According to a recent blog post written by Cindy Krischer Goodman, and published by the Miami Herald, one of the biggest movements of 2017 is likely to be the continued rise of flexible workplaces. Fueled by the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and powered by a workplace now heavily inhabited by millennials — a group that strives for a work/life balance — the number of companies offering flexible workplace options for their employees is the highest it’s ever been.
In fact, Goodman notes, 80 percent of 375 companies recently asked, state that they offer some form of workplace flexibility. Many of these options include tele-work days, flex time, and shortened workweeks. However, other ideas being utilized by companies involve work-from-anywhere plans, and independent contract work. Videoconferencing is becoming a norm for companies that are escaping the traditional workplace, as are shared calendars and computer monitoring programs.
With a tightening market and employees that may have more than one job offer, the flexibility of the workplace is becoming an important benefit. By next year, Goodman explains, “agile” workers — those working in a temporary, contract, or freelance capacity — are expected to make up as much as 50 percent of the workforce in the U.S. This is all a part of the new “Gig Economy.” The word “Gig” is slang for a short term work engagement, similar to what a musician would have with a date to play music.
Enter coworking spaces. Somewhere between a coffee shop with free Wi-Fi and the business centre of the 80s, coworking spaces offer the combination of flexibility that agile workers require and the business culture that they need. A recent report from DTZ predicted that there will be close to 50,000 coworking spaces available by next year, providing benefits such as short-lease occupancy, remote working, and a simple solution for start-ups looking to focus more on their business offerings and less on their location. As we discussed a few weeks ago, Coworking spaces are not just for small businesses. Many Fortune 500 companies use them as a source for providing flexible workplaces to their employees.
Would you like to find flexible workplaces in your market or learn more about the benefits of coworking spaces? If so, feel free to Contact us!