In a first for the South African office sector, Growthpoint Properties (JSE: GRT) has launched an agile ready-to-occupy office concept, WorkAgility, which eliminates office costs and complexity and is changing the way offices are let.
Growthpoint is a recognised leader in providing large corporate office buildings, with names like Discovery, Anglo American and Exxaro among its tenants. Yet, almost 80% of its office client base has offices of less than 1,000sqm. Many of these businesses are lean and focused on core delivery. They want office strategies that support this performance, not detract from it.
“The business environment and office market have shifted, and with WorkAgility Growthpoint is responding to the new needs of a significant portion of office tenants. We have listened to our clients, and we are doing things differently to adapt our offices to the new world of hybrid working,” says Timothy Irvine, Growthpoint regional asset manager, who is driving WorkAgility.
“WorkAgility is a frictionless new concept for the local office market. It offers flexible ready-to-occupy offices that are all yours. No shared or co-working space,” explains Irvine.
WorkAgility makes it as easy to secure new offices as an online booking for a hotel or BnB. It offers a one-click master service agreement, one all-inclusive cost, one point of contact with a dedicated community manager and it is cheaper than a conventional lease.
As the name suggests, WorkAgility is designed to be extremely agile and make office leasing more nimble by removing obstacles to occupancy. It measures office needs by workstations rather than square metres. Service agreements are very brief documents, completed digitally and can be finalised within a day – and they can be for periods as short as a year, allowing flexibility for growth and change.
One all-in monthly cost covers everything from fully-furnished offices complete with unsecured Wi-Fi, electricity, an office cleaning service, a kitchen stocked with everything including a dishwasher, microwave, crockery, cutlery and frequently replenished tea and coffee, and more.
WorkAgility’s office spaces are carefully planned to be beautifully modern, effortlessly functional, fully enabled by backup power, environmentally innovative, inspiring and enjoyable. The dedicated offices can accommodate from around 20 to 85 workstations and include specialised areas such as meeting rooms and concentration spaces.
These offices are designed and styled by Growthpoint’s national network of professionals, from experienced and knowledgeable space planners to project managers, engineers and contractors, ensuring fit-outs are attractive, cost-effective and compliant. Irvine explains that this is one of the reasons that signing up for WorkAgility’s exceptionally planned and managed workspaces is cheaper than a conventional lease. Also, leaving office fit-outs to the professionals makes them far less of a hassle.
To start, WorkAgility will be available at six buildings with multiple options each in Cape Town and Johannesburg. All great properties, each WorkAgility building has been chosen because its design and location are ideally suited to provide integrated offices. These offices are superbly connected with amenities, either in-building or nearby, and retail in particular.
Each custom-styled WorkAgility building features a welcoming reception and creates a stage for a regular programme of events and highlights, always offering its occupants something new and fostering an exceptional sense of community.
A community manager is dedicated to regular office check-ins, connecting you and your staff with just about anything needed. Growthpoint has a curated list of amenities specific to each location – making it easy to get everything needed for work-life balance in a neighbourhood – meals, au pair services, vehicle licence renewals, you name it – all through a network of reliable contacts.
Growthpoint’s first work WorkAgility office is Newlands on Main in Cape Town, which is available immediately. Essentially, you can sign a ‘one-click’ master service agreement for your business today, and walk through an office door with your business name on it, pull out your laptop and start working there tomorrow.
Growthpoint intends to expand the WorkAgility concept in line with demand. As South Africa’s largest real estate investment trust (REIT), with property assets nationwide, Growthpoint has the singular ability to roll out this ready-to-occupy integrated office concept in almost every key business area in the country, especially in the major metropolitan cities.
One thing that WorkAgility isn’t changing, however, is the way that Growthpoint engages with the commercial broking community. Brokers are welcome to work with their clients for WorkAgility office spaces and will enjoy the same valued relationship with Growthpoint that they always have.
“WorkAgility creates environments for businesses and their people to do their best work, where an office is a tool -- powered by the best-in-class expertise and driven by leading proptech -- that enhances performance and creates an enjoyable work experience,” says Irvine.
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