There is a growing appetite for work environments that combine hospitality and comfort and create a superior personal experience to enhance work productivity.
With modern workplace standards evolving at a rapid pace, a consistent and constantly evolving office is almost an imperative for companies. (Rep/Shutterstock)
Author of Manas Mehrotra:
The traditional concept of “the office” has changed radically and irrevocably in recent times, due to what employees want and expect from their workplace, with 70% of companies adopting a hybrid work model. Business leaders are preferring office spaces. Constantly evolving, new and in line with the changing needs and preferences of the workforce, this is why the size of the flexible office real estate market across the country is expected to grow aggressively, from 100 million square feet to 140 million square feet by 2030. Fit will be reached as companies of all sizes prefer flexible work models that combine hospitality and comfort and create a highly personalized experience. To increase work productivity.
The vision aims to institutionalize a cyclical model of life – work, youth, work, thereby supporting positive financial health and profitability. The goal is to strike a balance between financial benefits and social good. This alone will ensure the longevity of workplaces and be a win-win situation for the sector, clients, and overall social and economic stability.
We believe that co-working spaces recognize these feelings of the workforce and therefore it is critical to design and model workplaces that guarantee this safety. This will ultimately speed up work and boost productivity.
Why workforce efficiency is important for offices
Business performance is ultimately about workforce performance. The office must be effective in delivering results for the workforce, developing talent and significantly increasing the return on investment for individuals, teams and businesses. Therefore, while success and efficiency are measured not only by density, occupancy and seats, but by the results produced by the work. This will ensure that society is well placed to care for its citizens. After all, what is the motivation for good results? A delightful social order without a doubt.
Frequent evolution is essential in workplaces.
With modern workplace standards evolving at a rapid pace, a consistent and constantly evolving office is almost an imperative to provide the best environment in this new world of work. Replacing the traditional, impersonal, and dense office designs that have become common for corporates over the years, the emerging coworking framework is about configurable and purpose-driven spaces, with diverse spatial groupings. There is scope that enables companies to operate with minimal cost impact.
In today’s world, having this flexibility is especially valuable, not only to meet a wide variety of work-related needs, but also to give leaders the ability to adapt to changing business priorities and employee expectations in the modern world. What should offices look like today? Coworking spaces accounted for 72% of all flex space transactions during H1 2024, up from 58% in H1 2023. This significant increase validates the fact that coworking spaces are a dynamic solution that is increasingly preferred for workspace options.
More emphasis on non-linear design
The modern trends that are defining today’s workplaces make it clear that there cannot be a linear approach to design and layout. Employees seek constant collaboration and social interactions that aren’t possible working entirely from home, and that’s why business leaders increasingly look to multimodal design to increase productivity. As expectations continue to evolve, ‘newness’ in office spaces is a surefire way for business leaders to future-proof their workplace strategies and transform their environments to meet employee preferences. .
Aesthetics have acquired new importance.
While aesthetics and design have been a part of offices, traditional models are gone, and new, modern frameworks are in place. Large and open spaces and greenery have become integral to offices, reflecting the need for freedom in work practices and environments. Globally, this has become the norm and increasingly, local office spaces are also adopting this model as local companies are now part of the global system. Professionals from abroad often visit offices here and want to live in settings similar to their work fields, and so homogeneity in the work environment while maintaining the presence of local cultural comforts is essential.
All-important alignment of workforce and company values
People want to work for companies that align with their personal values and care deeply about them, and that should be part of the office ethos. Employee wellness goes beyond financial security or just providing a fitness room. Therefore, mental and social balance is to shift to a more holistic approach to health by managing spaces to connect, reflect, and recharge—that positively impact the individual, the local community, and ultimately the planet. will .
How the future of coworking is shaping up.
Future emphasis will also be on customized boardrooms and focus rooms to improve brainstorming and business impact. Additionally, the average density of offices will see a further decline and the push towards co-working spaces will be more universal. This can be explained by the rise of flexible policies, where most companies no longer intend to have 100% of their workforce in the office at the same time. This has prompted companies to rethink their spaces to promote collaboration, which can be reconfigured to create workstations during busy days at the office.
Finally, it can be said that it is important for office spaces to empower employees to deliver their best work. Through a flexible approach that must continually evolve, the workforce must have the freedom to work on their own terms, harnessing the benefits of design, aesthetics, comfort and productivity in the interest of a happier and healthier life.
The workplace of the future is a place where people want to be, where they feel part of a greater purpose and community, and where they feel cared for as individuals. It’s time to put people first, promote workplace happiness, and create a sense of abundance in the workplace. The new office model should be one that does not compromise productivity and well-being.
(The author is the founder of 315 Work Avenue)