Interviews
28 Aug 19

JustCo Flexible Working Space: the new mobility component

Connector held its M15 event in the Pitt Street JustCo shared working space for a few good reasons. There’s a strong parallel between the developments in the corporate fleet industry and the real estate sector: the switch from “dedicated” to “shared”. The JustCo strategy plugs into this transition by offering either free floating desks or a combination of dedicated space (the office) and shared spaces (lounge room, kitchen, meeting rooms). Even more important however is the functionality of flexible workspace in a mobility program: it can steer the amount of mobility an employee might need. JustCo’s Australian GM, Sergio Pires, explains to the audience of the M15 why flexible working space is important, also for the Fleet Manager.

About JustCo

Sergio: “JustCo is founded in 2011 in Singapore, concentrating initially on serviced office offering, but we moved very quickly into the shared office business. We’re committed to becoming South-East Asia’s largest co-working space provider and we’re well on track to meet our goal of 100 centres by end of 2020.”

“In Australia, we have 4 spaces today, 2 in Sydney and 2 in Melbourne. In the next weeks, we’ll be opening another couple of sites across the country.”

About co-working

Sergio explains why flexible office spaces have become popular: “It started with the global financial crisis, when many people were made redundant and were looking for a professional environment to work from and start new businesses. This is where the idea comes from that flexible office spaces attract only start-ups and small businesses.” The client base has changed since. Sergio explains: “We have become a true alternative for Fortune 500 companies. JustCo hosts big names, such as Expedia and Dropbox, but also more traditional businesses, such as Aston Martin and governmental clients.”

Growth explained

“At the end of the day, we have become big because we offer services that the traditional landlord is not able to provide. Our clients can grow or contract quickly, we don’t ask for large bank guarantees or securities and we provide the added benefits of networking and other social aspects.”

Sergio continues: “On top of that, we have a good ROI compared to traditional offices. Our members pay for the office space, but don’t have to rent the kitchen, the meeting rooms, the break-out space, which are all communal.”

Co-working and mobility

Shane Curran, Director APAC at Connector explains: “Most traditional office spaces are located in CBDs or city centres – exactly those locations where authorities and municipalities are working hard to reduce the presence of cars from. Multi-lane streets are being rebuilt into single car lanes with more greenery and dedicated lanes for micro-mobility and public transport. Parking spaces are cancelled to make place for urban furniture or wider sidewalks. All good, but the employees still needs to reach the office and this is getting harder and harder if they continue to rely on a car to reach the company’s office. Flexible office spaces offer the benefit of giving employees an alternative to standing still in traffic jams, as they are usually located close to public transport stations or even on the outskirts of cities rather than in CBDs.”

Shane continues: “The flexible mobility business case consists of attacking all the cost factors generated by the rigid one-car-one-employee model. Today’s Fleet Manager needs to look at commuting times and other inconveniences that employees are facing, such as parking costs, city taxes and so on. These costs might be invisible on the employer’s P&L, but they affect productivity and employee loyalty.” A recent study of the Australian Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics confirms this: congestion by itself costs Australian businesses AUD 20.4 billion annually through lost productivity.

JustCo, the Mobility provider

JustCo is set to become a true mobility provider in Asia: superbly located flexible working space in cities such as Bangkok, Jakarta, Singapore, Shanghai, Taipei and Seoul will finally help local fleet and facility managers to reduce their employees’ excessive commuting times and improve the company’s access to prospects and clients.

In addition, the office spaces provide for a professional, well connected working environment in countries where home office is no real alternative for employees. Regional and global Fleet Managers are invited to have a look at the website and integrate JustCo in their fleet strategy.

 

Authored by: Yves Helven
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