Flexible workspaces with a purpose

At the turn of the decade, it was hard to imagine quite how significantly the world of work would change. Throw in a worldwide pandemic and a whole host of curve-balls to business as we knew it and, we’re here. 2023 – a place where working practices are just as unique as the many new businesses that have emerged, since that pivotal point in 2020.

With this, many organisations have taken on new and innovative approaches to both working and doing business. And, since the post-pandemic way of life has a heavy focus on work-life balance, flexible working is evolving.

Flexible working comes in many forms, to meet a wide range of working needs, because everyone’s way of working looks a little bit different these days. From private offices to casual workspaces, there’s a work home for all business types and approaches – ideal for any professional at any point of their business building journey. Here, we guide you through all the ways The Elsie Whiteley Innovation Centre can flex to make your work, work for you:

• Casual workspaces – work in our publicly accessible spaces
• Drop-in desks – work on an ad-hoc basis from a hot-desk in our flexible co-working spaces, charged at a daily rate
• Virtual offices – register your business address at our Centre and gain optional access to meeting and drop-in desks
• Hybrid hot-desks – a mix between drop-in and dedicated desks, where you secure your seat in any of our host-desks for the month.
• Dedicated desks – save your seat (or desk) with a dedicated space and storage in our co-working space
• Private offices – make your work home more permanent with a secure and stylish office

Our atrium is packed with spaces that are ideal for casual working. It’s been purpose-designed to accommodate those who need a space to pitch-up and be productive after a meeting in one of our modern meeting spaces, or with one of our tenants. As the name suggests, casual workspaces cannot be booked; simply turn-up and log-in.

With a bustling café serving homemade cakes, bean to cup coffee and delicious hearty meals, as well as many businesses coming and going, working in this space has a real buzz about it. If you’re looking for a space that has a little more chill, try out our flexible co-working options.

Drop-in desks

Our no-strings co-working is a stand-alone option for independent workers who need a desk away from home or the office, every now and then. It’s ideal if you need to drop-in and use a desk for the day, but can’t commit to needing it more than a few times a month or week, or if you have an ever-changing schedule.

It’s charged daily so you can simply turn-up, check-in and zone-in to the things that matter most.

Virtual offices

If you’re a totally remote business owner, virtual offices can offer a professional edge with additional perks. We have a number of virtual memberships from simply registering your business at our address, with post and parcel handling, to adding on a co-working hot-desk and/or meeting space for occasional use each month – so you can build your business how you want.

This option is really popular with small or micro businesses and freelancers who wish to give the appearance of being more established, or who wish to keep their home address private. We handle all your mail and keep it secure, you get to call in whenever suits you to collect.

Hybrid hot-desks

If you need to hot-desk on a weekly basis and want to ensure you’ll get a desk in our co-working space, our hybrid or frequent hot-desking membership is perfect. Surround yourself with fellow remote, independent or freelance workers and secure a regular desk away from the kitchen table on one of our co-working workspaces.

You can pre-book and reserve your desk for the day and add-on a virtual office membership, if needed. You’ll also gain access to private meeting rooms for those private calls or in-person meetings, so you can check-in, connect and collaborate with other co-workers or members.

Dedicated desks

Join fellow independent business owners, start-ups or freelances in our co-working space, while ensuring you have the stability and familiarity of your own desk. If you need to dedicate your work day in a purpose-designed workspace, away from the home office or HQ, our dedicated desks are ideal.

You’ll also benefit from loads of other perks like use of one of our meeting rooms for a few hours a week, secure storage and virtual office facilities (if you need them). A flexible solution to match your approach to work, but with stability that supports your growth.

Private offices

Ready to scale-up and make things official? If you want to commit to making your work home more permanent, we have a range of private office spaces in a whole host of sizes ready for you to make your mark. Our purpose-built, straight-forward and stylish office spaces* are tailored to suit your size and staffing requirements, with access to all our add-ons and perks.

Our offices are most popular with established small and medium sized businesses and we’re delighted that many of our tenants stay and grow with us for years.

*We also support with start-up grants from Halifax Opportunities Trust, which are aimed exclusively at businesses under 18 months old and come with all the perks of our standard offer, but with the addition of access to Halifax Opportunities Trust’s Business Start-Up Grant Scheme.

How does flexible working work for you?

From occasional drop-in hot desks and virtual set-ups that give you a professional business edge, to desks you can dedicate your work day on and private office spaces; we have everything covered.