More than 50% of all UK businesses occupy some form of flexible office space, according to a new survey conducted by flexible workspace provider Orega.
The survey of 500 business leaders and 2,000 UK office workers, found 55% of businesses currently occupy flex space and of those not yet occupying flexible workspace, 52% said they would be likely to consider taking some form of flex space in the future.
Some 59% of businesses questioned said they see flex space as a viable or equal option to traditional space, with only 10% saying it was a poor relation.
The main attractions of flex space to occupiers are flexibility (37%), location (27%), price (23%) and “our staff like it” (20%).
The survey also found the number of business leaders supporting hybrid working was the highest in London (67%) and nearly half (48%) of all business leaders questioned said their businesses had improved productivity due to hybrid working – a figure rising to 66% in the North West.
The majority (57%) of employees said they go into the office to work either two, three or four days a week and 33% said they come in every day.
Alan Pepper, chief executive officer of Orega, said: “Our survey has revealed that the massive change our office environment experienced during the pandemic has continued to impact the requirements of businesses today. Businesses do not want to be tied into long inflexible leases but want to be in quality space in prime locations where they can attract and retain the best staff, preferably with some flexibility, allowing expansion or contraction as needed.
“Given 59% of businesses said they now see flex space as a viable or equal option to traditional space, it appears flex has come of age. It is no longer the poor relation and is an important consideration in any office property configuration.
“We also see that the office still has an essential role to play in the world of work particularly as a place to harness focus and productivity, to collaborate and communicate and to help creativity and inspiration. This is much more important to employees than gyms and mixing with people from other businesses. But offices also need to be sustainable. Today’s workers are very demanding and are prepared to walk if the environment is not right.
“And finally, businesses appear cautiously optimistic with 64% of businesses saying they plan to keep the same amount of space or reconfigure it, with much fewer thinking of reducing their space than in our previous surveys in 2021 and 2022. Overall, 72% of businesses and 68% of their workers are either very or fairly optimistic about how their companies will fare in the year ahead.
“The office will therefore remain an important part of how businesses achieve their aims – providing flexibility for business owners but also meeting the need for quality, well located and sustainable space in which to work – to attract and retain the best workers – but also to help improve the wellbeing of staff. The UK market certainly has not given up on the office – but both business leaders and employees want more from it. Let’s see if today’s business leaders and their offices live up to their expectations.”
