When Cathy Moatman worked for a big international charity, she very rarely went into their offices. Instead, she would go to work in overspill desk space closer to her home. The building was set up like a big, bustling office, but everyone was from different companies, and there were better facilities than she could get in her actual office.
Small business employees have long worked from wherever they can, be that a spare bedroom or a kitchen table. But when things are looking up and you need to expand, or you’re starting to feel that working away from home should take precedent, it might be a good idea to look at desk sharing.
Firstly, costs can be lower than renting or buying an apartment with extra office space. You’ll save not just on the physical size of office you’ll get for your money, but also significantly on energy bills. Secondly, you can choose the location you work from. If you want to impress clients with a central London postal address for example (which can be important when mail-ordering), some desk rental spaces will allow you to have post sent up to your workspace. Thirdly, these set-ups are designed to be flexible. They can work for you whether you’re a freelancer or in a small team.
Great facilities
NearDesk lets you work anywhere in the UK. One of their website taglines is “commute less, live more.” They’re part of the flexible working revolution that’s sweeping the world. The realisation that with the likes of Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Hangouts, Skype, and smartphones, the permanent, physical office space could be seen as a near-redundant proposition.
Like a lot of desk sharing facilities, NearDesk provides users with “IT support, proper furniture, and health and safety.” There’s also more flexibility than you might imagine. Its hi-tech nature – you get a card that you can swipe on any entrance to a NearDesk office – means you can hot desk around the different offices depending on where you live. Best of all, locations aren’t in strange out of the way places (or they needn’t be). Most of the office space appears to be central, which is perfect for client meetings and making sure all your staff can access group meetings.
Reduction in energy costs
Tracepoint is a company based in London that has used shared office space since it launched four years ago. Over the last four years it has shared offices in Green Park, London Bridge, and is now in Soho at www.sohost.co. CEO James Cox explains why he decided to use desk sharing services from the start: it enables the company to have very central locations (in London) without the costs of a private office.
Says Cox: “Additionally clients love coming to the current shared space because it is a little quirky and not a ‘traditional’ working space. Also, the on-demand desk space model is not only more economical, but is also more flexible and can be scaled up or down almost instantly. Tracepoint’s technology infrastructure is based on cloud computing and the shared office space offers similar benefits.”
Importantly for Tracepoint, they’re able to reduce their energy costs. “Tracepoint doesn’t pay any utility costs – they are all included in the monthly price,” says Cox. “We’ve always shared offices so cannot compare energy savings to a traditional rented office model, but we believe that it certainly benefits from lower utility costs through economies of scale (as well as the green approach of its current shared space).”
Cox points out that it’s worth checking how much of your utility bills are covered in shared office space. “Some shared offices include all utility costs as part of a monthly flat fee but others charge based on usage.”
Andrew Kneeshaw, from E.ON Energy’s partner Gateway Energy Solutions, says: “Office sharing is probably more energy efficient than having an office of your own as the infrastructure is likely to be modern because the owner has an interest in keeping the systems well maintained.” Andrew says the important thing to remember is to turn things off when you’re not around. “Even though energy is most often included in your rent, your use along with everyone else’s still has a bearing on the long term chargeable energy component in your rent.
Meeting new people
If you’re used to living and working out of the same space, then sharing an office or hot desking can really revolutionise how you work. Rent a Desk has offices all over London, and although they also wax lyrical about the benefits of office sharing, highest up on their list is the chance to “share with friendly, talented, and inspirational people.” Their site mentions that although you work alone, partnerships occasionally form in the office. Who knows? You might find your next social media manager or find a website whizz who’ll redesign your site at a fraction of the cost than if you’d outsourced it to a stranger.
Office Space genie, formerly known as Desk Space Genie, takes cost saving measures one step further. It allows people who have empty spaces or desks in their offices to rent them out to those looking for a work place. So, in effect, it’s subletting desks. Deskcamping is very much geared towards the startup end of the market, and have bases in London, Berlin, and New York. As in London, their offices in Berlin and New York are all centrally located and have a prominent focus on coworking and collaborative spaces.
How much will it cost?
Renting out office space won’t usually break the bank, unless you go for some snazzy place which looks out over the Empire State Building or the Arc du Triomphe. Office space rental runs the whole gamut, so like any rent, depending on what part of the country you’re in, the cost will vary. Using Office Genie for £200 per month you can rent out an office in the heart of Covent Garden. Flexibility is also a key reason why people rent out desks and office space. Many locations and companies have the option to rent out a desk for just a day or a week. Prices can again range from about £10 a week to however much you want to spend, but the average cost in London seems to be around £30. However, with all the other benefits, what’s not to love?
Content on this page is paid for and produced to a brief agreed with E.ON, sponsor of the Efficiency hub.
