The term coworking extended to sharing the same office space with teams from different companies giving rise to a shared space environment in 2009. However, many companies found this new trend affecting the work culture at the office. Most professionals and corporates preferred a private and secure space having an option to step out for networking opportunities and casual meetings or a coffee break to unwind and recharge appeals to this segment.
Compass Offices observed this market gap and entered the market with a new flexible office space solution. Hans Leijten, the CEO, shares his motivation behind founding Compass Offices. “We observed that hybrid concept with shared workspace, business lounges, and meeting rooms was the answer to the growing needs of flexible spaces. Our aim was to create a great workplace that meets the needs and preferences of our clients.”
Further with an added professional services and secure enterprise-grade IT solutions, Compass Offices has established its name in 9 APAC cities being the trusted partner to over 20,000 clients including Fortune 500 companies as well as entrepreneurs, independent professionals, growing start-ups, and enterprise teams.
Contemporary designs for inspiring workspaces
Hans dedicates a major share of the company’s success to its team providing inspiring workspaces supported by professional services.
“Our clients prefer their private and secure offices and enterprise-grade IT while having an option to break out in a corporate lounge for a chat, to relax and recharge,” Hans shares.
“To meet with client’s flexible needs at Compass Offices we combine the client’s presence in a business niche with a contemporary design while taking into account the needs of the corporate and professional market segment,” he further adds.
Entrepreneurial Spirit
Hans ventured into the office space industry in 2008 as Regus Group’s Regional Vice President – East Asia. Later he joined as the Chief Executive Officer of Compass Offices in 2015.
His passion for providing flexible office space services further led Hans to open more than 100 offices in over 25 cities in China and the Asia Pacific creating an impact in the flexible office market.
Flexible offices: Post-pandemic future
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic not only affected the economy but has also disrupted the work environment. Organizations now demand safe alternatives to the traditional office space that would require less travel and exposure to large groups of commuters or colleagues.
Moreover, the long-term fixed and conventional leases have been constricting companies that need to downscale or diversify their office portfolio. This led the decision-makers to consider flexible office space, especially with its benefit of business-ready facilities, shorter-term commitments, and scalability of the size needed for a faster-changing business environment.
Even the employees are sceptic about working from home for too long for the fear of loneliness and lack of support as personal interaction between colleagues is more difficult. This has been leading many organizations to adopt hybrid or flexible office spaces.
The latest trend has also opened new avenues for traditional landlords to enter flexible office spaces. And Compass Offices have been making this shift easier during tough times by providing design, project management, systems, and processes to support interested landlords to convert part of their space into flexible office space.
“Compass offices creates workspace solutions that support organisations and their employees in achieving their objectives. We also support the workplace transition for companies at any stage of their development.” Hans says.
Expanding for the future
Flexible offices have been the new normal post the pandemic. And Compass Offices is ready to recover and stabilise post-pandemic. Hans shares his strategy for the company, “We are continuously focusing on upgrading and rejuvenating our existing facilities. Apart from growing our existing locations, we plan to add new cities to our portfolio by end of 2021 and in 2022,” says Hans.
He also adds, “Compass Offices is actively exploring new growth opportunities and look for property owners and landlords to work with. Our industry experience can support landlords wishing to introduce flexible space in their portfolios. They are welcome to contact us to evaluate options.”
Hans Leijten, CEO, Compass Offices
