It’s not often that the commercial property sector unites around a theme, but the rise of managed office spaces is one of these times. Managed offices can no longer be dismissed as a market fad. Instead, they are now recognised by increasing numbers of occupiers as a genuine, alternative way of using and maximising their office requirement.

This is obviously something we can get behind. As a senior team that’s been offering managed office spaces for the best part of 30 years, first through Reflex Managed Offices and now through MetSpace, we’ve long seen how this demand has steadily matured.

Clients welcome having their own space that is self-contained and managed by a reliable operator. They recognise that teams should be proud of their work environment, and they should never feel limited by it. Since we offered our first free fax machine with each office let many moons ago, we’ve been considering and developing what goes into making the ideal managed office space.

The rise in popularity of managed offices ushers in plenty of opportunities. But with them come pitfalls. Just because there’s a market for managed offices, it doesn’t mean it’s easy for everyone to enter it.

Take the chair

The key is for landlords to seek expert advice before fit-out. After spaces have been reconfigured and refurbished, it’s often too late and a costly mistake may have already been made. Common issues we see include facilities that don’t suit desk count (you will always need more than one microwave for an office of 40) and a lack of adequate meeting room space. Sometimes it’s utilisation of space through layout choice.

An office will also be a showcase for the occupier’s clients, so thinking about how it will be used by visitors is really important. For instance, client-facing meeting rooms are much better placed at the front of the office, so guests don’t have to walk through a busy working environment each time they visit. Too often we also see meeting rooms built with frameless doors, rendering them pointless from a noise disruption and privacy point of view.

We’ve also seen examples where landlords have already put in desks and chairs. Unfortunately, these are often too large or too deep, meaning not enough desks can fit within the office space. Chairs are all-important – particularly with a focus on ergonomics and posture. On occasion, these haven’t been to the right standard. These are all things that clients notice. To let an office, we often find it necessary to refurnish them.

One of the reasons for the popularity of managed offices over traditional leases is the flexibility they offer. Managed offices should be available for companies to move into quickly and contracts should be flexible. We also believe they should be a one-stop shop, with all the essential components needed for the running of an office covered by the managed office provider, from business rates to service charge, to internet and cleaning. They should be managed for the business, not by the business.

There are other models of managed offices on the market, which aren’t all-in-one solutions for occupiers. These could suit some firms. But where we’ve found success is blending the best bits of conventional offices with the best bits of serviced offices.

Links in the chain

A lot of this boils down to the thought that goes into each office, and this is all too often overlooked. Three decades of a changing industry have taught us some invaluable lessons. Taking a thoughtful approach, to every area and every detail, is crucial. Offices may look good on the surface, but if they don’t function effectively, they’re never going to be a good investment.

Thoughtfulness needs to run into every interaction, too. To run a managed office successfully, and ensure it endures, every link in the chain, from landlord to occupier to supplier, represents a relationship that needs to be managed carefully. Managed offices should still provide a faultless service to their clients. There was no better example of this than during Covid, when the industry was at its most vulnerable. Goodwill and good relationships were the glue.

So to grasp the managed office opportunity, which is undoubtably there, we need to start with a thoughtful approach. “How will the space be used?”

is always the start point, never just “how’s it going to look?”

David Cluer, co-founder and joint chief executive of MetSpace