What Are The Different Types Of Flexible Workspace?

Types of the office center

In a serviced office center, you can rent a private office, a dedicated desk in a coworking centre, or a hot desk in a shared office room – or whatever you want! While it may sound a bit confusing, the great thing is that there is a whole range of combinations that make it easy to end up with your perfect workspace and your ideal wider office environment.

• Coworking Centre

The days of starting a company in your basement are gone with the birth of coworking centers, separated from people and opportunities. Coworking centers focus mainly on the business advantages that you receive when surrounded by a group and typically provide an event plan along with an innovative and interactive environment.

Coworking centers consist of an open-plan workspace with desks spread throughout – each desk or pod of desks is leased by a particular company that brings together various companies, industries, and people. Coworking centers also typically provide lounge areas for downtime and meeting facilities access, while some may provide private office space – particularly as the industry transitions towards an open plan and private room "hybrid" model.

• Serviced Office

Serviced offices have been around since the 1980s when companies were first given away to rent commercial space flexibly and affordably.

A serviced business center, like a coworking center, includes open-plan workstations and break-out areas, but much of the facility is typically used as private office space, conference rooms, and boardrooms. There is normally also a reception desk run by staff at the center to ensure that any guest is received and cared for on behalf of members.

The biggest difference between a coworking and serviced office center is that the latter provides you with a readily accessible reception team, support facilities and IT staff to take care of any hiccups so that you can concentrate on your job. You pick the facilities you want, and they are bundled into your monthly contract.

Serviced offices continue to draw companies seeking streamlined workplace management, complimentary support facilities, and a corporate-leading professional vibe.

• Shared Office

A shared office applies to when another company rents out spare desks and offices to other companies in its own commercial space. We've seen tremendous growth in the shared office sector over the last few years, a phenomenon that is rising in line with the peer-to-peer economy.

Shared office space is a kind of middle ground between the managed office centers we've been talking about and a business lease. Although you get the branding benefits of a commercial office address, which can be crucial to attracting customers and creating a reputation, it's also a great place to share synergies and collaborate with an associated company or innovative freelancers – a bit like a coworking centre. By sharing a commercial office space, both the workspace host and the tenant can save money, plus it saves tenants all the trouble of setting up a brand new office.

Types of flexible office space

You only pay for your individual workspace when you rent a versatile room – whether it's a single desk or a private office for 100 people – and you get shared access to all the other fantastic amenities and facilities which means incredible bang for your buck.

So let's discuss the similarities and advantages of flexible office space in the four styles.

• Dedicated Desk

A dedicated desk is just what it sounds like-a a dedicated workstation for you and only you! You will share common areas with other members or tenants within an open plan area, but the desk and chair are yours exclusively, often including a lockable storage room.

The nice thing about a designated desk is you can leave your things at the end of the day for the duration of your loan, rather than packing them all up. This makes dedicated desks a little more expensive than a hot desk, but most people prefer each day to have a protected place to work.

• Hot Desk

A hot desk resembles a dedicated desk, except that you have no assigned workstation. A hot desk is usually cheaper than a fixed desk for this purpose.

You pay for a desk (or a pod of desks) in the open plan area while renting a hot desk and this location can differ from day to day. Nonetheless, you will still have a seat, and you can also enjoy on-site access to services, such as meeting rooms, kitchen and relaxation areas for downtime.

• Private Office

A private office can range from a single-person office to an entire floor that includes numerous offices, conference rooms, and open-plan areas. The key thing is that the room is lockable and accessible exclusively by you, no matter how large it is.

Despite the initial promotion of open plan work by the coworking industry, more than 80% of the Australian market now prefers a private space inside a flexible hub. Private office space is perfect for confidentiality and security, plus you still have access to the communal facilities so you never feel isolated.

In any of the versatile office centers we talked about, you can rent a private office in. You can bundle additional services such as mail handling, telephone answering and other administrative support into your package if you rent a private office in a serviced center. This is sometimes considered more of a "serviced office" than a private workplace. Extra facilities are a key draw for serviced office centers, but if you only need a lockable room, the job would be done by a coworking or shared office.

• Virtual Office

Without the physical office space, a virtual office provides you with business support and a reputable address to add to your letterhead. For this reason, the most affordable form of office space on our list is virtual offices.

Virtual offices come in packages – you select the services you want and the provider bundles everything into a single monthly bill. Services can include, depending on the provider, a landline phone number, call-response, and message-taking services, mail handling services, and IT support services. You may also add casual access to conference rooms or office space which is sold as part of the package at a discounted rate.

Virtual offices are provided solely by the serviced office centres. They're perfect at a cost-effective price for small businesses and home employees wanting a reliable business address. Also popular among companies expanding into new markets are virtual office systems, as the address and telephone number help to build trust with a local presence.