Move over conventional workspaces because unconventional business office space has arrived. In Hamilton, Ontario, for example, the high-tech consulting firm Deenlo has converted its conventional office space into a swimming pool. According to the company’s CEO Robert Downing, the move has been good for productivity. He reports that employees come up with many ideas in this new work environment, and that many are willing to work late because they’re having fun playing in-pool games such as Marco Polo.
Research shows that allowing employees to engage in constructive play on the job can help them think more creatively. At Google in Mountain View, California, a slide lets employees slide from one floor to the next. Infosys, a tech company that finds business solutions for companies, has a bowling alley and a rock climbig wall at its global education center in Mysore, India.
Every company will need office space for some occasion whether the office space is cutting-edge or not. But even if a company does not have business office space or conference facilities of its own, it can rent them. Reasons companies may seek off-site business office space or conference facilities include a larger space and a more impressive business atmosphere.
While the trend for many companies is toward open business office space that allows workers to engage each other uninhibited by cubicles, researchers in workplace design point out the need for balance. The “2013 U.S. Workplace Survey” compiled by Gensler, a Washington-based architectural, design and planning firm, said that while open spaces are widely used, companies should also provide alternative workspaces. Therefore, while a handful of people should be able to find a place to meet, an individual who feels the need to separate from the group and go someplace and close a door for privacy should be able to do so.
Architects and others who plan workspaces consider a company’s culture and what kind of work habits management tolerates. When a company decides to rent offices or conference facilities, the company it rents from makes professionals available to meet the renter’s needs. Rented business facilities satisfy a company’s technological needs through Internet access, phone networks and other services.
Companies have flexibility when renting business office space and conference facilities because they can rent them by the hour, day, week, month or year. Companies can also save money and the headache of staffing by securing support from the company they rent from.
