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5 reasons why serviced offices are best in winter

Posted on by aleks

With the cost of living rising rapidly and the final weeks of 2022 bringing an extended cold snap, many businesses are already feeling the brunt of winter – and spring is still several months away.

But with the option to occupy serviced offices in London, Manchester or Telford, the Serviced Office Company can cater for your needs, while delivering a long list of benefits that come as standard.

Some of these include…

Energy efficient heating

Our serviced offices come with individual heating and air conditioning controls, but throughout our buildings we make good use of energy efficient heating, to reduce our energy consumption and make savings we can pass on to our tenants.

Whether you’re a hot desking customer or a serviced office tenant, this means you can expect a warm, comfortable workplace throughout the winter months, without wasted energy, excess carbon footprint or unnecessary bills.

Light and bright

Another part of our commitment to energy efficiency is our use of natural light, and we design all of our serviced office buildings to capitalise on the availability of daylight, even in the winter when the days are that bit darker.

If the sun decides not to shine, we provide overhead lighting using energy efficient bulbs, so again, you can minimise your carbon footprint and your energy bills in one fell swoop.

Freshen up

There are few things worse than getting caught in an icy downpour or arriving to work muddy from the morning cycle commute – but with washrooms and shower facilities on-site, you can clean up and dry off, ready to face the day.

With bicycle racks also provided at each of our locations, you can commit to your eco-friendly pledge or exercise regime and keep cycling all through the winter, with somewhere safe to lock up your bike while you work.

Snacks and drinks

No matter how you get to work, a hot drink can be a welcome pick-me-up when it’s still dark outside. Our kitchen facilities give you a dedicated space to prepare snacks and drinks, giving you essential fuel to keep you alert all day.

We can also provide light snacks and beverages in our meeting rooms for hire – just ask for more details about the preparations we can make for any upcoming conference or seminar you might be planning to hold.

Break out

Don’t leave the premises when you need to relax. With our comfortable breakout rooms, you can step out of the office without facing icy winds or frosty pavements.

Our breakout rooms are provided free of charge, subject to availability, and are a great way to mingle with your fellow entrepreneurs who also use the hot desking facilities or serviced offices in the same building.

Find out more

To find out more about how we can keep you cosy this winter, get in touch with us today. We welcome enquiries about any of our serviced offices in London, Manchester and Telford, as well as general enquiries if you haven’t yet chosen a location.

Start the New Year in serviced offices in Telford

Posted on by aleks

As we start the New Year, many sole traders, small businesses and new start-ups will be looking for premises to call their own, and our serviced offices in Telford are the perfect place to set up an office in the Midlands.

With London and Manchester both around two and a quarter hours away by train, and Manchester less than two hours’ drive, a serviced office in Telford gives you access to key markets in both the north-west and the south-east.

And because we have serviced offices in Manchester and London as well, we can offer virtual office services from both locations, giving you direct professional contact details in desirable postcodes in both regions, in addition to your physical office in Telford.

Why choose a serviced office in Telford?

Our serviced offices in Telford are based in St. James House, a ten-minute walk from Telford Central Station and just four minutes’ drive from the M54, with great access to the M6 and A442.

The premises in Telford’s picturesque Central Park are our biggest ever, spanning 52,000 square feet across four floors.

On the ground and first floors alone you’ll find around 50 offices supporting 250 desks in total, and each office has its own heating and air conditioning controls, plus ultrafast Wi-Fi 6 internet access.

Above that, the top two floors offer open-plan office space, with an exclusive outdoor terrace on the third floor. Breakout rooms and app-bookable meeting rooms are located throughout the building for use when needed.

How to prepare your business for 2023

It’s hard to know what the economy will bring during 2023, but our serviced offices in Telford are an excellent way to prepare for any eventuality.

Our flexible office space plans mean you can occupy only as much as you need, with meeting rooms available to book via our app when you want to hold a conference, training session or stakeholder meeting.

We welcome enquiries about virtual offices in Telford, Manchester and London – allowing you to be contacted via our telephone number or postal address, without having a physical office on-site.

All of this gives you plenty of ways to future-proof your business growth in 2023, while giving you the professional brand perception you need to secure new clients and investment.

Getting to our serviced office in Telford

We’re proud of all our premises, and especially of the work that went into St. James House, so if you’d like to view our meeting rooms and serviced offices in Telford, just ask and we can schedule a tour of the building.

Getting here is easy. There’s a 180-space secure car park with six spaces reserved for visitors, plus a 50-space underground parking garage for executives.

Alternatively if you prefer to cycle, we have on-site bicycle racks to keep your bike locked up safely throughout the day, as well as shower facilities and washrooms in case you need to freshen up on arrival.

For more information about any of the above, contact us and we’ll be happy to help you put your business on the road to a prosperous New Year in 2023.

Flexible working made easier with Serviced Office Company

Posted on by aleks

One of the lasting effects of lockdown has been the proof that flexible working models are feasible for many more companies than may have been thought prior to the pandemic.

As the UK economy has opened back up, demand has grown quickly for serviced offices, virtual offices and hot desking facilities, driven by workforces keen to retain a hybrid working model.

This is good news for employers, as embracing this trend can help to keep employees happy and productive, while cutting the costs of fixed office space.

Serviced Office Company’s facilities cater for all of these modes of working – allowing you to embrace a fully flexible and hybrid workforce in the post-pandemic era.

Serviced offices for flexible working

It’s in our name, and with good reason. Serviced office space has been used for years by new start-ups, fast-growing SMEs and large businesses setting up new branch offices.

So it’s no surprise that serviced offices have been in demand among companies adapting to the flexible working model.

In fact the two go hand in hand, giving you versatile office space and just as much capacity as you need to accommodate your workforce – without spending on unused desks and workstations for personnel who are now largely working from a remote location.

Virtual offices for hybrid workers

If you’re not familiar with virtual offices, they give you access to our physical addresses and contact details, without you occupying any physical office space.

You – and your workforce – can work wherever you want, with our postal address and telephone numbers on your letterheads and email signatures.

When you receive a phone call or mail to one of our serviced offices, we’ll forward it on to you, allowing you to operate (or appear to do so) from prime locations in Telford, Manchester and London without facing a daily commute.

And if you’re creating a hybrid workforce, our virtual office services are ideal for your personnel who work remotely, coupled with fully serviced office space for those working on-site.

Hot desking for mixed-mode working

When you need some top-up capacity, for example if you have a higher number of employees working on-site during a training day or ahead of a major deadline, we provide hot desking facilities in London, Manchester and Telford.

Just book the workstations you need for the number of additional personnel coming into the office, and you’re all set.

Hot desking facilities are also available on an ad hoc basis for individuals, such as freelancers who might be looking for a professional office environment to work from for any length of time.

Contact us today

Whether you’re an individual looking for virtual office or hot desking facilities, or a business adapting to a flexible hybrid workforce, we have the services to suit you.

Our recently opened serviced offices in Telford and hot desking facilities in London are just part of our ongoing commitment to cater for growing demand from British businesses.

To find out more or to enquire about serviced offices and virtual offices near you, call us or email us today and we’ll be happy to help you find the flexible workspace you need.

How serviced offices can save you money this winter

Posted on by aleks

Fully serviced office space could be your company’s solution to a perfect winter storm of problems and pressures when it comes to counting your operating costs.

With high inflation, eye-watering business energy prices and the threat of a recession, many companies will be looking to save costs on premises.

Serviced offices are an excellent way to do this, by giving you the space you need, without the running costs of extra unused offices or meeting rooms standing empty.

What you get in serviced office space

Serviced office space gives you a lot for your money. Furnished offices ready to use, with up-to-date audiovisual equipment, telephony and internet/network connections already installed as standard.

You can put your own stamp on the space if you want, or you can move in immediately with minimal setup costs.

At the Serviced Office Company, we include a comprehensive list of features and benefits at no extra cost – you can check this on our website for total confidence about what you’ll get.

Why is serviced office space cheaper?

Generally speaking, fully serviced office space can be much cheaper than owning or leasing office space of your own – so why is this?

First of all, it’s easier to get exactly the amount of space you need, so you’re not paying to lease or maintain office space that you don’t really need.

We have meeting rooms for hire on-site when you need them, whether that’s for a one-to-one private conversation or for a group seminar, as well as breakout spaces where you can make a phone call or just relax.

The key word here is ‘lean’ – you trim the fat from your office space leasing, paying only for what you need, which is crucial in the current climate.

Save your staff from spending

It’s not just the rental cost that makes serviced office space a compelling proposition. It’s also a wallet-friendly option for your employees.

Our serviced offices in Manchester, London and Telford are in prime locations with good transport links, including an excellent mix of public transport to choose from.

And for an even more budget-friendly commute, employees who live nearby can walk or cycle to work, with places to securely park bicycles and washroom facilities on-site if they need to freshen up on arrival.

Finally, our well-equipped kitchen areas allow your staff to prepare lunch, snacks and hot drinks to reduce their reliance on daily purchases from nearby coffee shops and delicatessens.

Find out more

These are just a few examples of how serviced office space can help you and your employees to control your spending this winter – and of course, the confidence you gain over the cost of your workplace heating bills will be a huge factor too.

If you would like to know more about our serviced offices in Manchester, Telford and London, please get in touch and we will be happy to discuss the facilities available at each location and how we can help your business to thrive throughout this winter and into the new year.

How to Stay Active in the Office

Posted on by aleks

We all know that sitting in one place for eight hours a day is not a good way to keep active, which is why our serviced offices in Manchester, Telford and London have several features that help you and your employees to stay active.

It doesn’t take a lot to reduce sedentary time and unleash a whole host of benefits. The SMART Work and Life programme offered by the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust encourages small and simple changes in workplace activity to reduce time spent sitting.

By cutting sitting time by one hour, the SMART programme can achieve:

  • 33% of staff less stressed
  • 50% of staff less back and neck pain
  • 58% of staff less fatigued
  • 53% of staff more engaged
  • 66% of staff more productive
  • 71% of staff more focused
  • 87% of staff more energised
  • 65% of staff improved quality of life

Ultimately this is all done by encouraging employees to stand up and walk around more often – including productive time, such as standing-up meetings and standing phone calls.

How to Cut Sitting Time in the Office

Research to test the SMART programme included 756 workers from offices in Manchester, Liverpool and Leicester.

Through simple interventions such as tracking time spent sitting and actively encouraging standing, participants reduced their time spent sat at their desks by an average of 22 minutes per day.

By introducing adjustable height desks, this could be increased to over an hour on average – but even without doing this, the workers reported feeling more focused, energised and productive, and less stressed.

Keeping Active in Serviced Offices

Our serviced offices in Manchester, London and Telford have been designed to allow employees to move around, with spaces suitable for standing as well as a variety of seating areas:

  • Kitchen facilities for informal standing meetings
  • Meeting rooms for hire to enable movement of staff
  • Comfortable breakout rooms for relaxation and change of posture
  • Open-plan layouts to facilitate face-to-face collaboration
  • Good access to local amenities to encourage active breaks

In addition to all of this, we encourage walking and cycling to work, with on-site bicycle racks for secure parking and washroom facilities to clean up on arrival, ready for the working day.

All of this together means your workforce has plenty of places to spend a few minutes standing or moving around, without compromising on productivity – and reaping the benefits in physical fitness and state of mind as a result.

Find out more

If you would like to know more about the facilities and furniture available in our serviced offices in Telford, London or Manchester, or you want to enquire about our meeting rooms and hot desking facilities in any of our locations, please contact the Serviced Office Company today.

You can find our quick and easy enquiry form on our Contact page, along with the other details you can use to get in touch.

And if you’ve already decided on a location and would like to take a look for yourself, just click Book A Tour at the top of the location’s page on our website, and we’ll get a visit scheduled in for a time that suits you.

A Tale of Two Cities: Serviced Offices in London and Manchester Lead UK Market

Posted on by aleks

Demand for serviced offices in London and Manchester from tech firms is among the driving forces behind UK market growth in a recent report from Mordor Intelligence.

According to the market snapshot, post-pandemic businesses are finding they need less owned office space, due to the greater proportion of employees who are working some or all of their time from home.

Nearly half (47%) said they expect to include more co-working, flexible and serviced offices in their commercial real estate strategies for the future.

Mordor Intelligence note that these “market tendencies” were already in place before the emergence of COVID-19, but were accelerated by the pandemic and its effects on working practices.

Tech firms demand serviced offices in Manchester and London

Within the nationwide trend, serviced offices in Manchester and London are seeing particular growth in demand, driven by interest from high-tech businesses in the surrounding areas.

The analyst says: “Since many tech enterprises require more than just office space, London and Manchester, as the UK’s top innovation centres, are projected to witness a surge in flexible co-working spaces.

“Many people are looking for features and local amenities that will help foster innovation and creativity while also improving employees’ working lives.”

This is leading in some cases to very large firms moving over to a “core and flex” model of commercial real estate, with the ‘flex’ handled by co-working and serviced office providers.

Serviced offices in London ‘the capital of the world’

The report also claims that flexible workplaces including serviced offices in London not only put businesses in the UK’s capital city, but place them in the “flex capital of the world”.

During the pandemic-hit 2020, 35% of commercial property transactions in London related to flexible workspace. Co-working space, flexible and serviced offices in London accounted for 7% of the city’s total office stock at the start of the year.

As of mid-2021, there were over 6,000 flexible workspaces in the UK, up 7% during the first half of the year, and a sure sign that capacity and demand continued to grow throughout the pandemic.

The UK now has more than 85 million square feet of flex space, including hybrid centres that provide a choice between shared working spaces and private offices for hire.

A choice of locations

Serviced Office Company’s variety of locations mean you can choose whether you’d prefer to be at the heart of the capital, or elsewhere in the North West and West Midlands.

In London, choose between our serviced offices in Canary Wharf at Davenport House and Millharbour Court.

Alternatively, we provide serviced offices in Manchester at Exchange Quay’s Imperial Court, and in Clippers House, Clippers Quay for easy access to MediaCityUK and Salford Quays.

Finally, our newly opened serviced offices in Telford are our biggest development yet, with office space, meeting rooms for hire and hot desking in Telford’s St. James House.

To find out more and book an in-person visit to any of our locations, click the Book A Tour button on your chosen location page or head to our Contact page and use the enquiry form you find there.

Safer routes to serviced offices in Salford Quays

Posted on by aleks

The final stages of roadworks on Trafford Road are making it easier, smoother and safer to reach our serviced offices in Salford Quays via any mode of transport.

Following £20 million of investment by Salford City Council, the stretch of the A5063 from the M602 roundabout into Trafford and The Quays is now receiving overnight resurfacing, which is due to complete on October 22nd.

Every junction along the way has been improved to increase capacity for all road users, with safer options for cyclists and pedestrians.

By working overnight, the council have minimised disruption to businesses already based at our serviced offices in MediaCity and Salford Quays:

• Only one side of the carriageway is closed at any one time
• Road closures are from 7pm to 6:30am only
• Public meetings have kept local residents informed throughout

With the work soon to be completed, there’s never been a better time to enquire about basing your business at our serviced offices in Salford Quays, or making use of our hotdesking facilities in MediaCity.

Transformative transport

Salford City Council’s lead member for planning, transport and sustainable development, Mike McCusker, said: “Trafford Road is the biggest road scheme that we have underway and is set to be transformative for residents, cyclists and motorists.

“I am delighted that the scheme is moving to resurfacing work towards the M602 roundabout as it shows we are nearing the completion of this project.”

For customers at our serviced offices in MediaCity, Trafford Road is a crucial link to arrive by car. It runs from the M602 Junction 3 directly to our Clippers Quay and Exchange Quay serviced offices, before crossing the water to Old Trafford.

This transformative resurfacing work not only helps to ensure a more comfortable commute for drivers, pedestrians and public transport passengers, but also adds to the kerb appeal of offices in Salford Quays to make the right impression on clients and stakeholders.

With meeting rooms for hire in both of our Exchange Quay and Clippers Quay buildings, you can access the space you need to meet your business contacts face-to-face, whenever you want.

See for yourself

For an insight into the scale of the work carried out on Trafford Road in the past year or more, just search for the Serviced Office Company on Google Maps and take a look at Street View in the area.

With the most recent images currently from August 2021, you get to see the roadworks at their peak, as well as checking the best route to reach us if you want a guided tour of our serviced offices in Salford Quays.

If you’d like to see how Trafford Road looks now the work is almost done, just click Book A Tour on our Clippers House or Imperial Court page to send us your details, or email info@servicedofficecompany.co.uk.

We’re proud of all our serviced offices in Manchester, Telford and London, and we love showing them off – so whether you’d like to view one of our Salford Quays serviced offices or both, we’ll be happy to arrange a suitable time for you to take a look around.

Serviced offices in Telford mean no more London commute

Posted on by aleks

The leader of Telford & Wrekin Council has spoken of his disappointment after Avanti West Coast removed the direct rail service between Wellington and London from their timetable, leaving Telford residents with no option for a direct rail commute to offices in London.

Avanti made the move as part of their newly published timetable, which the council called “yet another blow” following recent disruption due to strikes.

Council leader Shaun Davies said: “We are extremely disappointed by Avanti West Coast’s decision to remove the direct Wellington to London and London to Wellington services as part of their new timetable.

“Once again, the people of Telford and Wrekin are forgotten by those outside of the borough… We know that the direct rail service to the capital is important for so many people, for those who need it for work and also for day trippers.”

A better place to work in Telford

The lack of a direct rail service means that to commute to offices in London, Telford residents face a journey time of around two and a half hours.

A typical morning commute now uses two different operators’ trains – West Midlands Trains and Avanti West Coast – and changes at Wolverhampton at 6am to reach London Euston for 8:15am.

But if you are a small business based in Telford and/or London, there may be no need to commute between the two, while still maintaining a physical address in a desirable location.

Our newly opened serviced offices in Telford are just 10 minutes from Telford Central Station and offer over 50,000 square feet of prime office space in Central Park, at the fully refurbished St James’ House.

Work in London – in Telford

If you want to keep a business presence in London, but you live in Telford, we can offer a combination of the following facilities:

• Serviced offices in Telford and London for a physical presence
• Meeting rooms for hire if you only need occasional physical space
• Hotdesking facilities when you need a workplace for the day
• Virtual offices in London and Telford for digital businesses

To eliminate the daily commute from Telford to offices in London, you could opt for a physical base in our serviced offices in Telford, along with making use of our virtual offices in London.

This would allow you to use a postal address and geographic telephone number at any of our serviced offices in London, with all communications forwarded to you in Telford – with no daily commute into the capital.

Want to know more?

Despite disrupted rail services, it’s easier than ever to have a permanent business presence in multiple cities, thanks to our hotdesking facilities and virtual offices in Telford, London and also in the north-west at our serviced offices in Manchester and Salford Quays.

If you want to know more about establishing a virtual or physical presence in London, the Midlands or the North West, contact the Serviced Office Company today and we’ll help you get your business back on track.

Hotdesking facilities boost productivity as part of remote working mix

Posted on by aleks

Hotdesking facilities are a common part of the serviced offices mix these days, and the Serviced Office Company’s buildings are no different, offering a blend of serviced offices, meeting rooms, virtual offices and hotdesking.

So how does hotdesking help? A recently published study in the International Journal of Business and Administrative Studies looked at the impact of hotdesking facilities on employees’ productivity, as well as on their quality of life.

In their introduction, the researchers explain: “The advancements in digitalisation have sparked [changes in] the way traditional work takes place. The COVID-19 pandemic has also prompted a drastic change for modification of the usual work setting.

“These give rise to remote working, also known as teleworking, hotdesking, work-from-home, hotelling and a flexible work plan through which a worker achieves their tasks in a place remote from the customary office.”

A definition of hotdesking

Hotdesking in its purest form simply means that a desk or workstation is not assigned to a specific individual. Within an office, this may mean that the same computer is used by different personnel on different days.

Some hotdesking facilities can be hired on an ad hoc basis, allowing people who normally work from home to use a more formal office space as and when they need it, with no long-term commitment.

In this research, the team looked at hotdesking as part of an overall remote working mix: employees who work some of the time from home, but also spend some time in the office working from a computer that is not permanently or solely assigned to them.

Hotdesking productivity and quality of life

In the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, many organisations are still embracing a degree of remote working, in order to avoid a densely occupied workplace with all personnel in close proximity at the same time.

Hotdesking facilities enable the flexibility to have personnel spending some time at home or elsewhere, and some time in the office. This can also be achieved through hotelling – similar to hotdesking, but with individuals allocated in advance to a specific seat or workstation.

As part of this broader remote working mix, the research found an increase in productivity for those employees who were able to spend some of their time working outside of the office. At the same time, there was no measurable negative effect on quality of life.

The researchers conclude: “Based on a quantitative analysis, it can be concluded that remote working has a vital role to play in the employees’ productivity and work-life balance. The majority of employees agreed that remote working has increased their chances of accomplishing their respective tasks.”

Finding the balance

According to the research, personnel who work from home are able to complete their duties more often, and some studies have found that greater autonomy allows individuals to feel better about their work-life balance, especially among female employees.

The study ends: “Numerous findings from the literature supported the positive impact of remote work on employee productivity. Meanwhile, the majority of the studies also demonstrated no significant relationship between remote working and work-life balance.”

If you would like to know more about the Serviced Office Company’s hotdesking facilities in Telford and London, please contact us today and we can arrange a tour of your nearest location.