Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa February/ March 2020 | Page 40

OFFICE
THE WORKSPACE REVOLUTION
HAS BEGUN
What got us to this point?
There are three principal reasons why more people are
increasingly using flexible workspaces:
1
Digitalisation and new technologies
are changing how people work
The rapid acceleration of technology has changed
what's possible. Within two years, 80 percent of the world's population
will own a smartphone. The cloud has grown exponentially. Artificial
intelligence, automation, virtual and augmented reality are not
futuristic technologies. Put simply, it's now increasingly easy for a
person to plug in and work from anywhere.
2
People want the personal
productivity gains
Workers are increasingly aware of the new ways
of working — particularly those digital natives who have
grown up with this technology and whose expectations are
less shackled by what was possible before. Whether it’s closer
to work or in the countryside, they can work anywhere, and
they know that they can work in different ways that suit them
and their lifestyles. This means that they appreciate flexibility.
They want to work for a business in which they can experience
the benefits of a collaborative community, wherever they are,
without wasting hours of their day.
3
Businesses can benefit, financially
and strategically
Thirdly, businesses are increasingly aware of this
and they know that a smart strategy on flexible working can
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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine
help them to secure the best talent. That's an advantage in
a competitive world. But what businesses also increasingly
understand are the financial and strategic advantages a
flexible workspace strategy brings. A flexible workspace
approach cuts real estate costs and allows businesses to
concentrate on their core business, rather than being forced
into also becoming a real estate business. This allows large
businesses to become nimble. A business can move people
into a new market quickly and take them out again when
required. They can move their people closer to their suppliers.
They can do all of this without committing to long leases and
expensive relocation costs.
WHO WE HELP
1
FRANCHISEES
Your chance to be at the heart of our
business model
At IWG, we’re keen to create partnerships with experienced
operators who will enable us to grow our network of places
to work. Great opportunities are there for franchise operators
to share in the success of our growing network in multiple
markets across the world.
It’s key to our growth strategy that we can enter new
markets as well as increasing our presence in the 1 100 cities
and towns where we already operate.
That’s why we’re actively looking for franchise partners
interested in the strong returns and growth opportunities that
implementing our business model can deliver for them. We
have several franchises in place across several continents in
which our partners are successfully achieving their ambitions.
Perhaps you could be one of them?
We can help you source a flexible solution for every client,