Lockdown was here. We all faced it together. We all coped together. The toughest part was continuing work, from home. Now that the lockdown has opened, people are heading back to their offices again, everyone is skeptical as they re-join.

“Is it safe to work in the office right now? What about hygiene there? Traveling is risky too. More people means more exposure. But working from home is not a feasible permanent solution too. What should I do?”

Thoughts similar to this might be running in the minds of most of the people right now. So is there some safer alternative, where people can go have a working environment, without the fear of contracting the virus?

What about managed office spaces? It is basically a ‘pay-as-you-use’ office space. These offices are usually managed by the operators, reducing the administrative burden. Has the lockdown affected the functioning of these offices? Has it been beneficial for the managed offices? Let’s look at it closely to come to a conclusion.

1.  Cost management

The biggest challenge in front of the companies right now is to manage their costs and expenditures. Office rents are in a surge, especially in the posh urban areas. On top of that, the maintenance and running costs like electricity bills, water bills, staff salary for cleaning, managing food and beverage, and such are quite significant for a company.

And due to COVID-19, the offices now have to run at 50% capacity. That means all these expenditures for accommodating half of the employees. The rest have to be managed either someplace else or work from home. While WFH is an option, many employees have been facing productivity issues. This can be a good opportunity for the managed office spaces to provide a working space for the companies, where they can resume their work as usual. The companies have to pay monthly rent for space and everything else is taken care of.

Buzzworks is opening up to the companies so that they can provide a working space for the rest 50% of their employees.

2.  Feasibility for the companies

One of the main advantages of the managed office spaces is that these are available in various regions across the city. So the company can come up with a spot which is feasible for all or most of the employees going to work there. This will save the travel time and also the risk of traveling in public commute during the virus outbreak. The shared office space is flexible and can be changed to accommodate the team. This is an advantage over the traditional offices where expansion gets difficult due to limited space.

Additionally, bringing a part of the team under one roof will increase their interaction, collaboration, and teamwork. They will remain motivated leading to increased work productivity.

3.  Services

One of the most sought after factor in offices now will be hygiene and safety. Frequent cleaning of common places and touchpoints and ensuring provision of masks and hand sanitizers are going to be of prime importance. Additionally, these offices can also make sure placing signboards around the offices about safe distancing, maintaining hygiene practices, etc. to keep reminding and informing people. All these practices will be strictly followed by managed office spaces, as they want to provide high-quality services to their customers. This gives a sense of safety to the people working there and the companies that their employees will be safe and sound working in such an environment.

Apart from the safety measures, managed offices offer a premium working environment, including, cleanliness, more green spaces, and multiple amenities. Working from home takes an ample amount of time completing house chores, preparing lunch and dinner, and cleaning. Whereas, in a managed office, an employee can get his/her peace of mind through well-lit office space, and all the facilities at his fingertips like coffee, lunch, de-cluttered clean working space, and more. All these factors motivate brings positive energy and help people focus more on work.

4.  Downtime for the future threat

Although the lockdown has ended and people are resuming to their normal activities while following precautions, the risk is not eradicated completely. This calls for safer steps to be taken while dealing with our regular lives. In such situations, it is always a better option to work from a place where they follow the highest level of safety measures 24*7. And since managed offices accommodate multiple offices under the same roof, they will take care of their customers, with utmost precautions to avoid any risk of contamination.

The current situation is also a good example of how in case, we face any other pandemic in the future, or if the second COVID-19 wave hits the world, then there has to be an option available to continue work as things settle down. Managed offices have minimum downtime and they can be up and running faster than the traditional offices, reducing the setup time and cost for the companies. They have a better-trained staff to maintain the office standards for situations like this. This can be a major driving factor for some organizations.

5.  Psychological effect

One of the major issues of people working from home is the psychological impact of staying at home. Many people may be residing alone, locked in their houses for months now. This can eventually lead to them feeling alone and in despair. If not heeded on time, this can impact both their personal and professional lives. People who are continuing to work from home do need a change in their routine.

Managed offices can be a good option for them to feel that difference. These offices are very well-furnished, according to the team’s needs and requirements. With proper ventilation, green plants, spacious offices, better air quality, it can help people deal with their anxiety and bring calmness, in such a global pandemic.

Clearly, a managed office space is a better option for people than working from home for people post the lockdown. They get a much better working environment than most of the traditional offices, plus a safer and more hygienic one too. Companies might be looking at this as an option to accommodate their employees. It may not only save companies a lot of money, but it will also spare the employees peace of mind, which keeps them from wearing out in these uncertain times and continue being productive.