Best Software Solutions for Managing Flexible Workspaces

Managing flexible workspaces, hot desks and other collaborative coworking spaces is simple, easy and cost-efficient when the right software is in place. A recent report from JLL indicated that about 70% of companies now include flexible workspaces in their real estate strategy. JLL also predicted that by 2030, flexible spaces would make up about 30% of corporate real estate portfolios.

The largest driver of flexible workspace popularity has been large enterprise organizations and hybrid work model adoption. Many have shifted their work models to a hybrid or flexible working model, allowing for greater employee workplace freedom and cutting down on costs for office real estate and resource usage.

In fact, according to recent data from Zoom, the hybrid work model and offering employees more flexibility in workspaces is a dominant trend.

As Zoom notes in  recent blog: “Our white paper on Navigating the Future of Work found that the hybrid work model reigns supreme, with 75% of business leaders noting that their organizations will likely change their models in the next two years. We’ve also found that in North America, the hybrid model is the most common workplace model. Sixty percent of leaders say their company operates a hybrid model, while 27% are in-office and 13% are remote. This surge in popularity highlights the appeal of flexible work, which provides employees with greater autonomy, improved work-life balance, and access to collaborative opportunities.”

And with nearly 64% of leaders reporting their companies are using hybrid models, it’s not shocking to know that having and managing flexible workspaces is key.

What is Flexible Workspace Management Software

A flexible workspace can be many things – a desk, a meeting room, a hub room –but in essence it is a shared office space or flexispace that can be used by any employee at any given time. Flexible workspaces today are often areas where multiple desks or individual workspaces are located that can be booked by employees as needed. And because many employees today are working on a more hybrid model, having the ability to see which workspaces are available, booked, in-use, and make it easy for employees to book in advance as well as in-the-moment is a necessity for modern work.

Key Features of Flexible Workspace Management Software

1. Streamline operations for shared or hybrid workspaces
2. Easier to book desks, huddles, meeting rooms, event spaces, and other office spaces
3. Facilitate community building by being able to find and book workspaces near colleagues
4. Offer insights into workspace and resource usage to inform stakeholders and operational optimization efforts related to design, layout, workspace volume and more
5. Improve coordination among teams and reduce administrative burden across the organization by simplifying scheduling and booking
6. Designed to accommodate scaling businesses – adapt to workspaces of various sizes
7. Enhance user experience by easily integrating with existing calendar and email solutions

Benefits of Flexible Workspace Management Software Solutions

Using a flexible workspace management solution offers a number of benefits to any size organization.

Namely:

• Reduced costs
• Better collaboration
• Efficient use of space

Other benefits include:

• Greater employee satisfaction and retention
• Increased productivity
• Improved sustainability and ecological KPI performance
• Reduce resource and space waste
• Deeper understanding of workspace usage, employee behaviors, and resource utilization needs

Real World Story: Genesis Housing Association

One of the United Kingdom’s leading housing associations, Genesis Housing Association wanted to introduce flexible working when moving to new office locations while keeping its workforce on Microsoft 365. To support this effort, we implemented workspace management solutions such as Resource Central to help Genesis manage its office space usage and the ordering of additional services such as catering.

After using Resource Central, Genesis was able to free up 285 desks and optimize their office space usage. Moreover, with Resource Central in place, Genesis was able to properly support its flexible working model and save £1 million annually.

Genesis’ Facilities Managers also use Resource Central to get a much clearer view of how various resources are being used and can adjust accordingly to drive operational savings and reduce their carbon footprint. For example, not heating a room if it doesn’t have a booking or working out how space might be used in a more effective and economical manner.

Choosing the Right Workspace Management Solution

When it comes down to selecting a workspace platform to book meeting and conference rooms, manage rooms and related resources, it’s key to have one that also matches the on-the-go pace of today’s working world and the popularity of hybrid work.

This really means choosing a workspace management software solution that:

1. Is easy to integrate with employees’ existing tech stack (email and calendar apps specifically)
2. Can be used on mobile devices
3. Can be used within the office on or off personal devices

Top Three Flexible Workspace Software Solutions

While we can’t speak to every workspace software solution, we can summarize our top solutions for cost-effective flexible workspace management.

Best Flexible Workspace Software Solutions from Add-On Products

Flexible Workspace Trends to Watch

The future of flexible workspace management is evolving alongside AI and continued shifts to more flexible working arrangements around the globe.