Flexible offices or “flex office”: the best way to implement a hybrid work model in your company

The workspace revolution is here to stay. After the launch of open office space in 2000, companies continue to innovate with a flexible office model. In reality, it is a model that offers much more flexibility to employees.

It is no longer about having a desk for exclusive use but about having access to a space when employees need it. This new model makes it possible to reduce private spaces while adapting to the new needs of companies. The latter have been forced to change their way of working, to offer a mix between face-to-face work and telework.

And all this, with the ultimate goal of giving more prominence to collaborative spaces. It is a radical change that affects teams in their day-to-day life and needs support and the right tools for easier adoption.

50 flexible office shades

Just like the open space in its time, the "flex office" has opened a debate. The question is how to adapt this new work model to new lifestyles. In fact, all employees can come to work in the offices, near or far from their usual colleagues.

In some cases, this new organization can create anxiety for employees whose routines have already been compromised after several months of telecommuting.

Finally, to respond to the concerns and needs of employees, some companies have adopted a new organization in their office based on activities. They have even implemented “zoning” (reserving certain spaces for a particular function or prospect) and have developed spaces with shared desks.

Flex office vs. shared desktop

While flexible office is based on the "first come, first served" principle, hot desking allocates the same desk to multiple collaborators. Depending on the occupancy rate of the office and team turnovers, Consider both solutions.

Managing organizational change in flexible offices

These changes must be supported to promote their adoption. Flexible offices can be disorienting. Goodbye to family photos, plants and the collection of personal mugs. And hello lockers and neutral and tidy spaces! Therefore, certain actions must be implemented to support the arrival of “free seats”.

1. Think about the comfort of work spaces for employees

First, with the arrival of the hybrid work model, offices have to be transformed into a place for exchanges, collaboration and creativity. For this reason, space, planning and material are essential to transition to a flexible office.

Second, the creation of dedicated spaces to collect computer equipment or for the provision of headphones can be made available near workstations.  

Finally, mobile booths can be created to make calls and meetings or move workstations away from traffic areas (toilets, cafeteria, etc.). After all, you should think of a flexible office in every way!

2. Have the support of collaborators when customizing workspaces

The flexible office model does not allow for personal decoration. However, workspaces must continue to be warm places where all employees can feel comfortable. In this sense, the development of flexible spaces can count on the collective opinion of the collaborators for the choice of furniture or auxiliary services. Whether it's to offer co-creation workshops or send surveys, the opinion of the staff counts. In fact, engaged employees will be more receptive if companies count on their input.

To facilitate the adoption and implementation of the flexible office, the most effective action is, without a doubt, to involve the employee so that he feels more connected to the company.

Avoid flex office frictions thanks to an effective reservation system

This responsibility implies the adoption of a digital solution for employees to plan their visit to the office in an easy and transparent way. Reservation of the job, meeting spaces but also visibility on the arrival of colleagues or the occupancy rate of the different spaces.

At Witco, we help companies manage or transform their offices into flexible spaces. And all thanks to an all-in-one application for employees and managers of the work environment and Human Resources personnel.

Collaborators can:

• Reserve your job in the flexible offices
• Access an interactive map of office occupancy in real time
• Manage and share your presence (in the office, telecommuting, etc.)
• Book work rooms and shared spaces
• Access company information and events
• Chat live with your co-workers
• Manage the arrival of your visitors/packages.
• Have access to all office services: gym, concierge... in a single application

Companies, « space managers » have access to:

• Space usage data in real time
• Service satisfaction statistics
• An incident manager
• A communication tool for all collaborators
• A marketplace where you can offer products and services (payment in the application)
• Centralized management of local service providers

A dual interface that provides centralized access to data and services to all employees. This is enough to remove the most important objections to the flexible office. Among them, the lack of transparency and the daily loss of time to organize.

The flexible office is a revolution in motion that breaks employee habits. And at the same time, it meets the needs for flexibility and collaboration that surround “going back to the office”.

To be adopted, the flexible office organization must be supported. Adaptation of the rules of use, consultation with the teams, adapted planning of the space. But above all a management and monitoring tool... The flexible office cannot be improvised!

In short, the guarantee of good management goes through the use of adequate tools as well as a key organizational thought. With Witco, space managers can know in real time the occupancy rate of the building and, above all, the satisfaction of the teams.

Lastly, it is an effective way of detecting the optimizations to be carried out so that the office is always at the service of its collaborators.