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magazine
07
agenda
If your employees frequently avoid the
office in favour of more relaxed, creative
environments, it might be time to replicate
what they enjoy about Starbucks, Costa
et al. on your own premises.
Steelcase has developed a newWorkCafé
concept that marries café culture with
business-class technology and ergonomic
standards so that your employees can work
efficiently in a relaxing environment and
still enjoy the spontaneous exchange of
information and know-how with colleagues.
John Small, Steelcase Director of Industrial
Design, EMEA, said: “In our increasingly mobile
working world, it is a challenge for companies
to bring employees together. TheWorkCafé
provides a central location for creative
exchange and innovation. Employees find a
coffee shop vibe with the functionality of a
well-planned office that has the qualities to
become a new favourite workplace.”
The SteelcaseWorkCafé incorporates five
distinct zones to meet different requirements:
Kitchen and Dine, with facilities for food and
drink and space for recreation; the Social
Hub, offering coffee and snacks in a relaxed
lounge atmosphere; Meeting Commons, for
undisturbed collaboration in meeting rooms
of different sizes; the Nomadic Camp where
mobile workers can concentrate or meet with
team members; and the Resource Centre with
access to lockers, printers and work tools.
Better space management
key to lower costs
Workplace space scheduling specialist
Condeco Software is urging businesses to
manage their office space better, as the UK
is revealed as the costliest place in the world
to invest in commercial property.
Condeco points out that 58% of desks in the
financial services sector and 71% of meeting
rooms are unused for up to half of the day and
that remote and flexible working is adding to
the under-utilisation of space.
Paul Statham, CEO and Founder of Condeco
Software, said: “The most worrying aspect is
that businesses are not aware of the extent
to which their office space is under-used or
their meeting rooms left empty, and it is large
corporates, who own vast amounts of real
estate across many cities and countries, who
experience this pain more than anyone else.”
He adds that understanding more about
space utilisation can help companies create the
type of working environment needed to attract
top employees.
“A major trend for fast-growth multi-
national companies right now is the leveraging
of USPs within their workplace, such as
collaborative spaces, in order to attract and
retain the world’s best talent. A flexible
workspace, geared to the daily demands of
evolving business will not only work towards
supporting better employee engagement
and satisfaction, but also seriously enhance
productivity,” he said.
Build it and they will stay
A meeting of minds
MeetingRooms.com, the latest addition to the
Search Office Space group, has launched a
global marketplace that brings together users
and suppliers of meeting space in more than
40 countries. Users can find, compare and
book meeting space, no matter where they
are in the world, and suppliers, such as hotels
and serviced office centres, can attract a wider
pool of new customers, increasing occupancy
and boosting revenues.
M1 workplace
Regus, the global workspace provider, has
opened the first Regus Express location on
the M1, at Watford Gap motorway service
station. Catering to the needs of mobile
workers, local home-based professionals
and business travellers, it features a drop-in
business lounge with free, secureWi-Fi and
refreshments, as well as high-specification
meeting rooms bookable by the hour. Regus
Express locations can also be found at
shopping centres, retail parks, airports and
hotels.
More London law firms look to cut property overheads
London’s largest law firms are continuing to target property overheads, the largest cost to
legal practices after salaries.
In a CBRE survey of the 100 largest London law firms (ranked by space occupied), 83% of
respondents said they were considering strategies to reduce property overheads (up from 76% in
2012).
The average area occupied per fee earner in these firms has gone down by 5% since 2012 to
490 sq ft at an average cost of £22,400 per annum.
Of the 60 UK law firms in the list, the top 11 to 25 have been most reactive, cutting the cost of
rent per fee-earner by 9% to £19,600 per annum.
The CBRE says its analysis shows a clear differential between open plan and cellular offices,
with fee earners in open plan occupying an average of 310 sq ft compared to 550 sq ft per fee
earner in cellular offices.
This suggests that firms which pursue alternative space use strategies have scope for additional
cost savings in the medium to long-term.
Colin Manders, CBRE Head of Central London Lease Consultancy, said: “Key tactics that support
space reduction are outsourcing, intensifying use of space and the disposal of space. There isn’t a
one-size-fits-all approach, but interestingly many firms find a new office layout, including spaces
that support collaboration, are integral in developing innovative service offerings and cross-selling,
now seen as vital to a firm’s survival. In the long-term, the benefits of an inventive real estate
strategy can provide more than just cost saving and act as a catalyst for business change.”
More than two-thirds (69%) of firms surveyed expect to increase their London headcount over
the next three years. Almost three quarters (74%) regard location as the most important element for
attracting the best talent.
Booking software
lets you manage
resources better
