The adoption of hosted phone systems and cloud-based computer systems has allowed work to be facilitated remotely with ease and even for a prolonged period. Employees found many advantages working from home, such as not having to sit in the busy commute each day, parking or public transport costs, however, this new way of working does not suit everyone.
Working from home has also been reported to have had a negative impact on mental health, with some left feeling isolated, experiencing greater emotional exhaustion and left with cognitive stress – as reported by BMC Public Health.
Businesses have experienced difficulties training new starters from home. Productivity has also declined with the reduction in office based collaboration with employees missing out on an environment which encourages solutions and creativity – all aspects which are invaluable to businesses.
Business needs are changing resulting in higher demand for hybrid office space. More companies accept there will be a demand for mixed home/office working, resulting in smaller offices and increased demand for managed offices offering collaborative and dynamic workspace.
This reduces overheads since a smaller workspace is required. Post pandemic we are now experiencing new challenges created by the increase in utilities and fuel costs to both individuals and businesses. The Floe business centre therefore helps shield businesses from increasing utility charges since the membership is a fixed cost per user.
Businesses are looking for more dynamic and creative work environments with good connectivity
to stay competitive in the employment market while attracting and retaining talent.
Although home connectivity has never been better this isn’t always true in the office environment. Demand is high for quality coworking spaces across the region. More businesses are looking at coworking spaces as an alternative to traditional offices and there is a lack of flexible and engaging spaces in the North of England.
Floe is a new flexible workspace which has recently opened in Newcastle upon Tyne’s city centre. Floe has developed partnerships with The North East Chamber of Commerce, Buxton Group, Barclays Eagle Labs, Tuspark UK and Startup Grind. The newly refurbished offices provide day passes from £20 +VAT, hot desk memberships, dedicated desk memberships, meeting rooms, mailing address and private offices.
Floe was founded by local entrepreneurs Hamish Rutherford, Philip Gifford and Gary Simmons, who
joined together to provide high quality space for local SME’s.
Fuse, which provides data services for Floe, specialises in providing data connectivity and related services to commercial multi occupancy business centres. Fuse provides a fully managed solution on behalf of the landlord or business centre management team providing a comprehensive package of Wi-Fi and data services for the tenants.
When Fuse first met with Floe it was clear that they were going to have to come up with a data connectivity solution which would be able to adapt and flex with the progressive and highly adaptive workspace which Floe was trying to create. Stepping away from the traditional format of tenants organising their own data services and moving more towards treating data connectivity like an essential service provided by the landlord just like gas and electric.
Hamish is a passionate advocate of co-working spaces. He said; “Floe offers large desks, great connectivity and workspaces to be creative, collaborate and innovate as well as areas dedicated to quiet areas. Connectivity is something which was a huge priority for us, which is why we partnered with local experts.”
Fuse is an accredited Wiredscore specialist providing consultancy services for large multi-tenant buildings throughout the UK. They combine the expertise of both their property and telecommunications teams to evaluate the connectivity grading of commercial office space.
Hamish said; “Floe provides flexible workspace starting with member rates as low as £20 +VAT per day with as much coffee or tea as you need included. Technology is an important part of our service offering, customers sign up and use an app to manage their membership, I needed the right supplier to work with who could provide the connectivity we need and more importantly, a partner who gets us, understands our needs, is agile and can work with us as we expand to more locations in the north of England. This is why Fuse Media is the perfect partner for us, they have worked closely with us from the beginning and couldn’t be happier with them, they have provided us with a blueprint service that we can roll out to other flexible workspace locations.
“Fuse is there to provide expert advice to ourselves and our tenants. We are responsible for the organisation of many logistical aspects within the building. Having the technical expertise and advice from Fuse means our clients don’t have to worry about the technical and general admin which comes with owning or occupying your own office.”
Justin Smith, associate director at Fuse said: “It has been fantastic to work with such a forward-thinking organisation which is providing high quality and effective solutions for local businesses. These solutions are also providing opportunities for effective workspace which support the success of local businesses, their future growth, subsequent jobs and ultimately our local economic performance.
“We are proud to support Floe with our services. Fuse is a one stop shop which provides much more than a high quality reliable Internet service. It’s not just about connection, it’s not just about speed. It’s about security, expertise backed up by excellent service.
“Business connectivity has never had to be more versatile and adaptive. This is where Fuse was able utilise its experience and expertise to develop a bespoke solution for Floe, helping to facilitate its ambitions and provide it’s tenants with high grade secure business connectivity.
“We look forward to continuing our work with Floe which will see us support many businesses assisting with expansion into new locations in Carlisle, Teesside, Durham and Darlington.”
