As a small consulting company we don’t have an ‘Office’. We have meeting points (cafes, sometimes a rented meeting room). That might well be the trend in the future, with offices becoming exclusive collaboration spaces, bringing together a team temporarily for a joint effort.
Why should we have an office and pay for the space? We are mainly working at clients’ offices and often staying at hotels. We can work from anywhere with 4G connectivity. A home office is sufficient for remote work when needed. This has drawbacks of course, such as loneliness sometimes. I have to recognize that this model is still non-traditional and we face sometimes misunderstanding by authorities and clients. But I strongly believe it is the future of work.
In the future the traditional office, if linked to controlling the time people spend at work, and as a private territorial space might well disappear. Even at the executive level (people that generally are travelling a lot) the concept of private office tends to be replaced by hot desks.
At the same time, the importance of offices as collaboration spaces will increase, because teamwork is always essential at creating value. But we don’t necessarily need to be collaborating all the time; we also need quiet time to deliver. Office space needs to be shaped for collaboration, but less so for private space, which can be conveniently found in other places closer to home, with significant savings in time, convenience and the environment.
Do you agree with this trend and do you see it evolving around you?
