How new hybrid workspaces are reshaping work-life balance

Imagine working 20 to 30 minutes away from home instead of having to travel two-hours from Mitchell’s Plain to Parklands or the Cape Town CBD and vice versa.

This was a possibility yesterday when the CapeTowner and the Atlantic Sun were taken on a tour of Workshop 17’s workspaces in Kloof Street, Century City and Newlands Cricket Ground.

These workspaces include hot desks, private offices, pause areas, phone booths, consultation rooms, meeting rooms, cafes and event space.

Venecia Valentine, editor of InBound SA, who lives in Mitchell’s Plain said she leaves home at about 6.15am and sits in traffic to arrive at work in Parklands by 8.30am.

“I would much rather be preparing my kids for school and dropping them off,” she said. 

Ms Valentine said working closer to home would allow her time and energy to prepare her children for school, set up meetings and check her email sooner. 

While en route to work, having to navigate the traffic, she also has to be alert for smash and grabs she said. 

The South African workforce is now adapting to working in 'hybrid' following the Covid-19 national lockdown, which saw all of the country’s workforce work from home. 

Slowly people have come out of hibernation and migrated to going into the office thrice a week and staff having to rotate desks, with office spaces downsized.

Paul Keursten, co-founder of Workshop 17, a company that creates co-working and serviced office spaces in South Africa, said they did not only want to integrate work and life but encourage clients “to live”.

He said it was about bringing work spaces closer to where people live and allowing them to “enjoy life”.

“To have a different work experience than in an office. In this way clients can hold on to staff, there is more work time and hardly any wasting of time,” he said.

Mr Keursten explained that acoustics, lighting and temperature were key elements to ensure better work productivity.

“The views, nature, the environment and the energy of “co-workers” can help increase motivation and productivity; and help with focus,” he said. 

Mr Keursten said they service 7 000 clients across South Africa and once the workspaces are set up they observe and speak to clients to better orientate seating and align to the needs of workers.

While Workshop 17 Century City is still a work in progress with construction workers on site, the media were able to put on their hard hats to see how architect Nisha van der Hoven would incorporate nature into the design and layout of this workspace. 

The space is surrounded by windows which take in the environment of canals, fauna and flora.

Ms Van der Hoven said natural textures, stone, leather and hardy materials would be used to service an array of workers to co-exist with nature.

“We have multiple clients and everyone works differently.

“We’ve adapted spaces to suit the needs of that community,” she said.