South East: Co-working scheme piloted in workplace shake-up

Businesses of all sizes are changing the way they use their workplaces as the coronavirus pandemic continues to drive an employee-led revolution that challenges the monotony of 9-5 and a long commute in favour of a greater work-life balance.

To meet this growing demand, a corporate co-working membership scheme is being piloted in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire that will give businesses the chance to offer employee collaboration at a convenient workspace close to home. It can also be used to escape unwanted interruptions or to help improve general wellbeing.

The flexible scheme is being launched by the UK’s leading operator of business and innovation centres, Oxford Innovation, at its Grassroots centre in Oxford along with the Bucks Hubs in High Wycombe and Aylesbury, and could be rolled out nationwide later this year.

Grassroots has already received interest in its corporate co-working membership from several local businesses.

Eman Hamdan, community manager of Grassroots in Oxford, said: “Oxford is a vibrant city full of young professionals, many of whom live in a shared house. They still want the flexibility of being able to work from home, but with the balance of accessible, high-quality workspace close to home, where they will be able to meet like-minded professionals or work alongside colleagues if they choose to work in the same place.”

According to a recent survey by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) less than one in 10 (6%) of working adults said they are going to continue to work all of their hours from home and an additional 23% of working adults said they plan to work some hours at a work location, and some hours at home.

Oxford Innovation’s corporate co-working membership will provide access to contemporary workspace in blocks of 160 hours, which can be used by up to four employees in a centre at one time.

Gareth Scargill, commercial director, Oxford Innovation, said: “We are excited to be at the forefront of a workplace revolution and are piloting our corporate co-working membership at three centres with the overriding aim of being able to support businesses of all sizes across the UK to meet the needs of employees as well as promote collaboration.

“The ways of office working may have changed forever, but dynamic workspaces are here to stay and could potentially help businesses cut costs associated with a traditional office lease in favour of a far more flexible solution.”

Owned by Oxford Sciences Innovation, Grassroots is a purpose-built hub based at the HB Allen Centre within Keble College in central Oxford and has excellent transport links. The centre is full of talented entrepreneurs and has a supportive team to cater for all business needs.

For further information about Oxford Innovation’s corporate co-working membership, visit: grassrootsworkspace.com.