The GWA insists that people who need the flexibility to work from a new location on short notice, whether for a large company or on a self-employed basis, are finding their needs met by the on-demand office solutions now provided by a range of suppliers worldwide.
It seems that the flexibility of serviced offices and virtual offices—as opposed to more traditional leasehold alternatives—has proven more popular as individuals and companies in all manner of industry sectors are obliged to monitor their expenditures more closely in light of challenging economic conditions.
John G Jordan, president of GWA, said in a recent statement: “Industry-wide, virtual office and meeting room services grew during the recent recession, but the real story is that these segments actually emerged from the recession supercharged, posting double-digit growth in each of the past two years.”
“Mobile workers who are self-employed or work with large companies have seen the benefits of shedding the risk and limitations of the traditional office in favour of virtual offices, touchdown space, and on-demand meeting spaces, and they are embracing these alternatives,” he added.
According to the GWA’s data, providers of what it refers to as ‘workspace-as-a-service’ solutions saw their occupancy levels increase steadily in recent years as the option of short-term and highly flexible rental arrangements grew in popularity.
In addition to the apparent cost-saving advantages, flexible office solutions are also growing in demand because businesses worldwide are becoming ever-more global in their outlook. A short-term office presence allows companies to establish an interim foothold in a new geographical market.
Serviced offices can prove particularly useful for small or start-up companies that considerably benefit from expanding or scaling back their workforce on short notice within a business centre setting. Space of this kind is now available for rent in virtually every city worldwide and at hundreds of purpose-built out-of-town sites in the UK alone.
Editor’s notes: As of June 2024, Cid Rhomberg and Giovanni Palavicini were Co-Presidents of the Global Workspace Association (GWA).