The demand for small office space to rent is growing as companies rethink their conventional outlook regarding employees clocking in their regular working hours at the office.
South Africa’s declining economy, as well as the virus’ economic fallout due to a protracted lockdown, has forced many businesses in the country to restructure or review their business strategies to ensure that they remain stable and competitive.
An unexpected outcome for companies rose out of exploring innovative methods to cut budgets even further under the increasingly harsh economic conditions. During the period when the virus turned working lives upside-down, and many employees were working from home, companies realised that they might not need as much office space as they initially surmised.
Currently, companies are managing remote working in a variety of ways with some allowing employees to work from home until 2021, while others have arranged for their staff to work on alternative days or in staggered shifts.
When Remote Working is Ideal
Remote working is ideal in situations that require intense concentration and has been proven to cut the time of these tasks, allowing more time for other work and thereby improving productivity. Of course, it does mean that the employee will need to be self-driven, but businesses should be able to determine this about their employees by now.
Resolving the Socioeconomic Inequality of Remote Working
However, remote working in South Africa has also highlighted the inequalities between those who “have” and the “have nots”. Overcrowded living rooms, lack of or intermittent internet meant that although employees may have wanted to work remotely, they were unable to.
Saving Costs by Downsizing Office Space
The lockdown and subsequent remote working led to businesses deliberating the future of office workspace, and being increasingly drawn to a type of hybridised working model. This hybrid model encompasses a far more flexible way of working with the combination of both office and remote working, and allows employees more freedom around their choice of when and where to work.
Ultimately, this hybrid model which grants greater autonomy to employees, also implies that companies will be able to reduce the amount of office space that they have been using by downsizing to smaller office space.
Small Office Space to Rent
Suppliers of fully-serviced and furnished office spaces, such as The Business Exchange – which provides office spaces to rent in locations around Johannesburg and Mauritius, offer practical workspace memberships. These memberships allow tenants to work remotely from any of The Business Exchange’s regional offices. Tenants are afforded access to high-speed internet, dedicated and quiet workspaces, as well as documentation hubs for printing, scanning and copying. These business centres also provide several additional benefits that include security, generators, parking, a certain amount of meeting room hours, as well as access to their onsite facilities such as restaurants, gyms, showers and cafes.
Renting fully-serviced small office space from The Business Exchange has several benefits including;
- Allowing employees to work from the location nearest to them, saving traveling time and stress.
- Providing the necessary office technology and tools that they need to carry out their jobs.
- Affording them access to a spacious, quiet working environment.
- Reducing overall company costs.
Once the pandemic subsides, it is envisaged that employees will work more remotely and only gather at the main office for larger team meetings, training, socials or seminars. However, landlords of small office spaces to rent also provide access to meeting and events rooms, which is another cost-saving exercise for companies looking to downsize.
Excellent inter-company communication must be combined with a business centre that offers high-quality technology to foster a useful hybrid work model. This will result in happier, more productive employees due to an improved work-life balance, and ultimately benefit the company.
To find out how more about small office spaces to rent and a hybridised working solution, contact The Business Exchange.