The uncalculated value of flexible office space (AllOfficeCenters)

The 2019 presentation examined forms of value associated with flexible office space that were not captured by a simple comparison of lease costs. Thomas Schulz, managing partner at AllOfficeCenters, organised the discussion around the value of time and the value of flexibility. Charts compared average flexible and standard leases across periods ranging from the beginning of the search process to a 10-year lease term, illustrating how their relative profiles changed over time. The slides did not provide numerical vertical-axis labels, underlying data or a methodology for these comparisons. The presentation highlighted speed as the key factor for 78% and described flexibility as critical for 83%. It also introduced the concept of “double flexibility,” although the deck did not explain that term further. The final substantive slide identified several uncalculated costs associated with securing and establishing office space: time spent searching and setting up, lost opportunities, putting growth on hold, effects on corporate image and higher recruitment costs. Overall, the deck framed flexible office space as a way to consider timing, adaptability and indirect business costs alongside the direct financial terms of a lease.

Key findings

• Speed was identified as the key factor by 78%.
• Flexibility was described as critical by 83%.
• The deck listed search and setup time, lost opportunities, delayed growth, corporate-image effects and higher recruitment costs as uncalculated costs.

Presented by Thomas Schulz, AllOfficeCenters, at Coworking Europe 2019