As a company grows, its needs can change very quickly. A team of three people may welcome new employees a few months later, launch a new activity or need more space to meet clients.
In this context, traditional offices are not always the easiest solution to manage. Between finding suitable premises, fitting them out, purchasing furniture and making long-term commitments, moving offices can quickly become a project in itself.
Flexible offices offer a different approach: providing a professional working environment while maintaining greater freedom to adapt as the business evolves.
Easily adapt your workspace to the size of your team
One of the main advantages of a flexible office is its ability to adapt as the team grows.
A small company does not necessarily need to plan from the outset for an office large enough to accommodate the employees it hopes to recruit two or three years from now.
It can start with an office suited to its current team and then gradually adapt its workspace as its needs evolve.
For example, a company can:
- start with an office for two people;
- welcome a third employee a few months later;
- add a coworking workstation temporarily when needed;
- move into a larger office once the team actually grows.
This approach avoids paying for unused square metres for months or even years.
Avoid major commitments when starting out
Signing a traditional lease represents a significant commitment, particularly for a young company.
When launching a business, it can be difficult to accurately predict:
- revenue growth;
- the number of future hires;
- how the business will develop;
- future space requirements;
- how the team will divide its time between the office and remote work.
Choosing a more flexible solution can help limit some of these commitments.
The company retains greater freedom to adapt its premises to its actual situation rather than relying on forecasts that may change quickly.
Offices that are ready to use
Finding suitable premises is only one part of the work involved in setting up a company.
You then usually need to think about furniture, internet access, equipment, shared areas and many other practical details.
A flexible office is generally already equipped and ready to use.
Depending on the workspace, companies may benefit from:
- desks and chairs;
- lockable storage cabinets;
- internet access;
- shared areas;
- meeting rooms;
- a kitchen or coffee area.
Employees can therefore settle in quickly without having to wait several weeks for their new premises to be fitted out.
Keep costs under control more easily
Business growth naturally brings new expenses. Office space should not become a source of disproportionate costs.
With a traditional office, several expenses may need to be added to the rent:
| Traditional office | Flexible office |
|---|---|
| Furniture needs to be purchased | Furniture is generally provided free of charge |
| Internet needs to be installed | Internet connection is generally included free of charge |
| Premises need to be fitted out | Workspace is ready to use |
| Maintenance needs to be organised | Maintenance is included in the cost |
| Meeting room needs to be fitted out | Shared meeting rooms may be available |
| Space needs to be planned in advance | Space can be adapted according to your needs |
Offers obviously vary from one provider to another. It is therefore important to check exactly which services are included in the price.
At Colors, for example, you have access to all the advantages listed above for €199 per month.
This type of organisation can therefore make office-related expenses easier to anticipate.
Access facilities without having to own everything
A small company does not necessarily use a meeting room eight hours a day. Yet in traditional premises, it may need to dedicate an entire room to this purpose if it regularly welcomes clients or organises meetings.
Flexible offices often allow certain spaces and facilities to be shared. A company can therefore have its own private office for everyday activities while occasionally using:
- a large meeting room;
- a coworking space;
- a kitchen with a coffee area;
- informal shared spaces.
This provides access to a more complete professional environment without having to finance all these facilities independently.
At Colors, you have your own private office, as well as several meeting rooms that can be booked when needed and a shared kitchen where you can make yourself a coffee. There are also several lounge areas with sofas where you can sit down and talk with colleagues in a more relaxed setting outside the traditional office environment.
Adapt to new ways of working
Business growth does not necessarily mean that every new employee will be in the office five days a week.
Remote working, business travel and hybrid working arrangements have changed the way companies use office space.
Take the example of a team of eight people. If two employees regularly travel for work and several others work from home on certain days, eight permanent workstations may not always be necessary.
The company could therefore combine different solutions:
- a private office;
- a few shared workstations;
- coworking spaces;
- meeting rooms available when the entire team gets together.
The amount of space used can therefore better reflect the company’s actual needs.
Make periods of transition easier
Flexible offices are not only useful for start-ups. They can also provide a temporary solution for an established company.
A flexible workspace can be particularly useful during:
- an office move;
- renovation work in the company’s usual premises;
- the opening of a new location;
- the creation of a team in another city;
- a project that temporarily requires additional employees.
The company can quickly access a professional workspace without immediately having to put a permanent property solution in place.
Remain flexible when the future is difficult to predict
Business growth is rarely perfectly linear.
A period of recruitment may be followed by a more stable phase. A new project may temporarily require additional staff. The development of remote working may also reduce daily attendance at the office.
In all these situations, flexibility can help companies avoid choosing premises based solely on circumstances that could look very different a few months later.
The objective is simple: allow the workspace to evolve at the same pace as the company.
How to choose a flexible office that can support your growth
Not all flexible office solutions offer the same possibilities. Before choosing one, it is useful to check several factors:
- the different office sizes available;
- the possibility of adding workstations;
- the commitment terms;
- what is included in the overall offer;
- access to meeting rooms;
- access hours;
- the solutions available if the team grows;
- the possibility of combining a private office with coworking.
It can also be useful to ask the provider directly what happens if the company needs to move into a larger office.
At Colors, the process is very simple. If you want to start in coworking and, a few months later, move into a larger office because your team has grown, you simply need to let us know. We will look at the available options with you and find the office that best suits your new requirements.
In summary
A company’s property requirements evolve alongside its activity, recruitment and organisation.
Flexible offices can reduce long-term commitments, make it easier to adapt the size of the workspace and provide access to fully equipped professional facilities.
They can therefore be an interesting solution for start-ups and small businesses, as well as more established companies going through a period of growth or transition.
Rather than trying to predict exactly what the company will look like several years from now, flexibility makes it possible to choose a workspace suited to today’s needs while retaining the option to adapt it tomorrow.
