Office Utopia: Create Your Dream Flexible Workspace Now

The past year has taught us, collectively, a lot.

We’ve learned how to juggle working from home with our personal life; how to embrace new technology; how to homeschool while sending emails; and where our personality and work ethic fits within a flexible work environment.

We’ve also learned that some of those in-person meetings we used to have were more of a time-suck than anything else. Seriously, that meeting should’ve been an email.

But let’s admit: the past year has been a challenge. Many of us can’t wait to get back to the office. Or is it that we just can’t wait to get out of our house? Likely, it’s a bit of both.

Before health and safety lockdowns, many people have dreamt about the flexibility of working from home. But the past year hasn’t taught us how to balance that exactly. As the New York Times agrees, we haven’t learned how to work from home: we’ve been forced to endure working from home during a pandemic. There’s a big difference.

Take a second and imagine what your ideal work schedule would look like, assuming there weren’t any restrictions like physical distancing. Were you someone who enjoyed commuting to work, putting in your 7.5 hours, and leaving your desk and your “work brain” at the office at the end of the day? Because you are allowed to like that. Many people work best in an environment with at least some structure — it’s sometimes referred to as “freedom within a framework”.

Others have discovered that the autonomy and accountability that come along with working independently serves them better during the workday.

The point is: now that you have had an opportunity to see what the other side of remote work looks like, what facets would you bring forward into the new work environment? Because let’s face it: it’s not going back to “normal”. Now that we have some experience with the office alternatives, like remote work and work-from-home, it’s time to start planning for the future.

And there’s no reason why it shouldn’t look better than the past.

At Workplace One, we have always embraced flexibility in the workday and even use it as a selling point for our work centres. With new concepts like “hybrid workspaces”, our work centres are designed to be used in a variety of ways, depending on how it best fits your business.

Plus, our work centres are a far reach from the traditional office space. With design top-of-mind, all of workspaces have unique character, something that is often lacking in offices. We focus on offering our members and guests more of a connection and experience than just a desk and a chair. The hospitality we provide creates a support network that enables businesses to reach their potential.

With how the concept of the office is changing, that support is needed more than ever. We can help you discover how flexible workspace can work best for your unique situation.

Imagine: your business needs a permanent, private office with 5 desks. You have 10 more fulltime employees who either work from home or other remote work options — perhaps at one of our other locations that is a shorter commute for them. Each week, you need to hold one, in-person meeting with all of your employees. It simply wouldn’t make financial sense for your traditional office of the past to have a 15-person meeting room that only gets used once a week. But at Workplace One that option, plus booking extra offices by the day, are at your fingertips, bookable online.

With meeting rooms, private phone booths, breakout areas, lounges, kitchens, and even patios like at our Peter Street location, the spaces are adaptable to your needs. As members, your employees, who may not have a permanent desk in your private office, still have access to all of the shared spaces — not to mention things like complimentary coffee, tea, and beer on tap.

Now that we’ve had a taste of what may work and, more importantly, what doesn’t (we’re looking at you, “homeschooling-3-kids-while-taking-Zoom-calls”), there is no better time than the present to start mapping out how you want your work environment to look in the future.

Who knows, this may be the restructuring the office needed. After all, business and technology have changed drastically in the last 10 years. Why hasn’t the 9-5?

It’s time to create your dream workspace solution. Let’s start the conversation and find out how Workplace One can help create a flexible, custom plan, just for you.