Are you an office goer who has been working from home from the start of pandemic & feeling the blues and wants to go back and have a feeler of office and feel safe well Co-working spaces might be the solution, more and more organizations are opting for flexible workspace providers who offer sustainable solutions to work from home and work near home. Organizations are reconsidering the way we work in all kinds of ways. Should we take up a smaller space and have rotational WFH days? Or should we create largely socially distant desking, requiring more space? How do we manage the safety protocols to create a safe work environment?
A trend that has been observed is that more and more organizations are transforming towards flexible workplace setup commercial real estate setup stands to gain from the snowballing demand for decentralized workspace. All questions surrounding requirement of space revolves around need for flexibility and usability. Outlining some of the reasons why this would be a boon going forward.

Decentralized Workspace
An approach that many of the organisations have undertaken is the decentralized model, in which companies are moving from single centralized office space and in favour of multiple, smaller satellite offices that are in new and emerging markets. Many co working spaces like Ufirm, EasyDaftar, Karyaspace and Workie are offering co-working benefits across Tier 1,Tier 2 cities and have grown into multiple centres from their inception catering to needs of multiple stakeholders.

Collaboration is the essence of all organizations
In a services-driven economy one aspect that is worrisome is the loss of “intangible capital” during lockdown. This refers to skills and knowledge that haven’t been transferred to our colleagues/coworkers, exchange of ideas that is commonplace in most places and which is extremely hard to replicate on Zoom/Teams/Facetime. With digital tools providing seamless performance tasks while working from home, the workforce now longs for an environment that fosters collaboration which is not being met by working in silos/isolation.

Cost Saving
During the current times with economy not in best shape, cost is on everyone’s mind, this option didn’t exist during the co-working boom. Most companies are looking to reduce their cost and improve their cash flow in the coming months. With managed office spaces covering capital costs, the option to move out or expand is much easier for companies. Also Co-working spaces offer an all inclusive monthly rental package that covers all the operation costs. With day-to-day operations and costs taken care of, companies can entirely focus on the longevity of the business.

Operational ease of use
Flexible Workspaces have created robust SOPs and revised them to address the requirements for Covid. Factors like regular disinfection of the Centre, frequent sanitization of touch points, more frequent deep cleaning cycles are some examples that ensure a clean space. Acrylic barriers, social distancing in common areas, alternate seating in meeting rooms, stringent entry and exit protocols help make the work environment safe for all. Flexible workspaces are in many ways like an hotel just as an hotel is able to pivot and deal with this operationally. For proprietor firms and professionals, realigning to new normal is not only tedious but is an additional expense.

Pitfalls of WFH all the time
With it being over an year for the pandemic one is starting to see the pitfalls of work-from-home, There isn’t space for work and family, boundaries have blurred for personal and professional space which has led to signs of reduced productivity and fatigue. Professional disadvantages of poor internet, data security complicate WFH further. By opting for flexible workspaces, companies can offer a choice to its employees to opt for an safe, smaller and focused office space closer to their homes. Additionally, with emergence of work from home and work near home, coworking spaces have been able to meet their existing lease and commitments on time which do not hamper the leasing agreements. Also furthermore real estate developers are partnering with coworking operators to strengthen the office portfolio and gain access to pan India presence.According to a recent report, the total flexible workspace stock in the top six Indian cities is equivalent to 4.3% of commercial office stock and is expected to account for 5.4% of the total office portfolio by 2022 fueled by the increasing demand for shared workspaces. The increasing demand for flex spaces and will emerge as the flag-bearer of recovery in the real estate industry.