Long-Term Leases are Preventing a Move to Hybrid Working

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29 April 2021

Business leaders who may otherwise consider switching to a hybrid model are being hampered by being stuck in a long term lease.

Flexible space operator Clarendon has released a white paper that considers flexspace and the future of work, showing being locked into a lease as the biggest barrier to adopting a hybrid workplace model.

This suggests that while hybrid work is being lauded as the solution to the post-pandemic workplace, it may not be easy for many companies to make an immediate switch.

Risk of Losing Company Culture

Other notable barriers to hybrid working were a lack of experience with flexspace and worries about losing company culture. Alan Williams Founder of SERVICEBRAND GLOBAL and speaker at this year's RE:Connect, agrees that buildings are highly visible representations of brand identity. 

He feels that an organisation’s values are reinforced or detracted from with the design of the space, the range and level of facilities and services provided, and the behaviour of the people delivering these services. Without this physical space, maintaining a distinct company culture can be difficult.

The survey also asked respondents about their workplace priorities, with employee wellbeing, financial security / reduced financial risk, and talent attraction and retention the top three.

Is Flexspace the Answer?

The rise of decentralised workplaces may hold the key to meeting the needs of both a business and its employees. This may include having office space in both a city centre and a regional location. 

Julian Cooper, Managing Director at Clarendon, commented: “The last year has demonstrated that a lot of people can work from home, but also that the office certainly has a big part to play in a healthy and productive workplace. Flexspace will be essential for businesses looking to adopt a new workplace model thanks to the agility it offers with finances, location and scalability. The switch to hybrid will be a gradual one as businesses need to plan for and overcome various barriers.”

 Picture: a photograph of an office interior from Clarendon, at 2 Brunel Way, Slough. Image Credit: Clarendon

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 29 April 2021

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