Knowing how to decorate your current office, or how to display your company’s values, is important when considering whether you are a traditional or modern business. As a virtual office provider in the heart of Birmingham, our services adhere to a modern business culture – we provide the opportunity for flexible working as an integral approach to modern working. So are the differences between modern and traditional offices?
What is a modern office?
A modern office is often defined by the people and the culture of the business, as well as the aesthetics. In terms of the interior itself, a modern office space is likely to comprise of light/white décor, large spaces and minimal furniture – creating a modernistic approach. Often in agency culture, modern offices may look to include furniture or décor that would entice employees and improve employee well-being – such as comfy bean bags, plants or arcade games.
However, when referring to a modern business or modern management, these typically concentrate on creating an inspiring workplace for colleagues, aiming for maximum staff retention and satisfaction – while putting people before profit.
What is a traditional office?
Compared to a modern office, a traditional office is likely to feature a more dated décor style – as well as a dated business culture and management style. Aesthetically, traditional office space may lack innovative furniture while perhaps containing private cubicles spread across the office space, encouraging a more autonomous, and traditional, way of working.
Therefore, a traditional office, and business, will likely have less flexibility than a modern office – for example, not allowing flexible hours or working from home – which may not be an employee’s first port of call when job-hunting.
Modern and traditional offices – a new approach
How the business is run can often be determined by whether the owners or managing directors follow a traditional business ethos or aim for a more modern approach. By incorporating modern values into a business, not only is this likely to harness a modern bright office space promoting creativity and employee wellness, but it’s likely to have a flexible approach to the way of working, for example, by managing a remote team.
Remote working is becoming an increasingly popular way of working. Pre nationwide lockdown, many companies and offices were enforcing 9-5 Monday – Friday working, meaning all employees would have to come into the office five days a week. This was flipped on its head during the pandemic – with a huge demand for virtual offices and flexible working instead. This type of approach is more likely to retain employees, attract talent and create a harmonious work-life balance for employee wellbeing.
Now, post-pandemic, there is a still a high demand on remote working. To compete as a modern business in this day and age, it’s likely businesses will offer a hybrid approach to working – if not providing fully remote work opportunities – which allows companies to lean heavily on virtual office solutions. This not only lends itself to the post-2020 definition of modern offices, but feeds heavily into modern management techniques too (such as , flexible working, demonstrating a work-life balance and putting people over profit) – which most employees are leaning towards post-lockdown. Learn more about our various virtual office packages.
Modern businesses with Grosvenor House
While having looked in detail at traditional businesses versus modern businesses, it’s clear to see that both modern day management and modern offices (or lack of, in this case) are the preferred option post-2020.
That’s why, here at Grosvenor House, we offer a variety of flexible working solutions to incorporate a modern outlook into a company. From virtual offices – comprising of three main packages – to hot desking and meeting rooms, our superb city centre location in the heart of the Jewellery Quarter is the perfect place for both professionalism and after-work leisure.
Allow employees the freedom and flexibility of working remotely, with the option of hiring meeting rooms to regroup your team together, as well as hot desking as and when they like. To find out more information about our virtual and face-to-face services, get in touch with a member of our helpful team now.