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Shared offices - when unused desks become prospects

Always remain flexible and adapt your business rental to the fast pace of your company.

Written by
Marc Schwery
Published on
September 9, 2024

Shared Offices – When Unused Desks Become Opportunities

Around 3.5 million people in Switzerland work in offices, bureaux, and secretariats, accounting for more than 50% of the workforce. But times have changed, and not all employees prefer the old habits of simple convenience.


Especially now, when more people than ever before prefer the practical home office to the conventional workplace, companies face the question: “What to do with all the unused desks?”



The Solution: Renting Out Workstations

A shared office is no longer a thing of the past. Major companies such as Bayer, Siemens, and Porsche are designing their workplaces to be increasingly flexible and giving their employees more freedom in how they work. If an employee goes on vacation, switches to a home office, or is out in the field, many unused tables and desks remain behind in the office.


According to a study by the Zurich-based firm Locatee, only around 15% of available office desks are currently being used because employees are increasingly absent. On the other hand, there is a lack of space for employees, especially in new, up-and-coming companies.



Demand Meets Supply

maison.work is dedicated to developing a new and modern match-making platform for office sharing, which not only brings many advantages to established firms but also helps start-ups grow sustainably.


Companies that possess a lot of vacant office space can rent out their workstations and use this to generate financial resources. Conversely, those looking for a workspace find a solution to their problem and can benefit from the idea of a modern office concept and flexible office solutions.



The Shared Office: Briefly Explained

The idea for this concept originally comes from the USA. Growing scarcity of space for commercial enterprises, as well as constantly expanding population figures, forced Americans to find a solution to the problem: Shared Offices.


Companies, freelancers, and start-ups that do not have their own office and are looking for premises for their employees have the opportunity to rent workstations. These are made available to them by other companies that want to benefit from desks or offices that have become free. This can happen, for example, when their own workers go on vacation, are let go, switch to part-time, or move entirely to a home office. Such a shared workspace can be initiated with the following facilities:


  • single desks

  • workstations

  • private offices

  • workshop and meeting rooms


Tenants can pursue their activities here on a monthly or weekly basis and are provided with the necessary infrastructure. In return, they pay the company a suitable rent for the sublease relationship. This idea of office organization has also taken hold in Europe and is being used by more and more companies to make advantageous use of unused desks.



Advantages of Renting Out Unused Workstations

Renting and subletting workstations and office spaces brings many advantages. Below, you can get an overview of why a flexible shared office contributes not only to increased profits but also to the satisfaction of your employees.


Additional Revenue with Subletting in Office Sharing

Whether you advertise a single office, offer shared office spaces, or simply want to rent out a desk – you generate profitable revenue with every offer. Instead of leaving a vacant workstation unused, you can benefit from monthly or weekly fees and invest these skillfully to advance your company. Workshop and meeting rooms are always a sought-after point of contact for small as well as large companies on a short-term basis, while individual workstations or private offices are often used for longer periods. It doesn't matter whether you are helping out another company, hosting a start-up, or arranging an office for freelancers. If your office is equipped with everything necessary and creates a comfortable atmosphere for working, you have good chances of successful marketing.


Flexibility

Being flexible is one of the many advantages that renting out unused workstations entails. Tenants and landlords in a shared office are not bound by long lease terms and can freely choose how long they want to stay, or more precisely, how long the office should be made available. As a company, you can therefore rent out vacant desks and offices for a short time as well as for a longer period. Just as it suits you at the moment. If you need your free office spaces yourself, for instance because your firm is hiring new workers, you can easily and quickly use them yourself again without incurring many losses. Because instead of selling your offices, you rent them out exclusively at profitable prices and have access to them at any time.


A Breath of Fresh Air That Inspires

An employee-friendly office atmosphere is essential for a large number of satisfied employees in your own company. Making friends, going for an after-work beer with colleagues, and respectful and friendly interaction with one another always make for a good workplace. Therefore, the shared office is a promising possibility to bring a breath of fresh air into the community. New people can inspire, motivate, and connect. The promoted exchange between communication partners can also have a major influence on the work motivation of your own employees. People from different industries can meet and let inspiration, creativity, and new knowledge flow into everyday events. If, as an employee, you get to know the visions, working methods, motivations, and knowledge of colleagues from other niches, this can positively influence your own way of working.


Save Costs

If you have acquired a suitable office space as a company, ancillary and maintenance costs usually always arise, which must be paid by you. If you decide on shared office spaces that you rent out to other workers, the costs can also be shared with them. For example, if you collect monthly income through renting, you can use this amount to pay incoming bills. You also avoid the risk of renting a large office and then not using it because you have many unused desks.


Cultivate a Community of Like-Minded People

In a shared workspace, visionaries, do-gooders, and creative minds meet. Like-minded people who have set themselves the same goal increase productivity in their way of working. As a company, you can profit from a workforce that, spurred on by people with similar wishes and ideas, displays a more efficient way of working. Your office space can become a hub full of ingenuity, brilliance, and effectiveness if your team expands thanks to subletting in the office community.



Contribute to Sustainable Urban Development

Our world faces a constantly growing population, and it is therefore no secret that real estate and premises are becoming increasingly sought after. For growing companies in particular, it is of essential importance to find a suitable location for their business center. Demand for offices and workspaces is higher than ever before, especially within the city. This is because there is not only excellent infrastructure and good connection possibilities here, but employees also have a larger selection of surrounding cafés, parks, and restaurants. It is therefore no question that the popularity of central office spaces also makes them significantly more expensive than those located outside the city. To avoid the decentralization of aspiring companies and the construction of new office buildings, it can be of great benefit if you rent out your vacant workstations. A shared office contributes to the sustainable development of a city and can save space where it is needed to combat increasing space scarcity.



A Safety Net

Every company goes through sluggish slumps and profitable growth phases. If you rent out your vacant workstations at Maison, you can keep your head above water even during low phases. If you are forced to lay off employees or your company stops growing, the long-term rented office space can often become too large and permanently too costly. Advertising workstations can help you monetize vacant spots and optimize rental costs. Unused desks become a safety net in bad times and can bring you a result even when things don't look so good for your company.



The Shared Office Summarized

Whether you are looking for additional revenue, want to help a start-up, or simply want to bring a breath of fresh air to your company. A shared office is always a great way to create change and save costs at the same time.


You can rent out a team office, advertise a single office, or list individual desks. In doing so, you help small companies that cannot yet finance their own office and support them in growing.


Always remain flexible and adapt the business rental to the fast pace of your company. If you have become curious, then contact us at maison and receive the right offer for you and your company. We help you to rent out your premises appropriately and find the perfect partner for subletting in your office community.