Workplaces key to cutting commuting
Wellington’s CBD shutdown this week was a reminder of how flexible workplaces now need to be.
Thousands of employees suddenly had to work from home as their workplaces were examined for quake damage. The same was true after Christchurch’s devastating earthquake five years ago.
Modern technology means employees are becoming increasingly comfortable with working from home, in temporary offices or shared space.
And according to serviced office company Regus, there are other good reasons why all big city companies should consider it.
Regus has just opened its third facility in Wellington, and already has four in Auckland. Others are in the planning stages including one at Auckland’s upcoming Commercial Bay tower.
Country manager Pierre Ferrandon, said Regus’ goal was to extend its network so most people in the main centres could reach one of its offices within 15 minutes of home.
Having easy access to work meant employers would ultimately be able to attract better talent and have a happier workforce, he said.
‘‘There are huge environmental benefits too. If we change the way we think about work and stop making people drive back and forth to the city each day, we reduce the amount of pollution we produce.’’
In the US, Verizon recently made the decision to let go of all of its traditional office leases. Its employees now choose from a network of co-working locations provided by Regus.
In the UK, Shell did a similar thing in 2000, getting rid of 35 offices and choosing serviced offices instead.
The move enabled both companies to cut their property costs by more than 50 per cent.
Convenient work locations are being seen as a solution to peaktime traffic congestion, in tandem with public transport.
In Singapore, the offer of free public transport early in the morning has helped to reduce the crush on peak-hour trains. The idea has been posed in Toronto too, a city known for its traffic problems.
But for these schemes to really be successful, employers have to make flexible working hours common practice, Ferrandon said.
Satellite offices were also something that could retain talent, he added.
‘‘I think Auckland’s geography sometimes stands in the way of the right people getting the right jobs.
‘Companies are now starting to see the benefits in having satellite locations.’ Pierre Ferrandon of Regus
‘‘Sometimes it is just not feasible to take a job on the other side of the city.
‘‘But imagine being told you could have that job without having to travel across town every day.
‘‘Rather than having one big CBD office, companies are now starting to see the benefits in having satellite locations in the north, south, east or west of the city.
‘‘Not just to be close to their customers, but to be close to where their employees live too. One way that they can do this is by having their central HQ and then using shared office facilities in the city’s fringes.
‘‘Of course there are benefits in gathering together to have face-toface meetings and work on projects together. But that doesn’t mean that all of your employees need to be in the same place every day.’’