Bedding in: Would you sleep in the office?
Flexible workspace provider Office Space in Town (OSiT) has launched five bedrooms at its Monument site.
The company said it has noticed “increasing numbers of commuters wanting to play late in the city and skip the morning rush hour.”
Employers have long been searching for new and innovative ways to bring their staff back into the office; around 40 per cent now have strategies in place, according to recruitment firm Hays.
So far such incentives have included better locations, greener spaces and cycle-to-work schemes, plus social activities and free breakfasts.
But firms in general shy away from offering places to sleep (perhaps concerned about the public’s attitude to the concept of a work-life balance).
For Peter Hall at Cognia Law, tenant of OSiT’s Monument location, there’s no mention of the difficulties of switching off at night: “We regularly have our overseas team members visiting our London office from Monday evening and Friday morning, and this makes the planning and execution of the visit painless.”
“It is very convenient to accommodate visitors close to the office, which simplifies out of time zone calls and meetings that need to be conducted from the office.”
OSiT’s suite of five rooms is a small start, but they already want to expand: The company said has it is looking for “new, larger Zone 1 London sites” ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 sqft to “allow it to roll out this vision”.
This vision is bold: OSiT wants to bring the ‘Omni Office’ into existence – that means rooms, nurseries, restaurants, dog-grooming facilities and yoga studios – and create a “one-stop shop” for its tenants.
“The way we work has changed and the spaces we work in must evolve with it,” co-founder Giles Fuchs said. “People want convenience and flexibility.”
The company aims for a “holistic” office experience which “help[s] take care of all aspects of our client’s lives,” he added.
OSiT already has Monopoly and Alice in Wonderland-themed offices, which have attracted rave reviews from clients.
“People want to be here,” a tenant of its Monopoly office told The Times. “That’s crucial as we want [employees] in for four or five days a week.”
Will the future see those five days become 24-hour ones, rather than nine-to-fives? We’ll have to wait and see.