B3C’s Christopher Brierley advocates FMOs as ‘green’ - as well as cost efficient

The premise on which I submit that Flexible Managed Offices are ‘green, environmentally sound and sustainable’ is very simple.  The more efficiently and effectively you use an asset, the more economical it is. As we all know, you can save a lot of energy and money by using low energy light bulbs, turning off all appliances rather than leaving them on stand-by and by selecting the A rated energy efficient devices. All of these are ways to use energy efficiently.

To make the point, if we were all to accelerate unnecessarily hard away from traffic lights, the act of doing so will burn more fuel – and more emissions and greenhouse gasses will be pumped into the atmosphere.  Polar bears may die and more houses across the UK may flood – all in the name of climate change and global warming. 

The serious point is that serviced space - flexible managed offices - use space effectively ... or at least they should do, if they are to be viable and profitable. Each square foot needs to sweat in order to produce revenue. The basic unit of measurement is around 75 square feet per workstation in the UK - but many operators of flexible managed office space use 70 square feet per workstation.

Moreover, every square foot of shared meeting space is similarly costed and marketed to clients, both internally and externally, to make the space pay … and this is down to managers, whose bonuses depend on reaching sales targets. Even the break-out areas are indirectly making money and can be considered to relate to the income that they generate. One will often find that one is paying for that space - and free tea and coffee - in your licence fee - so one will be inclined to use it.

Compare this then to many conventional office buildings.  I remember a merchant bank for which I used to work - which had carved out of its palatial and well air conditioned offices a two storey atrium, with a gallery on the first floor. Hanging from its centre was a chandelier with approaching two hundred 60-watt light bulbs. I reckoned that every fifth deal we did just paid to keep the chandelier alight! Okay, I jest, but you get the picture.

Studies done by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply have shown that it is cheaper overall and on average to occupy a serviced office than it is to occupy conventional space - for up to thirty people - for up to five years. This is concomitant with the notion that the space is used more effectively.

This is demonstrated also by the fact that serviced offices generally suffer a faster rate of wear and tear than most conventional offices - just by dint of the intensity with which space is used. As a result, operators are obliged to make routine repairs and replace systems more frequently, in order to keep the premises looking good to potential clients touring the building. This gives them a chance to install more energy efficient equipment, like dynamic and low energy lighting, improved ventilation systems and so on.

Ventilation is a particular area where serviced offices win out. Most air-conditioned serviced offices have separate air conditioning units in each office. This means that when the offices are not occupied they will be off - and not wasting power cooling empty space - unlike conventional offices, where it is common to see empty offices with the furniture nicely chilled.

Furthermore, increasingly, individuals and companies are using the concept of virtual officing.  This, in practical terms, is something akin to having a post office box in a town, city or even a foreign country where mail forwarding, telephone answering and other services are provided for a fee.  To save on the expense of constant travel, a client can use a virtual address, provided by a serviced office operator, to establish a presence in a particular location. Good news for the operator - since the costs of providing the facility are negligible and the revenue goes straight to the bottom line.

The message then?  Go Serviced Offices …and Go Green. Reduce Carbon Footprint, maybe raise your CSR – and it may save you hard earned cash – let alone the planet!

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