Could “Hub And Roam” Be The Hybrid Workplace Model Of The Future?

Employees want more choice and more flexibility in where and how they work. Market leaders such as Google and Microsoft have been quick to adopt more flexible working solutions - in this article we look at one such solution… “the hub and roam model” and whether this could be the workplace model of the future.

So what is a “Hub and roam model”?

A hub & roam model allows employees to work from wherever suits them best (whether it is a cafe, home, or a co-working space) whilst also having central workspaces to collaborate and come together.

The hub is important for collaboration - as lockdown continues it has become increasingly clear that teams miss the opportunity to come together and collaborate. As well as the serendipity of those water-cooler moments.

Roam is allowing your employees to work where they work best. This could be at home, this could be in a coffee shop, it could really be anywhere with wi-fi. But as a company, you facilitate and enable your employees to work where they want to work More importantly you cover the cost of them doing so. This is important as a lot of employers are currently assuming that their employees have a decent place to work at home when our survey suggests 40.7% don’t.

How does that differ from a hub and spoke model?

A lot of office companies have been promoting the “hub and spoke model” - your team has access to a central office and other offices from the same company. This is different from the “hub and roam model” because:

1 - Hyper-locality -79.8% of our survey respondents to date agreed that the “lack of commute” was what they liked about remote work. In order to remove the commute (for those that don’t have a home office), companies need to think more flexibly about what workspace is. “Spokes” don’t tend to be hyper-local, the reality is most offices are based in central locations. If the majority of employees are commuting 59 mins plus each way it is unlikely the “spokes” are ever going to meet their needs. This is why at Tally we also offer workspace in hospitality venues as we understand that locality is one of the most important factors for employees.

2 - Variety of space - Everyone is individual - different people work well in different spaces. Offering your team access to identikit spaces in different locations no longer cutting it. Equally, different types of work require different types of spaces. Sometimes, it is all about silence and completely undistracted work. At other times, the hubbub of a coffee shop or other social space is key to creativity and getting things done.

Does flexible working not hinder productivity?

Quite the opposite. CIPD argues that “Flexible workers are also more likely to be engaged which yield significant advantages for employers – potentially generating 43% more revenue and improving performance by 20%, compared to disengaged employees”

Is a hub and roam model expensive?

A full-time office would be significantly more expensive than adopting a “hub and roam model” when everything is suggesting employees will return a maximum of 2-3 days per week. Companies need to think about how they can ensure they are only paying for the space their team is actually using. Equally, working from locations such as coffee shops and in non-central locations is significantly cheaper than working in offices in city centers.

By adopting a “hub and roam” strategy companies can make significant savings whilst providing flexibility and meeting the individual needs of their teams.

How can Tally Workspace help?

At Tally Workspace we aim to support you and your team “hub and roam”. We also offer on-demand workspaces all over the UK - not just in city centers. If this is a model you are looking to adopt we would love to talk to you about your requirements and how we can help.

Contact us at [email protected]