CEO Regus UK highlights shift in workplace trends

CEO of Regus UK, Richard Morris, has described how recent shifts in working trends have contributed to the success of the flexible office space provider. Morris stated that flexibility is replacing more rigid working practices, highlighting recent report from Regus which show 45% of UK employees working away from their central offices for over half the average week.

The way we work is changing, with flexibility more important than ever. Workspaces are having to adapt too

Workplace culture has undergone a period of transformation over the past decade. Organisations are abandoning the rigid fixed-hours, fixed location working practices of old in favour of a more flexible mindset.

Flexibility is more than just a highly prized staff perk. Increasingly, today's workers expect employers to move beyond the outdated concept of the fixed-hours, fixed location role so common to generations past.

A recent report from Regus reveals that 45% of UK workers are now based outside of their main office for more than half the week. Of course, employers want to know that such a flexible approach can work. In fact, the evidence is compelling. Employees who are able to choose when they work, where they work and how they work are known to be more motivated, engaged and productive. Research commissioned by Regus last year confirms this point, with 81% of the senior business people polled indicating that flexible working improves business productivity.

The worker shapes the workspace

Understandably, demand for flexible workspace is rising, and the working patterns of today's workers are instrumental in shaping these spaces for today and beyond.

The latest workspaces accommodate the requirement for a range of different working styles within one area, meeting the variable needs of organisations and individuals. So meeting rooms are available for privacy and quiet; ‘hot desks' are available for drop-in workers on the move; and collaborative ‘co-working' spaces facilitate the sharing of ideas and contacts in a relaxed, yet professional, atmosphere.

Designed for productivity

From within this more flexible style of working, the practice of co-working has emerged as one of the fastest growing trends of recent years. Co-working describes shared working environments, where professionals from a number of different organisations work alongside each other.

Collaboration with other like-minded workers is one of the big advantages of such an approach. Bouncing ideas off different teams and sharing concepts with developers from other businesses can be a powerful catalyst for innovation, creativity and, ultimately, productivity.

This becomes increasingly important as more and more organisations measure employee performance based on their output and productivity, rather than the number of hours that they spend sitting at a desk.

An environment to excel

Organisations are increasingly recognising the need to provide their staff with workspaces that accommodate their diverse expectations, encompassing their definition of what work is, where it takes place and when it should happen.

Clearly, the days of the fixed location, rigid hours job are numbered. Certainly, the latest generation of employee has very different demands and expectations when it comes to the world of work.

Already, we are seeing that the future of work is one where the workspace adapts to the worker - not the other way around. The benefits are clear in terms of productivity, creativity and wellbeing. Workspace will continue to evolve to provide the future worker with the environment to excel.