Found this interesting article written by SA Commercial Prop News on the 3^rd April 2012. They speak about new flexible workspaces  in Pretoria which are now offering businesses a new and smarter way to work. It provides a new base for businesses that want to expand their reach in South Africa.

“The opening of a Regus business centre at Centurion, near Pretoria, creates a new growth opportunity for businesses in South Africa.

“As well as offering businesses in Centurion and Pretoria a new and smarter way to work, it provides a new base for businesses that want to expand their reach in South Africa.

“Figures for Regus’s 12 other business centres in South Africa show that more and more companies are using Regus’s flexible workspaces to work in new places and new ways. Demand was up 39% in 2011, compared with 2010.

“Regus’s 13th business centre in South Africa extends the option of using Regus flexible workspace to companies around Centurion and Pretoria. They can use the centre for a range of purposes, including: using virtual office solutions or ready-to-use office space to establish a presence in this area; renting meeting rooms and video communication studio for a few hours or longer; walk-in workspace for mobile workers or business travellers; and as a flexible and scalable alternative to fixed office working.

“Recent research for Regus shows the significant benefits available to businesses that take up these more flexible ways of working. The study showed that 72% of South African businesses believe flexible working practices lead to increased productivity, and 68% see a direct link between flexible working and increased revenues.

“Commenting on the opening, Joanne Bushell, VP for Middle East and Africa, Regus, said: “There are clear positives in 2012 for businesses in South Africa, such as improving growth forecasts, the market-friendly budget, and the government’s commitment to investment in infrastructure.  By setting up this new centre in Centurion, we are helping businesses grasp the opportunities available here. We’re also helping them work more efficiently.

“There’s a growing appetite for Regus workspace in South Africa, with a 39% year-on-year rise in demand in 2011. This new centre will help to feed that appetite. It will also support the businesses’ efforts to find new markets and better ways to work.”

For more information on flexible workspace solutions in Sandton, Durban and Umhlanga contact Flexible Workspace.

As serviced offices are on the increase in Umhlanga I thought I would take the opportunity to assist when choosing the right serviced office for you.

Here are some points to consider and questions you should ask to make the process a little smoother;

Voice
Phone System
Is there a phone system in place?
Is the system future proof?
Do they provide technical support and if so in what form?
Does the capability include unique numbering?
Does it have voicemail, call forwarding and are there any additional costs associated with this?

Additional Charges
Is the phone line rental and handset included in the monthly cost?
What are the rates for calls?

Reception Services/Call Answering
Does the Receptionist answer the call in the company name?
Do they take messages?
How do they handle messages?
Are there any additional charges for other team members?

Data
Cable Network
Is it CAT5 +?
Do they provide network points in each office – if so how many?

Servers and racking
Is there space to house your server and if so at what costs?
Are you able to plug and play email and internet-wise?

Internet
Do they supply and to what extent?
What supply do they have coming into the space and at what cost?
Is the Internet line included in the monthly cost?
Is there a cap and if so what is it and what are the charges for additional bandwidth?
Are there any set-up costs relating to IT?
Is there technical support?
What firewall security provision is there?

Boardroom / Meeting Room Charges
How will you be billed – per person/time and will you pay extra for tea and coffee in these meetings?

Power
Are there generators in the building and what provision is made for UPS’s and data?

Security and Access
Is access to the space unlimited?
How is it monitored – by codes/ cctv/fingerprints?
Do they have an alarm system including passives and window sensors?
Do they have armed response and are there additional charges for these services?

Cleaning costs
Does the cost per month include cleaning and if so how regularly? Is cleaning outsourced or is it internal and have the cleaners been vetted?
Is the cleaning being supervised?

Tea and Coffee
Is it included in your monthly charge, if so is it unlimited?  If not, is it on an honesty basis or pay as your go?

Notice
Most service office providers require at least 2 months notice. Do they renew your term automatically if you don’t serve notice?

Furniture
Is furniture provided and are there additional costs?

Aircon
Aircon in Durban is a must – Are the offices fully air-conditioned? Are there any additional costs?

Testimonials
Ask for testimonials and or referrals from current or old tenants – refer to Internet forums for more information

Imagine your dream office – from location to situation, to design, ergonomics and convenience…

If you could implement one fantasy idea in the workplace, what would it be?

A resident chef on call to whip up meals for you and the staff? A pet-friendly office utopia for people and dogs? A time machine that could give you that extra hour you need in the workday? 

I think all of us have a different idea of what our ideal office or rather workplace would be.  Whether you see yourself working quite simply from the comfort of your garden or a highly sophisticated luxury ergonomics station or in an Antarctic Igloo, the fantasy is yours to explore.  I dare you to dream!

For me personally I would wish for something far less practical – a teleportation booth that could instantly send me internationally for inspiration, new opportunities or simply a Starbucks coffee… Beam me up Scottie!

Imagine your work life in another hemisphere.  The northern hemisphere is typically a very different way of life compared with the southern hemisphere but consider the difference in what your working life would be from North to South.

From the clothes one wears, to the cost of living, to the expectation of work and the climate, the South definitely gives the North a run for it’s money on the work front.

The North, mainly due to its climate and over population in major cities doesn’t allow for this.  Most of the time one is limited to working indoors due to the cold.  In winter it is dark on the way to and from work and you’re more than likely stuck on a tube underground, which creates a rather gloomy atmosphere.

The lifestyle in the South is generally a lot more “user friendly”. Working outside gives you a certain amount of independence, responsibility and the freedom to move around and work in different locations and who wouldn’t want that.You can work in summer dresses/shorts on the beachfront overlooking the most magnificent view, or simply sit in a garden absorbing the sun while working from a laptop.

No matter which way you chose to spend your working week a lot of usfortunate enough to live in the Southern hemisphere have the choice to work indoors or outdoors and what a fantastic option that is!

The definition of convenient according to the Oxford Dictionary is “fitting in well with a person’s needs, activities, and plans”, “involving little trouble or effort” and “helpfully placed or occurring”.  Many companies are adopting this adjective as the basis for their office setup.

Two of the more popular international companies making this a reality are Google and Facebook.

Google have a free onsite hairdresser, fully kitted gym, swim-in-place swimming pools including lifeguards, games room including ping pong, billiards, foosball and video games for employees who prefer to let their thumbs do all the work.  If an employee spills something on their clothes, Google has laundry facilities including dry cleaning.  Their healthcare plan includes on-site medical staff and they have a subsidized massage program.

Facebook provide a day care, microkitchens with lots of great, free snacks and on site chefs.  A laundry, dry cleaning services, photo processing, discounts from Microsoft, Dell, Apple & AT&T and weekly Speakers.

A fantastic local example is Derivco based on the Umhlanga Ridge.  They have a 24/7 Wellness Centre with the services of 2 personal trainers, beautician, therapy area including dietician, physiotherapist, chiropractor and stress massage.  A swimming pool to cool off in, a well equipped canteen that caters for the health fanatics, a coffee shop, and an onsite concierge, ready to collect your laundry, handle your licence renewal and personal shopping amongst other things. . I mean what more could one need in general, never mind in an office.

Why head home when everything you need is at work?  The conclusion… give employees enough reason to stick around and you’ll likely see productivity increase.

Whether you’re too distracted working from home, looking for business premises for your new start-up, or just wish your employers would relocate your department, we have some ideas for alternative office locations for you. Not that we expect you to follow through on any of these…

Igloo

Do you hate being stuck inside a sticky office when it’s hot and humid outside? Relocate to the Canadian Central Artic or Greenland and build yourself an igloo office. You’ll never need air conditioning again!

The pub

Did you miss out on The World Cup? Well, you wouldn’t have if your office was in a pub with a TV. Think about it, in a pub-based office you can not only watch TV, but you have beer literally on tap and easy access to a whole menu of food. External clients, contacts and suppliers will be more willing to travel to you for meetings, rather than vice versa.

The Library

This is a normal enough work location if you’re an academic, but it’s a lot more fun if your profession actually involves talking on the phone a lot. Loudly. Extra bonus points if you do a direct mail drop advertising the library as a bookshop and then sell off the books to any customers that come in.

Public transport

Relocate to the UK if you really can’t be bothered paying overheads on top of your travel expenses, setting up office on public transport is the perfect solution. All you have to pay is your travel expenses. But what about when you reach the end of the line? That’s what the Circle Line is for. It’s a line on the London Underground system that, as the name suggests, just goes round in circles. So you can literally stay on it from dawn to dusk without anyone noticing or caring.

I’m sure there are dozens of other strange locations and with the way many of us feel about our current work environments, some of these might seem like viable alternatives… or not!

Imagine an office where quirky design and functionality meet.  Where slides enable you to get from one part of a building to another, where hallways are lit like runways, where egg-shaped meeting room walls act as whiteboards, where walls can be deconstructed into seating…

Creative and innovative design seems to be the way forward for Corporates – creating a stimulating environment which employees benefit from, leading to increased productivity.  This seems like a no brainer presuming you have a couple of Million Rands to spare.  For me, working in some of these offices would be a dream come true but there are a few less endearing designs in the mix.

Have a look at some of these spaces while you daydream about your fantasy office…

Imagine an office where ergonomicswere the main feature. Meet The Gravitonusiclubby, the ultimate in luxury ergonomic computer chairs and spinal comfort…

It sounds and looks like something out of a futuristic science fiction movie but boy would I love to try it out!

Imagine…

• A system that “constantly changes position of the user to maintain comfort in relation to the Earth Gravitational Field vector.” (I’m not even sure what that means but it sounds good)
• The ability to hold three flat screen monitors so you can “align the display in the user’s best field of vision in any body position”
• An array of LED lights to offer “shadow-less and glare-free local illumination of the working area”
• A highly adjustable keyboard holder and surround sound stereo system (yes, gamers, you can really rock out to that World of Warcraft theme music now)

If you’re thinking about making this dream a reality it will set you back a small fortune – prices vary depending on the customisation.Check it out in action… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a_IEsW_U0s

Sadly, until this big guy becomes more affordable most of us are going to have to make the most of our current office situations…

Flexible Workspace Sandton – taking care of all your office needs under one umbrella

 Have you ever thought about the way your office space motivates workers, increases productivity or promotes creativity?  We’ve all seen or heard of the extraordinary facilities that Google, Facebook HO or Pixar offer. Now game rooms, cafeterias, work out centers, colorful paint and super-sleek furniture are part of the mix.

Do you think your mind would gravitate more strongly toward your company’s unique vision if physical reminders surrounded you throughout your day?

If you’re not ready to take the plunge toward a totally futuristic office design, but you want to incorporate something a little new and funky. Check out these wild and off the wall products for introducing a little zaniness into your space. You never know: it may spark more imagination than you expect!

• A table that eats your unwanted paper
• A notepad that encourages thinking outside the box
• A practical & quirky power strip

• Shopping cart furniture for the retail obsessed.
• Atowel hanger that dries and eliminates odour.
• A ridiculously sleek liquid email inbox for helping you manage the “flow” of work and personal messages. Specific tubes fill up according to whether each message falls under different categories, such as “work,” “home,” or “friends.”

Now….Are you tired of working in a drab, uninspiring office?  Imagine a world where your office space could be everything you dreamed it to be–from situation to location, from ergonomics to design and convenience.  The world is your oyster and we’ve decided to embrace it in a series of blogs, which will hopefully keep you entertained over the coming weeks.

Times have certainly changed!  Gone are the days where the best form of communication would be to type a letter and send it by post.

The most popular forms of communication these days are email, sms, facebook and the likes. This has been absolutely fantastic as it makes life so much easier, however, if like me you are not 18 it takes an enormous amount of deciphering to understand this new age lingo.  I find myself turning my phone at different angles in the hopes that I may be able to see what the person is trying to say. 

So I plead with you – please go back to using English–if only for business purposes.  Here are some tips that may help you get back on track;

• Write in short full sentences
• Greet your reader/readers
• Punctuate, capitalise and use apostrophes accurately
• Resist using all capitals, abbreviations (unless you’re a gangster, please refrain from using “da” instead of “the”), symbols and smileys
• Acknowledge sources when using quotations
• Be polite under all circumstances
• Avoid writing and sending what you have written when you are angry
• Purify your writing. Your capacity to use foul or demeaning language is not worth displaying
• Write with the expectations that your writing will be read by more than your intended recipient
• Avoid repetition
• Edit

And remember…. Not everything you think or feel deserves to be written.