From meetings in coffee shops to laptops in hotel lobbies or typing from a sofa in a co-working space, the line between hospitality, residential and business environments has become increasingly blurred. Driven by the rise of startup and freelance culture, these new hybrid office environments encourage an informal and laid-back style of working that has now become the norm across the business world.
But despite its prevalence, some businesses are starting to question this new hybrid approach to the workplace. Is it really the best way of instilling a professional culture and supporting how people like to work?
At Landmark we believe that, despite the trend for coffee shop style work spaces, this new laid-back approach doesn’t provide the professionalism, or the variety of working environments, many businesses and their people require. In a recent poll, we found that 70 per cent of our small and medium-sized customers want their workspace to feel professional, while just 51 per cent would prefer a creative environment. This gives a clear indication of where priorities lie.
A bustling, noisy workspace might be suitable for informal meetings and catch-ups, but isn’t appropriate for important client meetings, quiet contemplation or taking sensitive phone calls. That’s why Landmark has built its approach around professional working, aimed at businesses that want to embrace new, flexible and more open work styles, but do so while maintaining that important air of professionalism at all times. We’ve embedded this approach into our workspaces through a combination of design and service.
Zoned design
Having analysed the activities and tasks that people spend their time on while at work, we’ve planned all our spaces to incorporate four distinct zones to suit these diverse requirements. Our workspaces are also designed to give a distinctly professional rather than residential feel, without sacrificing any of the comfort and facilities that clients expect.
Every centre has a private working zone, where clients can go when they need to focus and concentrate on tasks such as drafting important emails, thinking about big problems or digesting reports and data. Meanwhile, the collaborative working zone is far more interactive, enabling small teams to come together to talk about ideas, brainstorm solutions and collaborate on tasks.
For more formal meetings and presentations, we offer a selection of options to suit a range of different situations and needs, depending on a client’s particular requirements on a given day. And finally, a social zone provides the buzzy, café-style environment that suits networking and informal catch-ups, as well as providing a place to relax and take breaks between tasks.
People and service
Delivering the right level and style of service is also fundamental to creating a working environment with a professional look and feel. We understand that our people are the face of our clients’ businesses; they’re the first thing guests see when they walk through the door. That means the service has to be spot on.
We think of our customer service approach as a “handshake culture” because it retains that respect for traditional business values and expectations. We train all our people to an exceptionally high standard and we’re currently working towards becoming the first flexible office space provider to be recognised by the Institute of Customer Service. Our client feedback speaks for itself. In our most recent survey, all our staff received a consistent nine out of ten rating for presentation, attitude, responsiveness and efficiency.
With 20 years of providing flexible workspaces, we’ve seen the market and client demands evolve enormously during that time. Yet, while we’ve always evolved as a business in response to new ways of working, we’ve also been careful to retain a more traditional approach to professionalism and service. We like to think we’ve created the ideal hybrid of old and new styles, so our clients can enjoy the best of both.
For more information please visit landmarkspace.co.uk
