Leading workspace provider IWG plc explores the ever-shifting relationship between how and where people work, and its impact on the local communities where they live.
Many local communities are juggling the challenges, opportunities, and success factors facing towns and suburbs as they seek to build and protect the thriving communities around their High Streets. As changing work patterns and an increase in working from home and closer to home reduce the dominance of the daily commute, leading workspace provider IWG explores how local communities can create a more dynamic and sustainable future for themselves.
Today, a looming cost of living crisis across the world is likely to put further pressure on domestic budgets – cutting the discretionary spending that so many shops and other High Street businesses depend upon. However, there is also a significant shift in working patterns as many employers are revolutionizing how they work to adopt a hybrid working model that enables their people sometimes to work from home or from a local office and only occasionally to visit the corporate head office.
What this means is populations shifting from more city-centric living to workers becoming more spread out and remaining present in their local area and in turn boosting local economies. Demand for suburban workspace has risen by over 30% since 2020 and rural workspace by 20%, while in turn, demand for city center locations has dropped by up to 25%.
The latest community to benefit from the presence of a local flexible workspace is Aiken, just on the outskirts of Augusta. IWG, whose brands include Regus, Spaces, HQ, and Signature, opens its first Regus at 600 Trail Ridge Road, bringing with it flex space options that suit any type of business. Regus delivers high-spec, traditional office environments, meeting rooms, coworking, and virtual offices.
Businesses of any kind or size can choose from a range of IWG membership options, whether they’re a multinational company with thousands of employees (IWG already works with 83% of the Fortune 500) or an SME, freelancer, or sole trader. Coworking desks, meeting rooms, and private offices can be booked for any number of hours, days, or months via the handy Regus or Spaces apps. What’s more, members can make use of IWG’s global network, with access to thousands of locations across more than 120 countries.
The arrival of hybrid working in Aiken represents the tides of change reaching this main hub on the fringes of Georgia and an opportunity for this community to step into a more positive future. Meaning, a better work-life balance for individuals looking to work closer to home, a boost for high street businesses as more people stay local, a way of working better for the bottom line of big business and a greener way of working that is better for the planet.
Find out more about how IWG’s hybrid work solutions can support you and your business at iwgplc.com.
Discover how Regus’ hybrid work solutions can support you and your business at Regus.com.
