A continuing major rush of enquiries has come from businesses looking to book weekly meetings space long term as they give up their London offices
Strong evidence that many businesses are planning to give up having offices has come from etc.venues which offers more than 270 meeting rooms mainly in London but also in Manchester, Birmingham and New York.
Since 1 July, when a major surge of incoming enquiries for meeting rooms began, more than 25 per cent have been from companies who are planning to give up having a permanent office, especially in London. Typically, they want to book one or two meeting rooms for two days a week for six months for internal meetings and for appointments with clients and suppliers. For the rest of the week all staff will work from home.
This is a clear sign that remote working during lockdown has led employers to review the role and cost of the office space, and to look seriously at alternatives.
Nick Hoare, COO of etc.venues said, “We appear to be seeing the start of an office culture paradigm shift. Lockdown has forced employers to try out and establish remote working practice on a widespread scale and to be more flexible about how they work.
“Many businesses are now looking to give up their current offices and the rigid leasing costs involved, and instead pick from our wide range of contemporary and creative meeting spaces to use them for internal and client meetings, typically for two days a week.
“They recognise the continuing need to bring their teams together frequently because working from home can be isolating and can eliminate the personal connections that are built in an office. As the Prime Minister said in this coronavirus briefing on 17 July – ‘there is no substitute for face-to face meetings and interactions.”
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