For three years, organizations struggled to keep employees engaged, motivated, and connected while uncertainty loomed and social distancing mandates forced people to work from home.
And as the dust settles post-pandemic, company culture is more important than ever before. It’s an essential tool for attracting and retaining employees and ensuring the long-term success of your business.
While many organizations are exploring flexible workspace options as a way to reduce overheads and enhance their operational agility, some are concerned that these environments aren’t conducive to maintaining company culture.
But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Let us explain why.
Six company culture benefits of working in a flexible office
Flexible workplaces were purpose-built to enhance company culture and boost employee morale.
Here are six ways in which they do so.
1. Customizable workspaces
One of the most essential components of creating and maintaining a strong company culture is providing employees with a place where they can physically immerse themselves in your company’s branding, core values, and team.
Contrary to popular belief, flexible workspaces are completely customizable, allowing you to brand the space to meet your company’s specifications and to add decor, hardware, and furniture that aligns with your desired aesthetic.
2. Better work-life balance
It’s important to evaluate and define what company culture means to your organization and to your people.
The traditional definition company culture pertained largely to your organization’s:
- Core values
- Management styles
- Mission and vision
- Policies and procedures
But today, this definition has evolved: the idea of work-life balance and employee well-being have become increasingly vital in this equation.
Flexible workplaces help support your team’s work-life balance in a variety of ways.
This includes the provision of top-tier amenities—like fitness centres and areas of reprieve.
These amenities are generally far superior to those offered by traditional offices due to the fact that they’re funded and shared by many different companies.
These economies of scale allow for value-added amenities that make the office a place where people want to be, not just somewhere they have to be.
3. On-demand access to collaboration spaces
With nearly 50% of employees indicating they’re feeling burnt-out by online meetings, it’s safe to assume their enthusiasm for—and participation in—them has dwindled accordingly.
But meetings—when done right—are incredibly important for:
- Spurring new ideas
- Generating excitement for new projects
- Keeping your team aligned on goals
- Providing people with an opportunity to collaborate in person
And in order to maintain a strong company culture, it’s essential that your team:
- Feels heard
- Is empowered to share their opinions
- Understands how their individual contributions impact the success of the organization
- Are aligned with the company’s strategic direction
Impactful meetings are vital to making this happen.
Flexible offices put meeting space on-demand, providing you with access to fully-appointed, professional areas where you can meet with a few of your colleagues or your entire organization.
4. Access to an extended community
During the pandemic, isolation was a significant company culture challenge.
Being apart made it harder to maintain meaningful interpersonal relationships with colleagues—in turn straining employees’ ability to work together effectively—and a lack of socialization had significant negative impacts on people’s well-being.
Flexible offices offer the antithesis of isolation.
Not only do they allow your team to reconnect in person, they also immerse your entire company in an extended professional network teeming with like-minded people with whom they share ideas, socialize, and network when they wish while still having access to private space where they can go when they need to focus.
5. Diverse work areas
The pandemic also had another interesting outcome: the conventional employee experience was inadvertently reevaluated.
While working remotely, employees were able to independently evaluate how best to do their jobs, identify the environments in which they thrive, and work when, where, and how they were most focused and productive.
They could start their days working at their desks when they needed to focus. They could move outside midday when they needed some fresh air to recharge their batteries. And they could end their days on the couch while they wrapped up administrative duties.
This level of control of their workdays was unprecedented.
But as you bring your team back to the office, empowering—and trusting—your people to independently pursue their optimal productivity is a big piece of creating a strong company culture.
And flexible offices support their ability to do so by providing a diverse array of spaces that mimic the comforts of home—while still being in a professional environment.
From private workspaces to phone booths, rest areas, outdoor spaces, and lounges, your team can choose where they wish to work based on how they wish to work at any point during the day.
6. Facetime for hybrid workers
While your organization may still work on a hybrid model, having a flexible workspace provides your team with a place where they can go when they need to interact with their colleagues.
This is important for interpersonal bonds, but there are also more profound company culture benefits to having a centralized workspace for your team.
Professional growth is a massive priority for employees. They want to work in a company that empowers them to learn, develop, and succeed.
And this requires in-person access to their senior leaders.
By providing a flexible workspace for your employees, they get access to more frequent opportunities for professional development and mentorship.
If you’re evaluating the role of your office and seeking ways to maintain your company culture, a flexible office won’t just ensure it survives—it will help it thrive.
To find a flexible office that’s designed to support your company’s culture, book a tour of your local iQ Offices location today.
Kane Willmott is the co-founder and CEO of iQ Offices, the largest independent Canadian-owned co-working operator with offices in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. iQ Offices provides beautiful office spaces with safety, service, privacy and design at the forefront.
