Making the move to shared spaces
WORKING from home may seem like the ideal way to kick-start a business, but a new option is now catching on meaning you no longer have to miss out on those after-work drinks.
Commercial property owners and developers have noticed a growing number of people making a move from the comfort of their couches, to shared work spaces.
Bayleys commercial real estate national director John Church said traditional offices were being leased to chains and independent companies, who were retrofitting the spaces to accommodate freelancers, entrepreneurs and start-up businesses.
For a monthly fee, people can hire a desk or work station, including the use of office facilities such as boardrooms, kitchens, screening rooms, common areas with couches and bean bags, outdoor patios – even bars for the all important after-work-drinks, Church said.
The new trend came down to the forward-thinking of the owners and developers who saw it as an opportunity to connect with a variety of tenants who were likely to seek their own spaces as their businesses grew, he said.
‘‘Hot-desking, hoteling, satellite offices and working from home are becoming more commonplace . . . It is a chance to feed off the move toward a more mobile and independent workforce, while establishing a steady supply of potential new tenants,’’ Church said.
‘‘Rather than working from home, or in a cafe, people now have the option of basing themselves in a stimulating and collaborative environment as a short to long-term solution.’’
Traditional office rental agencies, such as ServCorp and Regus, have been around since the early 1980s, with locations in Wellington and Auckland. They offer monthly hire of private offices, able to accommodate teams of up to 10 at $300 per person, or ‘‘coworking’’ spaces in open plan environments for about $220 per person.
Monthly memberships also included a receptionist, the option of hiring an executive assistant, discounts and offers from partnering companies and access to airline lounges around the globe, Church said.
‘‘While
these
agencies
serve those in strictly professional and somewhat conservative industries that value private and quiet working environments, the new breed of shared office spaces are geared toward the millennial generation,’’ Church said.
‘‘The colourful and stimulating open-plan arrangements are best suited to creatives, freelancers, innovators and tech-savvy employees who are social and collaborative thinkers.’’
In May last year, an innovation precinct, GridAKL, opened in Auckland, creating an innovation hub of like-minded ICT, digital media companies, start-ups, research and development and business support firms.
‘‘These types of facilities have been borne out of the belief that innovation doesn’t happen in isolation, a concept that is being applied within companies like ASB Bank and Google that have incorporated fluid and open working
‘It is a chance to feed off the move toward a more mobile workforce.’ John Church, of Bayleys
environments for employees,’’ Church said.
Traditional office rental agencies usually attracted longerterm tenants and were ideal for businesses with employees working in regions, away from their head offices.
‘‘Rather than going
to
their
the
expense of opening satellite offices to accommodate just a handful of employees in a particular region, businesses have opted to hire private office spaces for their satellite workers.
‘‘It solves the isolation dilemma that comes with working from home and facilitates innovation.’’