flex office

The history and new uses of the coworking space

The success of coworking is based on the economic situation and the creation of new business models. The digitalization of the labour market and new technologies have helped to create new professions, while workers have a greater need for flexibility. Thus, coworking appears as an obvious solution! At a time when coworking has only just made itself known on the job market, it is already facing a need for renewal and reinvention… COWORKING, A PRACTICE THAT IS NOT SO NEW. Very popular between the late 2000s and early 2010, the first coworking space was created in 2005 in Sans Francisco by Brad Neuberg who launched a hat factory in a work/live loft. He basically provides a casual work environment to independent and mobile workers. Since that time, coworking has become an international phenomenon that has profoundly changed the way the office real estate market operates. It was also an absolute necessity, given the number of unused workspaces, empty office buildings and the construction crisis. Coworking has thus provided interesting alternatives, not only for building owners, who see their vacant spaces being used, but also for entrepreneurs. Now that the coworking market seems to have reached a certain maturity, it is not insignificant to see the diversification of the offer. New spaces are appearing, always more design-oriented, focused on community-building or taking place in unusual or even atypical places. As a result, with its new practices and growing demand, coworking space now needs to reinvent itself to adapt to the Canadian or even global market. THE NEW USES OF COWORKING 1. Office space for startups Some companies that can no longer expand their work team due to lack of space or even financial means, make the choice to relocate their team, partially or entirely, in a coworking space. This allows them to host other structures under development, federate a network of professionals, with a view to pooling skills and generating additional income. 2. Cohoming More and more freelancers, contractors and teleworkers are working from home. Preventing superfluous expenses, reducing noise pollution, adopting greater flexibility… the advantages are numerous. A new form of work, very hybrid, has recently been born: cohoming, in other words, coworking from home. It is thus possible to go and work at a cohomber’s home, or in the opposite, to receive cohomers at home. This is ideal for forging a network and federating different skills in one space. This form of work is much more adapted to one-person structures and teleworkers, though. 3. Corpoworking or Flex Office Large companies and groups also wanted to take advantage of this coworking trend. While some prefer to use the available space by assigning part of their workforce to it, other companies are hosting smaller structures to expand their activities. Whatever use you want to make of it, the coworking space is certainly a trend that is here to stay. To find out how coworking can help you work better, contact Nuage B, the coworking specialist. Nuage B’s collaborative space offers you a dynamic, interactive and motivating work space right in the heart of a trendy Montreal neighborhood. Contact us now!

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Everything you need to know about flex office: definition, advantages and drawbacks

Only in the space of a few years, the occupancy rate of employees at their workstations has been drastically reduced. Companies, both large and small, are therefore finding ways to adapt to this new phenomenon. Flex office is one of them, which is favoured by many firms, already well established or growing. Here is a short guide on everything you need to know about this new organization of space and the related working conditions. WHAT IS A FLEX OFFICE? Flex office, also known as “desk sharing,” is a new form of workstation organization for employees. In the traditional organizational structure, the employee is assigned to a fixed position, either in open space or in a closed office. In flex office, the workspace is distributed according to usage. The employee will therefore go to the area that best suits the task he has to perform. The flex office is a workspace arranged so that employees work in optimal conditions. This implies an adequate distribution of space, including work offices, restroom, meeting rooms, dining room, etc. In such an environment, the nomadisation of employees is therefore directly linked to their activity and their mood of the moment in order to maximize their productivity. A NEW TREND THAT IS MEANT TO STAY Flex office is not a simple trend but a real evolution. This new distribution of offices is a revolutionary phenomenon that underlines the transition from an economy of ownership to an economy of use. It can be assumed that fixed offices will gradually disappear, a process probably accelerated by the pandemic, which is pushing employees to work remotely. Studies have shown that many of them have developed a taste for flexibility at work, to the benefit of other ways of consuming workspaces, such as opting for a flex office. THE ADVANTAGES OF FLEX OFFICE Cost reduction: The average required space occupied by a company’s workstations is much smaller when working in flex office, resulting in lower workspace rental costs. A boost for creativity: It has been proven that being able to work freely and get out of the routine makes it easier for workers to find new perspectives and ideas! Improved productivity: Being able to choose a workspace in which we feel comfortable has a direct impact on improving the quality of life at work, which in turn improves our productivity. Fewer constraints, more collaborative spaces: the multiplication of common and collaborative spaces encourages exchanges between cross-functional teams, improving team coordination and facilitating team projects. THE DRAWBACKS OF FLEX OFFICE The importance of a sense of organization: everyday life when you don’t have a dedicated office requires a greater sense of organization, whether it is to set up meeting places with teams in advance, reserve a meeting room, etc. Underestimating the occupancy rate: Companies that use flex offices tend to underestimate the occupancy rate, which has overloaded workspaces. This does not allow employees to work comfortably, in addition to running counter to health measures during a pandemic. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN FLEX OFFICE? Contact us now! As a specialist in shared workspaces, Nuage B will be able to answer your questions and meet all your flex office needs.

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