Since lockdowns and quarantine, businesses and employees have embraced hybrid working. The model of having employees in a workplace for a set number of days per week and allowing ‘work from home’ for the rest has been beneficial for many workplaces but also has a good impact on local economies. Towns and villages across the countries are enjoying a financial and social boost thanks to the growth of hybrid working as a result of the pandemic, but how? Having more people at home means local businesses get a boost, work-life balances are improved and stress on public transport is decreased. Find out more about how Premier Business Centres can improve the hybrid working model for your employees with serviced offices, virtual offices and coworking hubs.
SOCIAL DIVIDENDS
Just because people are working from home doesn’t mean their need for strong coffee decreases! When you have more people working in their homes, towns and rural spaces, they are more likely to frequent local coffee shops and cafes for their daily fix. Small independent shops, butchers, greengrocers and supermarkets are utilised more than the chain versions in city centres near their offices leading to a stronger, more circular economy. The same can be said for garages, dentists, doctors, gyms, social clubs and more. People will always choose convenience and supporting local businesses has never been easier than while working from the home office. More people living and working locally means more jobs will be created, something which will help transform and sustain local communities.
LEAVE THE RAT RACE
Gone are the days of spending an hour in traffic morning and evening, checking emails on the bus and sending those dreaded emails to your boss to let them know you’ll ‘be a few minutes late’ again. When hybrid working, your commute is cut to a couple of days a week, leading to less strain on public transport, less queues for the bus and less emission with fewer cars on the road. While not immediately obvious, the results of having fewer cars producing emissions on the busiest roads in the country will be abundantly clear for the next generation and will help Ireland to meet its emissions targets each year. It’s also good for the soul to stay in bed for an extra hour each morning!
BETTER/WORK LIFE BALANCE
Work/life balance has been a popular phrase for hybrid and home workers for many years and the rest of the population are beginning to see the benefits. Reducing your commute by working from home for part of the week allows employees to enjoy their homes more. They can spend more time with their loved ones, dropping and collecting the kids to and from school, spending lunch preparing more nutritious meals or catching up on the washing up in peace. Happier people mean happier children leading to less anti-social behaviour and delinquency. People have more time to give back to their communities, participating in local events and giving back to charity. More people interested in their local area leads to happier and more peaceful neighbourhoods and a better sense of community.
BETTER HOUSING
When you work in the city five days a week, chances are you won’t want to commute more than an hour to and from your workplace every day. That puts enormous pressure on the housing needs within the city centre and its immediate suburbs, as well as huge demand on the services in the area. When you allow hybrid working in your workplace, you’re allowing people the freedom to live where they want and commute less during the week. That means employees can afford bigger, more comfortable homes in more rural spaces taking the pressure off the city and sharing the wealth more evenly.
Hybrid working has benefits for employees, businesses, and the local community but it can be difficult to find affordable, flexible office space to suit your unique needs. Premier Business Centres offer flexible spaces to do business, from our co-working hub in Naas to our serviced offices in sought-after Dublin addresses. We also have a range of virtual offices in Citywest, Swords, Maynooth & Sandyford. Contact us to learn more about the range of services we offer and how we can help your company embrace hybrid working.
