Coronavirus cases have now risen over 51,000 in the UK, and 1 million worldwide.
With the virus continuing to spread at such a rapid rate, businesses across the UK are now adjusting to lockdown – some struggling significantly without their offices, as others consider why they ever needed one in the first place.
Whilst this would be a nightmare scenario for the UK’s office landlords, it’s one that’s very unlikely to come true!
Businesses will forever consider ways to cut down on costs, however, at the end of the day, offices are just too valuable to lose.
Below is a list with some of the major reasons why businesses will always invest in office space:
It Makes a Business Look Good
The design of the office is often used to reflect a business’s image; aesthetic spaces going a long way in establishing an attractive, accommodating presence people want to associate with.
Having a nice office in London can therefore help to promote a business’s appeal, impressing clients whilst giving employees a great environment to work in.
Improves Staff Retention
Environment can have a major influence on staff welfare. Having a nice, well-designed office can promote workplace wellbeing, increasing job satisfaction and thereby staff retention.
Additionally, having an office space in itself can help to improve staff morale and workplace wellbeing. Many employees enjoy separating their work life from their personal life, which can be hard to do when working from home.
Having a space staff members exclusively go to work can be a massive perk that keeps staff happy and attracts more talent.
Strengthens a Workforce
Having employees interact and work with each other on a daily basis can also play a vital part in a business’s productivity. It helps to strengthen relationships within the workforce, improving communication throughout the business.
It also helps to further promote employee wellbeing, giving them a social atmosphere where they can discuss operations freely with other colleagues, and often form friendships.
Therefore, although businesses may start to see the benefits of working from home, it’s unlikely this will lead to a big drop in office uptake.
Instead, certain employees might be offered the chance to work from home, realising their productivity improves when working remotely. Alongside this, office space could be freed up to be used more productively (i.e. bigger meeting rooms, optimising design for collaboration).
This way, businesses can reap the benefits of remote working and office spaces collectively.