COVID lockdowns and quarantines have changed where many people work. Over the last few months, a number of new acronyms have popped up to describe work environments or how companies plan to support their remote teams.
- WFH - Work from home
- WFA - Work from anywhere
- PR - Phased return
- PRW - Phased return to work
- WNH - Work near home
- and I am sure I missed a bunch...
New Terms to Help Companies Return to Work
More recently we have been hearing about hyperlocal workspaces (similar to WNH) and a new concept companies are starting to roll out in an effort to bring their teams back to the office. The new concept is the Hub & Spoke model. While the idea of a hub and spoke is not new, the way companies are implementing this idea in their commercial real estate footprint is interesting. I spent a few minutes with KettleSpace co-founder Dan Rosenzweig to discusses the Hub & Spoke model and why companies are exploring this as an option for their employees to return to the office.
What is the Hub & Spoke Model
The best way to think about this is to look at the picture of a bike wheel. We happen to have one example right here 👉.
The company is at the center of all the spokes. This is the traditional corporate headquarters/centralized office. This office continues to operate but instead of everyone coming into one office the company now has spokes or satellite offices that are closer to employees' homes and providing employees with options on where to work.
Why does a company want to have spokes?
In the age of COVID spokes give your company a number of advantages to a purely traditional office.
- Increase the number of people who can get back to an office safely without worrying about capacity issues.
- Give employees an option other than working from home (there is no shortage of research on the downsides of WFH)
- Provide an office solution that doesn't require employees to commute via mass transit (mostly an issue in urban markets)
- Increase productivity by giving your teams shorter commutes to spoke offices
- Increase retention by allowing people to work at spokes which then give them more time with their families (due to shorter commutes)
- Provide a place for employees to safely gather and to collaborate on projects
- Reduce the number of people at your company headquarters allowing your organization to reopen safely with the necessary staff.
Where do you set up your spoke locations?
If this idea resonates with your business, then first think about where your employees live and try to heatmap their homes in relation to each other and your current office. You want to make sure you set up your various locations as conveniently as possible to as many people as possible. You also want to make sure the distance between the hub and various spokes makes logistical sense so that you don't end up with multiple offices a few blocks from each other. If you need help with the heat mapping exercise, please feel free to reach out for help.
What do you think? Is the Hub & Spoke model a good way for companies to bring their employees back to the office?
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