Mar 30 No Comments

The Trend of Flexi Desk Offices in Dubai: Workspace Flexibility

Author: Connect Business Centers

Categories: Business Center,Desk Space,Office Space

Globalization and new technologies have given rise to what is known as the digital transformation of companies. In this new context, the needs of companies change and workspaces must adapt to them. Flexi desk offices offer companies the adaptability and flexibility they need these days.

In this article, explain why the flexi desk office model or flexible office is perceived as a trend in google spades the startup ecosystem. Today, however, this proposal for flexible spaces fits perfectly with the necessary change required by the world of work, where the rise of digital transformation has driven professional nomadism.

What is a flexi desk?
The main advantages of a Flexi desk office
How is a flexi desk office inside?
Advantages of the Flexi desk office environment
Characteristics and requirements of the flexi desk office model
Why it is a trend: Flexibility and agility
How can we help you obtain more information about flexi desk offices in Dubai?

1. What is a Flexi Desk?

Flexi desk offices are advanced work centers that have been designed to adapt as much as possible to the needs of companies. They are like “blank canvas” in which the client decides how many square meters he needs and how he wants to distribute them. You also enjoy all the necessary services to carry out your activity from the first day and you only pay for what you use without having to worry about anything else.

Thus, within a flex office, it is possible to find offices, meeting rooms, meadows for coworkers, rest areas, etc. In other words, all the services that a company may require are concentrated in the same building so that it has the freedom to resort to one or the other according to their needs

In addition, you do not have to worry about buying furniture, acquiring an internet plan, or looking for a cleaning service. The flexible spaces work with the Plug and Work system. That is, when you arrive everything is ready for you to start your activity and, in addition, you have professionals who make your day-to-day life easier by providing the services you need (reception, reprographics, messaging, organization of events).

Not only this: companies access prime locations within cities that they would not otherwise be able to apply for. Flexible spaces acquire a large volume of square meters within important buildings in cities and then give up their use.

This system not only provides great comfort and peace of mind for companies but also improves their image in the eyes of customers or collaborators. How? The location, the environment, and the attention received by visitors. all this adds up when transmitting a serious and professional image.

2. The Main Advantages of a Flexi Desk Office

Flexibility in space. The necessary meters are contracted, being able to change them when necessary, and the office is distributed as desired.
Price flexibility. It is possible to reduce costs at any time by changing the site but maintaining the same location.
Flexibility in the contract. From the moment it is signed, you have access to the workplace and it is ready to host the activity.
Flexibility of services. The user has at their disposal all the services they want, being able to request support for those that are not within their reach a priori (a company that develops their website or an administrator for occasional support). Also, if the Flexi desk office is part of a chain, it is possible to book meeting rooms or temporary workstations at any of its locations.
The company keeps its culture alive because despite being in a shared environment, it will have the possibility of adapting the space to its needs. Which will allow it to maintain its corporate essence and identity.
Collaboration and networking. Working closely with other professionals can also result in collaborations, synergies, and even new business opportunities. Similarly, the activities carried out within the Flexi desk office also promote networking among colleagues.
Prime locations. Flex spaces are often located in business areas of cities, and typically in major office buildings. This allows any business, including small ones, to access locations they might not otherwise be able to.

3. How is a Flexi Desk Office Inside?

This new concept of a workspace is normally found within large buildings where services are offered to companies. We will tell you the keys to what a flexi desk office in Dubai is like from the inside:

Co-working or shared office positions. In flexible spaces, there is also room for coworkers who are committed to working side by side with other professionals.
For large teams, companies can reserve their office space to which they can add or remove positions as their needs change.
Small teams looking for privacy find their ideal model in the offices.
Meeting or event rooms. The rooms have everything you need to hold meetings, small events, or training. Audiovisual material, chairs, blackboards, and more.
Rest areas. Both indoors and outdoors, having corners to take a break in is of great importance for the well-being and productivity of employees.
Spaces usually have a reception desk that welcomes guests, giving a good image.

Flexi desk office or flexible office is a new design practice for professional spaces and, therefore, for the way of working.

With the flexible office, there is no longer an individual workstation. Each professional with their own equipment (computer, tablet, smartphone), occupies the workspace that best suits them, depending on the task they have to perform.

However, the flexible office concept goes beyond physical space. This also includes the consideration of practices such as telecommuting or working from the client’s premises. In other words, a company that is committed to this work model should consider the possibility of working from home, a cafeteria, a co-working space, etc.

4. Advantages of the Flexi Desk Office Environment

4.1 Financial savings

The occupancy rate for a dedicated office is 60%. And each square meter has a cost.

Today, between the time spent in meetings, travel, or telecommuting, offices remain empty a large part of the time. However, the cost of a job varies between 12,000 and 14,000 euros per year.

The flexible office allows you to optimize workspaces and reduce the size of the premises, which leads to substantial savings.

4.2 Collaborative work and agility

In flex office mode, collaborative work has its promotion. Physical barriers are broken, and the meeting between each team or service is facilitated.

These practices reinforce agility, innovation, and new work methodologies.

4.3 Quality of life at work

The flexible office can be a source of well-being at work for several reasons:

It favors teleworking. The professional can achieve a better balance between private and work life, by reducing their travel time and, therefore, their stress levels.
It proposes a more horizontal organization model. Since by principle, it challenges the operation of a vertical hierarchical structure. This in turn promotes creativity and versatility.
Diversify the routine. Following the same routine day after day is a source of fatigue and monotony, especially for the new generations. In a flexi desk office, the routine at work is broken and the dynamics are diversified.
It offers greater comfort. The organization of flexible offices contemplates: equipping the office with technologically advanced facilities and tools and proposing modern premises, well designed and easy to use.

5. Characteristics and Requirements of the Flexi Desk Office Model

5.1 Space preparation

To begin with, it is essential to prepare well in advance for the arrival of the flexible office model at the company. This involves considering all possible scenarios, such as future hires.

In this way, you avoid unwanted situations such as job shortages that force people to negotiate upfront or share the workspace.

5.2 Staff awareness

Changing to a flexible office also consists of doing a whole job of pedagogy and communication with the teams, since changes often generate resistance.

Therefore, it is necessary to spend time socializing the model and its advantages, as well as listening to their opinions and turning them into possible improvements.

Finally, we must bear in mind that setting an example facilitates acceptance of the change.

5.3 Clever Space Planning

Having a workspace perfectly adapted to the flexible office is clearly one of the fundamental requirements. You have to think about the location of the workspaces, according to the specific need of each position.

Some good practices:

Have enough meeting rooms (with a system to reserve them) or spaces that allow isolation, in case you have to answer phone calls.
Provide storage spaces so that people can store their personal belongings at the end of the day.
Equip the office with comfortable furniture and pleasant and inspiring decorations. The goal is to avoid the trap of impersonal space: the flexible office must not destroy the corporate culture.

5.4 Optimal computer installation

Each professional should have their laptop or even a professional mobile phone, fully functional and adapted to their needs.

In addition, the company must have an optimal Wi-Fi connection, so that the person has access to the internet, regardless of their location within the office.

5.5 Implementation of the right software

Flex office implies using software solutions adapted to an organization of this type. Among the different types of tools that exist are:

Instant messaging software: is essential for mobile teams that need to exchange information all the time.
Video conferencing software: to hold meetings whenever you need it, even if people are not physically present.
Project management and task management software: This reinforces the coordination and organization of teams working on the same project.
Collaborative platforms: exist specifically to facilitate teamwork, even in a flexible office or temote.

Now you have the key to better understanding the concept of flex office and, why not, implement it in your company?

6. Why it is a Trend: Flexibility and Agility

A flex office, as its name indicates, provides more flexibility to companies. Startups are the ones that request this type of solution the most since they are the ones that tend to grow the fastest. Maybe today there are 30 people and next month 150. They need a lot of flexibility and the flex office offers it.

A flex office can be implemented from scratch when creating a new company. Or as part of a subsequent adaptation, so common in startups:

If a team grows, it will be easier to put new hires to work immediately without having to move the furniture.
If two teams that previously worked separately merge, the restructuring period is shortened or non-existent.
It allows for reorganizing the work environment of a single department, normally, that of the technological profiles.

Devices also play a crucial role. Desktop computers, very common in traditional offices, are being replaced by laptops or tablets. On the desks, monitors are placed to connect them to work more comfortably, so that each employee has their device, designed to be used with mobility.

The same happens with the work systems used by the company: they are not only accessible through a local network but must be able to be used remotely. This facilitates telecommuting and even allows full-time remote work for some of your workers.

7. How Can We Help You Obtain More Information About Flexi Desk Offices in Dubai?

This model, as well as the new trend of liquid offices, has been spreading throughout the world and is increasingly present in the cities of the country.

At Connect Business Centers, you can find co-working spaces in Dubai that will allow you to choose the option that best suits your needs at the moment. Choose between corporate offices, co-working positions, and meeting rooms and enjoy the collaborative atmosphere of our community.

In addition, you can work with all the comforts in our co-working spaces in the city of Dubai, located in places with excellent communications and fully prepared to welcome companies that want to grow and evolve freely.

Mar 04 No Comments

Flexible Office Space is Becoming Trendier than Ever Before in the UAE

Author: Connect Business Centers

Categories: Co-working Office,Office Space,Shared Office

Flexible office space is a type of space designed to give employees different places and ways to work. Unlike traditional offices with fixed and assigned desks, workers in these office spaces can choose the area of the office that best suits the type of work they need to do at the time.

In this article, we will explain how flexible workspaces can be rearranged to accommodate changing business goals or scaled up or down to accommodate teams of different sizes. This type of dynamic office space has its design for its use in conjunction with flexible work arrangements that give teams the freedom to work where, when, and how they want.

What is a flexible job?
Important aspects of a flexible workspace
Benefits of a flexible workspace in Dubai
The importance of office design
How to implement a flexible space in your office?
What is the importance of synergy in a flexible workplace?
More advantages of a flexible workplace in Dubai
How can Connect Business Centers help you obtain more information about flexible workplaces?

1. What is a Flexible Job?

Flexible work is a term used to describe any work pattern that goes beyond conventional office hours or locations. That may mean working in different locations in the same office, working from home or on a remote desk, or working part-time or staggered hours.

Employees who do not have to stick to inconvenient hours or put up with busy commutes are not only able to spend more of their time and energy doing great work. They are also generally happier and more productive than their colleagues who work exclusively from offices.

Flexible working gives the opportunity to work how and where they want, fostering a healthy work-life balance in the process. By choosing their own hours, employees can work around their duties. Like going to a doctor’s appointment or picking up a child from school, while avoiding rush-hour traffic and crowded trains.

Flexible working not only gives employees the ability to work in a way that suits their specific needs. It also helps companies cut costs and make the most of their office layout by maximizing available space.

2. Important Aspects of a Flexible Workspace

Flexible office spaces adapt to the unique and changing needs a company has at any given time, so of course, every office will look different. However, there are a number of basic elements found in most flex spaces. Each of these will promote versatility and a collaborative environment.

Open designs. The first open-space offices emerged more than a century ago in New York City. However, today’s best-known style of open floor plans was popularized in the 1960s. When interior designers were looking for ways to efficiently accommodate larger teams by eliminating physical walls between workers. Today, the open office concept is widespread. It is a primary aspect of a flexible workspace, allowing seamless collaboration between different departments.
Quiet areas. A well-documented side effect of open office design is increased ambient noise. Flexible workspaces lessen this problem by designating quiet areas that give workers a place where they can focus on their tasks without being interrupted. They come in many shapes and sizes, from open spaces and quiet corners of a building to private, soundproof phone booths.
Adaptable workstations. Flexible office spaces often include non-traditional workstation styles. Standing desks in shared areas endorse the idea of moving around to use the zone in many different ways. In relaxed corners of the office, such as cafeterias and reception areas, comfortable chairs and natural lighting create flexible, welcoming spaces where people will want to linger.
Shared amenities. When tied to one place, people tend to store things on the desk area that they need for different purposes. A flexible space unifies these resources and makes them accessible to everyone who wants them. These shared services can be office supplies, printers, snacks, or entire spaces, such as meeting rooms or informal common areas.

3. Benefits of a Flexible Workspace in Dubai

A flexible workspace removes many of the barriers to productivity that a traditional office workspace presents. An example could be a typical project schedule. Which might start with a series of short, informal face-to-face meetings between a group of people before a larger, more structured conversation begins.

In a traditional office workspace, all of these stages occur in one location. Even though the space needs of the project change over time. However, thanks to the flexible office space industry, people can choose a location that makes the most sense for the work they are doing at the time.

That might mean working from a laptop in a quiet area, using a casual shared space to catch up with other team leaders over coffee, or taking a day or two to work remotely. A well-designed flexible workspace in Dubai gives employees the space they need to work best on their terms.

For entrepreneurs, flexible workspaces industries offer other benefits beyond productivity. More adaptable office layouts allow fast-moving businesses to expand during periods of growth when fewer workers come into the office. Dynamic spaces that can be easily reconfigured help design socially distanced office layouts, a key challenge in ensuring worker safety in these times.

4. The Importance of Office Design

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought renewed attention to the design and layout of our public spaces. The way we get around our cities has changed, and as restrictions ease and we gradually go back to bars, restaurants, gyms, and offices, the way we use interior spaces will change too.

Most workspaces have adapted to social distancing guidelines by reconfiguring desk layouts, and improving their cleaning routine systems. The flexible workspace industry helps businesses meet this particular challenge with minimal disruption by allowing teams to easily spread out over a larger space or work remotely.

If we think beyond the pandemic, a good office layout is one that optimizes security, comfort, and functionality. A flexible office space improves productivity by giving teams access to shared spaces and the resources they need to get work done.

When employees have support from an office design that encourages creativity and responds to their changing needs, whether it is over the course of a project or the day, they have an easier time meeting their goals.

5. How to Implement a Flexible Space in Your Office?

Creating a flexible office space is much more than just placing a couple of armchairs next to the coffee machine. An agile work environment must also be fostered, which promotes the idea of using different areas when necessary. Changing your office layout is the easy part, but changing your culture is the hard part.

Try to remove the formality from spaces that are usually reserved for a single purpose. The boring meeting room you only use for the monthly meeting could be the perfect space for an activity-based workspace or just a space to catch up on emails. Meeting modules and comfortable furniture can create quiet areas in open-plan offices without the need to build bulky room dividers.

Technology plays an important role in the design of a flexible office. Make sure there are easily accessible outlets for charging devices next to most seats and a strong network for wireless data in every corner of the office. Standardize the audio-visual setup of presentations across rooms to make it as easy as possible to hold meetings anywhere in the office.

We are creatures of habit. It can take a while for a company to adjust to a new way of working. But by creating a flexible space and being responsive to how your teams use it, you can begin to realize the benefits of flexible workspace trends.

6. What is the importance of synergy in a flexible workplace?

Working close to people from other sectors, branches or areas favors obtaining better results. Sharing a workspace with other professionals can thus be beneficial for your company. You will not only have the opportunity to meet people who may interest you at a work level, but you will also be able to share enriching personal experiences.

In the same way that there are flexible spaces that you can share with people outside your community. There is also the option of choosing a private flexible space for employees of the same company.

Choosing flexible space industries in these cases often favors work-life balance and reduces the carbon footprint of your team. As well as promoting communication and a good work environment, essential for achieving good results and being more efficient.

Another reason why it is interesting to choose this type of office is because of the additional services they offer. From reception service to specific connectivity solutions, printing, event rooms, home delivery, and even a gym or showers in some cases. These benefits allow you to design your perfect office and pay for what you really use.

Not all companies are the same and therefore not all needs neither surface nor services are going to be the same. Just as traditional offices force you to have a fixed area, manage all the suppliers (cleaning, maintenance, etc.) and pay for all the supplies, one of the advantages that the flexible workspace industry has is the cost savings exclusively for the services for both space and benefits.

The trend of flexible workspaces can also offer a hybrid alternative to traditional rental offices. Providing a more sustainable environment in which to work with your team physically while combining it with telecommuting.

7. More advantages of a flexible workplace in Dubai

7.1 Increase employee well-being and collaboration.

Overnight, remote work and virtual offices became the norm for many. Consequently, employees without home offices had to transform their bedrooms, living rooms, or even kitchens into makeshift offices. Family distractions, Zoom fatigue, and a lack of face-to-face collaboration with colleagues have made things increasingly difficult for many.

The solution to that problem comes with the trend of flexible offices, as they allow companies to provide their employees with workspaces close to home where they can work on individual or crew jobs while feeling safe and relaxed.

Another vital benefit of flex spaces is the positive impact they have on the environment. They have a considerable amount of foresight when it comes to people’s needs, which change dramatically every 10-15 years.

Whenever a building ceases to be relevant and useful to its occupants, it usually undergoes extensive reconstruction or even demolition, creating huge amounts of waste. This is not the case with this office space trend, as their modular and sustainable designs allow companies to modify work areas without generating more waste or spending large amounts of money on reconstruction or renovation.

7.2. They reduce overhead

Flexible offices allow some businesses to avoid the commitment of a traditional long-term lease and the associated operating expenses incurred. For this reason, they are cheaper than renting a traditional office space in the main cities, of course, the costs of these can vary depending on the market, the provider, or the location of the offices.

On the other hand, unlike traditional leases, co-working spaces come with all the basics (i.e. printing equipment, office furniture, Wi-Fi and phone services, utilities and event spaces, and other amenities), included in your subscriptions.

7.3. Greater visibility

Working from a flexible office increases the visibility of an organization which brings several benefits. One of them is the one that allows you to do networking that will help you discover new talents that you want to include in your company and meet potential clients.

8. How can Connect Business Centers help you obtain more information about flexible workplaces?

Due to the Covid-19 outbreak and some other issues, flexible offices are becoming significant in the way we will work during the following decade. Modern companies are taking measurements and must familiarize themselves with this practice. In addition, flexible workspaces offer corporations many advantages and benefits important to allow your business to grow.

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