By Nick Riesel, MD of FreeOfficeFinder, a boutique serviced office agency that specialises in matching individuals and organisations with their perfect office.

As much as things are quiet at the moment, as we wait to find out how the pandemic might affect the rest of this year, experts tell us that this won’t be for long. With a vaccine in place and social distancing practices now the norm, we could start to see industries pick up during the latter part of 2020 and the start of 2021 – and for many, that means a return to the workplace. Indeed, Coworking Resources’ latest research still indicates that we’re on track to have over 40,000 coworking spaces globally by 2024.

When the first lockdown required many of us to work from home last year, the idea was appealing to many. On the one hand, people enjoyed the convenience and cost-saving aspects of working from home. There was the novelty factor of not having to battle the daily commute and face other people, and working in your joggers or PJs. But over the past year, the appeal has waned. Many employees are feeling isolated and they are sick of seeing the same four walls all day. They miss interacting and collaborative working with colleagues while their employers miss face-to-face management, monitoring and the ability to train and develop new and existing employees.

That means that, certainly in the short term, we’re likely to see a return to the office that will consist of a week split between days in the office and days at home: how and where we work is very much going to fall into the hybrid category for a large percentage of job roles. Of course, this split will be dependent on the role and what is realistic in terms of output from the people running the business.

So what should companies be thinking about as they prepare to return to the office, and how can employees’ return be managed it effectively?

Size of office



First of all, is the office you have right for you? Following the pandemic, your office size could go one of two ways. There’s every chance that it will become smaller because less desks will be needed. As a company, it’s also worth investigating moving from a long term rental to a shorter, more flexible solution that will allow you to see how a new work set-up will pan out. You may want to think about finding a base where staff can go in and out as they please, which has everything there for them.

Look for somewhere with flexible rental terms, enabling you to either change office size or even leave if needed. Being able to change the size of your office to accommodate the likely change in staff numbers is a sensible precaution, and with many office spaces providing internet and utilities as part of the package, it also prevents you from having to go through the motions with multiple organisations if there are any changes to circumstances.

On the other hand, for some, working from home is just not possible. In these instances, employers may want to invest in bigger offices so that social distancing measures can be maintained. Some businesses have opted to rent more offices so that they can divide teams to lessen the number of people in a building. Others are opting for private office spaces in the local area as an alternative to working at home in order to protect mental wellbeing and boost the morale of staff.

Type of office

Flexible office and coworking spaces have generally fared well during times of business uncertainly and the main reason for this is flexibility. Financial crashes and other world events that affect business simply lead company owners to be more reluctant to sign into long term business agreements, so flexible and managed office spaces are a good solution. Indeed, from February 2020 to March 2021, we saw an 8.5% increase in serviced office enquiries. It is likely that this will increase further as those who are leasing start to consider more flexible options. Prices for serviced offices and coworking spaces remain fairly stable throughout the UK.

There are several reasons why serviced offices are so popular and likely to do well. Firstly, they take the worry out of renting office space as tenants simply pay their monthly fee and all the extras, such as a receptionist, broadband, facilities for employees and even cleaners for communal areas, are taken care of. This means that everything is in place to take care of the needs of every business, and it’s completely hassle-free. On top of that, they’re flexible, so you can move in and out of the premises at very short notice, and building maintenance, cleaning and the setting up of utilities is taken care of.

Encouraging employees back

Hybrid working is one way to ease people back into office life. The mix of days in the office with days at home can be built up over a few months, ensuring that employees increasingly feel more comfortable spending time in the office.

Serviced offices and coworking spaces are quick to adapt to the changing needs of businesses, and that includes adjustments to recent and current social distancing measures. There are certain measures that can be put in place to make people feel comfortable with the return to the office, too. Spaces should be cleaned daily, with COVID measures, including hand sanitisers, desk screens and two metre social distancing rules, in place. If there is one thing the Coronavirus outbreak has taught us, it is the need for strict hygiene measures. Many managed services already offer the cleaning of communal spots such as kitchens and bathrooms, but this should be stepped up to ensure the safety of everyone who works there.

And while the majority of coworking offices have an effective and regular cleaning procedure, it may not be sufficient given current circumstances and, even when the pandemic has passed, it may still be too much to expect people to sit at desks that had other people at them previously. It’s highly likely that more coworking spaces will offer fixed desk space rather than hot desks. Larger desks, both in private and coworking areas, will also help with social distancing measures.

If people are still afraid to come in, but struggling to work from home, see if they can make use of workspaces in the local area, such as a small private office or a coworking space.

If you are thinking of relocating/taking an office for the first time then choose an office for employees that offers more. Some serviced offices provide, or will shortly look to provide, networking events (for when we are allowed), gyms, cafes, and fun break out spaces that help engage people and give them something else to look forward to on their return to the office. This will also help with the ongoing wellbeing and happiness of employees beyond that initial return to the office.

What does the future hold?

It’s fairly likely that working from home and hybrid methods of working will be the norm for the next 12 to 24 months and then will eventually fizzle out. When companies are reminded of how much easier it is to manage, train and get creative with employees when they’re in the office, working from home will fall away and office life will start to return to a kind of pre-pandemic normality. In the meantime, a safe, effective and well-managed return to the office will be the most positive step you can take to ensure a happy and confident workforce.