Joe McGinley
CEO, Iconic Offices
Joe McGinley, CEO of Iconic Offices, Ireland’s leading flexible workspace provider, shares three key considerations for businesses developing a workplace strategy that can continuously adapt and support future growth.
Plan for change, not certainty
One thing is for sure: AI is changing the business landscape and making it hard for leaders to plan what their businesses will look like over the next three to five years. How many people will they employ? How will roles evolve? What kind of office space will they need?
“AI is less a story about needing fewer desks and more a story about needing greater flexibility around the decisions businesses are making today,” says McGinley.
That means looking beyond the number of desks or the headline rent. CEOs and CFOs must consider the full financial commitment from fit-out, furniture and technology to rates and maintenance, alongside the time and resources required to operate a workplace.
Match your commitment to your certainty
The key question, McGinley believes, is: “How certain am I about this requirement, and does the property commitment reflect that level of certainty?”
Flexibility is not simply about protecting a business if headcount falls. It can also help companies move quickly when opportunity arrives. A major contract, new market, acquisition or rapidly expanding team should not be held back by an office that cannot accommodate change.
Create a workplace worth the commute
Beyond accommodating change, businesses must also consider the value their workplace provides to employees. As AI becomes more capable of supporting individual tasks, workplaces must deliver greater value through collaboration, mentoring, problem-solving and culture. As McGinley puts it: “The office has to earn the commute.”
Flexibility is not simply about protecting a business if headcount falls
The future cannot be predicted with certainty. The strongest workplace strategies will evolve with the business, not freeze it where it happens to be today.
To explore a workspace designed around your business, call Iconic Offices on 01 905 3508 or visit iconicoffices.com
