According to a survey by 250 business leaders, the vast majority of companies in the UK are hoping to reduce their office spaces by at least a quarter, whereas other companies intend to continue with their current spaces. These contrasting opinions make it somewhat difficult to predict how the average office will look in the future, however, something that was certain was that most people are leaning towards more collaborative office setups (so, hot desking) rather than preassigned desks. Another popular alternative is having teams rotate so that less seats are required and employees spend some of their time working from home.
Overall, the study showed that the demand for offices may be reducing, but it’s definitely not ending completely. As a result, business owners need to come up with ways to maximise the use of space to revolutionise working frameworks. This is somewhat tricky territory, as it requires companies to strike a balance between having the collaborative and cohesive environment that face-to-face teamwork brings, while also reducing their office spaces and offering their employees more flexibility. The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to have exacerbated the results from this 2020 meta-study, as working remotely has become a societal norm over the last year, and most companies have adjusted to the new setup and even seen positive results.
Dynamic offices and workspaces
Dynamic offices such as hybrid schedules (when people mix remote and on-site work throughout the week), and remote working are increasing. These blended environments are more flexible, which means they can be easily reconstructed to meet the changing needs of employees and clients. Some of the factors that make dynamic workspaces possible are technology, furniture, and the introduction of hot desking, but they also heavily rely on the support and acceptance of employees and managers. Enhancing employee experience is fundamental, and this should remain at the core of the dynamic model. This may mean adjusting it to suit different business types; for example, what works for a more interactive company won’t suit remote operations and vice versa. The infrastructure for dynamic workspaces is there, it’s how people interact with them that’s the true test of success.
Benefits of VoIP systems to dynamic offices
As your business grows and evolves, so will its needs. This means that the daily operations will have to be adjusted to handle new goals and styles of working. The handling of these changes is likely to determine how well your employees react and adapt to them, which will directly impact your client and how satisfied they are.
Since hybrid and remote offices rely mostly on internet use, you need to make sure that your VoIP phone service is working perfectly. The benefits of using a VoIP system include:
- Lower call costs
- Increased mobility for office moves
- Access to an array of call features
- Capacity to run conference calls
- Secure and reliable calls internally and externally
Getting your remote office working
The processes involved in downsizing or upsizing can be complicated. VoIP systems make this slightly easier by ensuring you don’t have to transfer phone wires from one location to another. Another great perk is that you can keep the same business number to avoid confusing your clients – this goes for the company number and individual extensions. You won’t need technicians to help you with connections either. This means there’s no downtime when an office is relocating or adjusting its work style, and employees are able to access and make calls regardless of where they are.
Summary
The benefits and perks of a dynamic working environment are undeniable, but they heavily rely on having a functional and convenient telecommunication system in place. If you have the budget, infrastructure, technical support and project management to make the change, it’s unlikely that you’ll regret it.
