Nobody starts a business and is immediately able to waltz into a shiny high-rise, demanding the entire 31st floor, with a gym and city views. Most of the time, successful ventures begin at kitchen tables or in garages, or at cafe tables as entrepreneurs use their lunch breaks to launch the next big thing.
Once you have staff, though, or need to meet with clients or investors, there comes a day you realise you need a proper office. Lucky for Australian entrepreneurs, there’s no shortage of desk space or approaches to designing an office and the culture around it.
However, when recent research into hot-desking — the sharing approach that’s found a home in countless co-working spaces — revealed “flexible” and “activity-based” office arrangements could actually hurt, rather than help, employee trust and satisfaction, it raised questions about whether the most popular office setups are the most effective.