POST-PANDEMIC, BUSINESSES AND FREELANCERS ALIKE ARE RECONSIDERING HOW AND WHERE THEY WORK.
Before 2020, the majority of businesses operated in the same way. They rented office real estate in expensive locations and called it their home. Employees were expected to come into the office daily, and flexibility was limited.
Fast forward to now, and things are changing. While home working was thrust upon employees and businesses during the pandemic, it's become the norm. Many adopt a hybrid approach, with some time in the office and the rest spent remotely.
This new way of working reduces the need for traditional office space, leaving many looking towards serviced office space instead. The question is, can a serviced office space offer you everything you need?
THE TRADITIONAL OFFICE SETUP
The way things have been done for many years is that businesses rent office space in a building (or even the whole building itself).They then make the office their own through branding and design, often at great expense.
Depending on the size of the office, it’ll usually have a desk for everyone, a break-out area or two and a few meeting rooms. There will usually be in-house services such as reception, IT, and business support services.
WHAT IS A SERVICED OFFICE SPACE?
A serviced office space is a fully furnished office usually owned by a management company. It offers businesses, freelancers, and entrepreneurs alike the opportunity to rent the space they need on a rolling monthly basis without having to sign up for a long lease. The monthly cost includes services like Wi-Fi, heating, reception staff, and cleaning.
A serviced office is more customisable to your needs. You can choose to rent a single desk in a co-working space if that's all you need, or there are larger, private spaces available. Some buildings will even offer an entire floor to businesses if they need it.
BENEFITS OF A SERVICED OFFICE
● Hassle-free furnished office space
One of the benefits of renting a serviced office space is that all of the upkeep is done for you.
Whenever you choose to move in, you get a fully furnished office that is ready to go and equipped for your needs.
As it’s serviced, you don’t need to worry about cleaning or any kind of upkeep.
The ability to move in and start working straight away is desirable as it reduces downtime spent relocating or constantly moving from one location to another.
● Flexible rental agreements
With a serviced office space, you can usually rent on a month-to-month basis without having to lock yourself into any lease or contract. When office space leases can be five or ten years in length, this is hard for businesses to plan for and afford.
Serviced offices, therefore, offer businesses the room for growth, or downsizing, at very short notice. This allows for an amount of agility that companies find themselves needing in a post-pandemic world.
Renting this space is also desirable as it helps businesses budget. As there are no additional expenses to pay, such as Wi-Fi or air conditioning and heating, you can easily predict what your office space will cost you every month and plan for it.
● Office spaces to suit your needs
Serviced office spaces are designed to take into account the needs of all sizes of businesses, from individuals to larger enterprises.
As a result, many different options are available to suit you and what you want.
At Cloud Spaces, we offer Cloud Cubicles and Cloud Bubbles: smaller, private spaces for individual working. We also have Cloud Suites and Premium Suites, which are larger spaces for businesses with more specific needs or bigger workforces that need a dedicated private area. They are perfect for collaborative working. Also, we provide different day passes and membership options for clients who would like to rent out the space only for a month or a day.
● Additional services available
It may come as a surprise that a serviced office space can still provide you with all the benefits you'd find in a more traditional setup. You can enjoy a fully equipped office space that offers the following benefits:
- PRO Services
- Admin Services
- IT support
- Marketing
- Speciality Café
- Studio
- Meeting Rooms
- Event Space
● Ideal for start-ups and freelancers
When you're just starting out or are working as a freelancer, the commitment of signing up to lease an office can be out of reach or is just wholly undesirable.
You might not know from one month to the next where you're going to be or what kind of work you will have on. It's also sometimes the case that you may only be in the city for a few weeks at any one time and need some working space to bridge the gap before you move on.
The flexible, commitment-free style of a fully equipped serviced office space helps businesses to rent space as and when they need it without signing up for a long-term agreement.
ARE THERE DOWNSIDES TO A SERVICED OFFICE SPACE?
The only real downside to operating your business from a serviced office space is that you can't personalise it with your business's brand, as it is designed to be a shared space. You also need to be prepared for the fact that you may not have complete control over who else has access to the communal areas and meeting rooms.
All of this, however, can be planned for in advance by talking to the operator of the serviced offices. If you have specific needs, they may be able to accommodate them. For example, if you have work that is particularly private, you can have lockable private areas that are not accessible by other people and businesses occupying the building.
WHY NOW IS THE RIGHT TIME TO MOVE TO SERVICED OFFICE SPACE
Moving to a serviced office space allows you to work from bright, modern, fully-furnished facilities that have everything you need without the worry or commitment of tying yourself into a long lease.
Having a space that's adjustable to your needs means you can have a space that adapts to your needs - rather than the other way around.
You can operate with the flexibility you've never had before, keeping employees happy while providing them with the space they need to do the job.
If you’re looking for serviced office space in the Abu Dhabi area, we can help. Take a look at the facilities and memberships that we offer. If you have any questions, get in touch, and we'll be happy to answer them.