity in management

Source: Journal of Change Management; “Managing Complexity in Flexible Office Spaces”

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