Disruption is the New Norm: How Flexible Space Helps Businesses Adapt to Rapid Change

Disruption is the New Norm: How Flexible Space Helps Businesses Adapt to Rapid Change

Disruption is the new norm. Or is it?

Throughout history, the world has experienced countless periods of chaos and calm. Some challenges have been short-lived, while others, from health crises to financial shocks, have left their mark in the history books.

One thing we do know is that uncertainty is a certainty. The question is, how do we deal with periods of uncertainty in business?

“For businesses to maintain continuity, they need to move beyond traditional BCP (Business Continuity Plans) thinking and focus on providing the right tools, technology and culture to enable workers to remain productive whatever the disruption.” - Chris Smith, Head of Financial Services, Citrix UK

During these times, it’s essential to provide a working environment that’s productive, easily accessible, and equipped with the right tools to enable continuity.

The environment should enable the company to ride out any unexpected market changes or economic shocks.

That’s why flexible workspaces, such as those offered by UBC, typically attract so many businesses during turbulent times.

Flexible workspace is a cost-effective, short-term option that doesn’t tie up capital for years to come. That means less risk, and easier budgeting with all-inclusive monthly rates.

It enables business leaders to plan their monthly expenditure without compromising on the quality of their workspace. The space itself is already fitted out, with ergonomic furniture and everything a business needs to plug in and get straight to work.

For employees, this provides a comfortable and connected space that’s free from external distractions. In short, it’s built for productivity.

“The future is unclear,” noted Lee Elliott, Global Head of Occupier Research at Knight Frank. “To ease that level of uncertainty, some will choose to start aligning their real estate strategies to ensure a sense of flexibility and freedom, which is exactly what flexible office space provides.”

Workspace is one of the biggest overheads of any business. Therefore having the flexibility to shrink or grow office space to accommodate changes in team structure, combined with the option for short-term, rolling contracts, offers valuable peace of mind.

Flexible space is a safe choice in a turbulent economy for all sorts of businesses, and an opportunity to weather the storm without a long-term commitment.

It’s also hybrid-friendly. For companies that shifted to remote or hybrid work during the pandemic, UBC adapted its workspace offering to enable office-sharing, and created even greater flexibility with coworking day passes and hourly access.

Of course, this level of flexibility appeals to businesses outside of economic turbulence too. Many of UBC’s clients have been based in flexible offices for several years.

UBC’s latest Customer Experience Survey (Spring 2022) found that 18% of respondents have rented flexible office space with UBC for between 1 and 3 years, while 43% have been with UBC for more than 3 years.

Disruption is the new norm. We all know that the future is unclear and peppered with challenges that will come and go. Flexible workspace has evolved over decades to offer a work-ready environment that’s designed to enable businesses to weather such uncertainties, and remain productive whatever comes our way.

Interested in a more flexible and productive way of working? Speak to the team at UBC or pop in for a tour. Come and see for yourself why our clients choose to stay with us for the long-term.