When you’ve got around 40 businesses under one roof, you start to notice things. Not in a spreadsheet way, more in a “huh, that’s the third time this year” way. Here are the five things that have surprised us most.
1. Almost nobody’s journey is a straight line.
We expected the textbook story: start small, grow, take a bigger office. Plenty of businesses do start that way, with a hot desk, then a fixed desk, then a private office, then a bigger one. We have tenants just like this that have been with us for years. However there is a wider more changeable picture in the life of our businesses at Cardale Park.
We’ve also watched businesses go the other way, from a team office to a couple of fixed desks, or back to working from home for a while, and then return when they were ready. The path is more of a wiggle than a ladder.
2. Moving down is smart.
This one surprised us most. Some of the most sensible decisions we’ve seen came from businesses that realised they needed less space, not more. A project finishes, a team goes hybrid, a client moves on. Because our terms are flexible, they could simply adjust, with no panic and no lease hanging over them.
3. Working from home works until it doesn’t.
Many people who’ve gone home tell us the same thing when they come back. They loved the freedom, but they missed the people, the proper desk and a door to close at the end of the day. They also missed the community: with so many different businesses under one roof, a chat in the kitchen often turns into a new contact, a client or a friend. With the small events, celebrations and get togethers, they had a sense of beloinging. Others never leave the office completely, and just use a hot desk on the days they’re needed.
4. People want a base, not a barracks.
We assumed the demand would be for lots of desks, five days a week. Instead, the most common request is for somewhere good to come to when it matters: team days, client meetings, thinking time. A quiet corner, good Wi-Fi, a meeting room and a decent cup of tea cover most of it.
5. Needs change faster than contracts.
This is the big one. Businesses can change completely in 12 months, and the old ten-year lease was never built for that. It’s no surprise that flexible office deals across the UK rose 25% year on year. Flexibility is a necessity for many businesses now, and that is what we have learnt and adapted to.
So what do we do with all that?
We listen, and we keep things flexible. Hot desks, fixed desks and private offices for anything from one person to 35, with all-inclusive terms and no surprises. Move up, move down, or move around, and we’ll make it easy.
Come over and have a chat and a coffee
Your first co-working day is on us.
