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Pepper Content has taken up a tailor-made 200 seater managed workspace from Smartworks at Times Square building in Andheri East in Mumbai.

Smartworks, which provides managed flexible office space, on Friday said it has provided 200 desks to content marketplace platform Pepper Content in Mumbai.

The transaction was facilitated by international real estate advisory firm Savills India through its new co-working space listing platform workthere.in, Smartwoks said in a statement.

Pepper Content has taken up a tailor-made 200 seater managed workspace from Smartworks at Times Square building in Andheri East in Mumbai.

The new workspace is being set up as Pepper Content’s India headquarters.

Anirudh Singla, founder and CEO, Pepper Content said, ‘Although remote work has its benefits, bringing an early stage team back in office has a kind of energy that is unmatched.’ Flexible workspaces have gained strong traction among corporate occupiers in India in the past few years, witnessing a growth of 28 per cent over the past five years.

As per Savills India’s report, leasing by co-working providers is expected to increase 42 per cent to 4.9 million in 2021, contributing around 10 per cent to the overall office leasing in 2021 and 2022.

Neetish Sarda, founder of Smartworks, said, ‘Our thoughtfully designed digitally-enabled managed workspaces offer our members agility and seamless scalability in these challenging times along with an array of value-added services.’ Smartworks caters to enterprises and high-growth start-ups by offering inspiring collaborative and hassle-free managed office spaces. In the past five years of its operations, Smartworks has spread across 31 locations in nine cities with over 65,000 seats in India.

Naveen Nandwani, managing director (commercial advisory and transactions) of Savills India, said, ‘With most companies looking to build more agility in the wake of the pandemic, flexi and managed office spaces are perfectly fitting into new office requirements in India.’

Smartworks Coworking Spaces has taken more than 4.5 lakh square feet of office space across Hyderabad and Mumbai on a long-term lease spread over 15 years in a bid to use the Covid-19 pandemic crisis as an opportunity to scale up in a less competitive market.

While Times Square Mumbai is spread over 210,000 sq ft, Aurobindo Galaxy, Hyderabad is spread over 250,000 sq ft.

“Companies are going through a paradigm shift in the workplace. Flexible office spaces are a risk-averse solution for enterprises looking for office spaces as it helps them stay nimble during uncertain times,” said Neetish Sarda, founder, Smartworks Coworking Spaces. “Even though companies are trying various work models to find the best one that works for them, flexible workspaces have become mainstream due to the value they deliver when compared to conventional offices.”

The Noida-based company has been growing in southern and western India since early 2019, and it expects to expand its workplace portfolio to 7 million sq ft by the end of this year.

Currently, the company has 65,000 seats spread across 31 centres in nine cities, including the National Capital Region, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai and Kolkata.

Separately, the company has signed 2,500 seats across its properties with corporates on the flex seats model and has additional 4,000 seats under discussion.

“With companies evaluating their real estate needs and which work model works the best, they are looking at business offerings with hyper flexibility,” said Sarda.

Many large companies and e-commerce firms are likely to adopt a mix of core workplaces and external flexible options after Covid-19.

“Amid the crisis, we continued to see a few large lease deals being signed up in some of the key markets earlier this year. And now, with the advent of a strong vaccination drive across the country and India’s office market being fundamentally driven by a booming IT sector, I’m hopeful that we will be able to come back on the earlier growth track sooner than later,” said Anurag Mathur, CEO, Savills India.

The flexible space segment is expected to grow 15-20% per annum over the next three-four years to more than 50 million sq ft by 2023, according to JLL.

Smartworks continues its growth plans. Our growth is attributed to our enterprise-focused business model, and more expansion is in the pipeline as we remain optimistic about the flex space growth and momentum. Continue reading to learn more about the story:

As companies look towards finding a reliable and rewarding workspace solution, the flexible office space concept is finding enough takers even as it bridges work-from-home and work at the office.

Work. The very idea of work has changed

With all the things that the pandemic brought – the very meaning of ‘workspace’ has got an uplift of sorts. As we speak, the workspace concept continues to see further changes and evolve. Corporates are looking at various office-space options, and flexible office spaces seem to fit the bill in more ways than imagined. As per a KPMG study, more than two-thirds of CEOs (68%) from large companies plan to downsize their current office spaces.

Bridging home and office

Pandemic just about disrupted every business sector and forced corporates to rethink how work needs to be taken forward. Work-from-home was the most significant change and takeaway for corporates as it helped them get back on their feet and running.

But the pertinent question is, for how long? Many employees desperately want to get back to the office. Reports highlight that people experience burnout during work and wish to break away from the monotonous work style. While that might sound normal, it isn’t easy to move to the office. Putting Covid-19 measures and safety protocols in place with manpower to implement them around the clock for a handful of employees is an arduous and expensive task, making it difficult for companies to open big offices.

It’s here that flexible workspaces fit the bill and come in handy.

How can flexible office spaces be the middle ground?

Facilitating flexibility & Scalability As we all want to look beyond covid-19 businesses are still looking at how the current WFH dynamic will impact their long-term business strategies and employees well-being. For big businesses- agility, behavioural changes such as physical distancing, term flexibility and service offering are of key importance. And with office spaces increasingly competing for customers and tenants alike, these businesses could be benefited from considering flexible office spaces as part of their strategy to attract and retain talents.

There are ways to flexible office spaces that can work in your favors and provide you with the desired scalability and flexibility. Ultimately, flexible spaces are solutions to several trends that have been accelerated by the pandemic resurgence- de-consolidation of office spaces, new office spaces in new markets. From the location of the office space to the style of space design you want, to the type of technology integration- Flexible office space has become an incredibly valuable asset.

Adopting a flexible office space concept further, allows companies to strike a balance between work-from-home and work-at-office. In this way, companies achieve the dual objectives of ensuring good productivity and ensuring employee delight by giving them the freedom to choose options as per need.

Reducing costs

One of the underlying benefits and a primary reason for adopting a flexible office space is cost savings. Companies can now look at flexible workspaces that would allow them to save huge amounts on rentals as it’s financially unwise to maintain large office spaces for longer leases while employees are working from home. Another area where companies can save on costs is the commuting expenses of employees in the form of cab facilities – as the need to come to the office reduces, so do these dependant costs.

Digitally enabled environment

According to the latest market reports published by Markets and Markets, the expected market growth for digitally Smart Managed Spaces is forecasted at a CAGR of 18.5%, leading to USD 19,802 million by 2024. AI, IoT, in-house apps, contactless experiences, digital experiences have become central to the functioning of the future workspace. Digital access, IoT-enabled meeting room booking or coffee dispensers, Digital Pantry and Smart Parking Systems are few features in workspaces of the future. The tech developments have become quintessential in today’s era, and managed workspace providers can help organizations increase brand attractiveness and offer a futuristic working experience to their employees.

Promotes collaboration and innovation

One of the key features of a managed office workspace is the customizable design. Certain office sections are customized—like setting up smaller meeting rooms for lower employee count, collaboration or ideation rooms, and phone booths for those one-on-one business calls. This allows people to pick areas keeping the workplace dynamics inflow and fostering employee collaboration across teams. The shared working environment also promotes networking among people from diverse background with different skills leading to newer ideas and solutions.

Increasing productivity

Work-from-home isn’t meant for everyone or every job role. It has more barriers to continued productivity, as employees cannot focus due to distractions at home. On the other hand, managed office spaces offer spaces aesthetic decor, biophilic design, the highest levels of preventive measures for workspace hygiene and modern amenities that boost productivity, enhance mood, and improve concentration.

Today, flexible office spaces have emerged as an attractive third space that is neither a person’s home nor traditional crowded office spaces. The philosophy and benefits of flexible spaces are beyond just being a piece of real estate – it is an experience.

(https://www.smartworksoffice.com), India’s leading managed office space provider, today announced that it has partnered with MediBuddy, India’s largest digital healthcare platform. This partnership will allow Smartworks’ members and employees to access online doctor consultation, health check-ups, COVID RT PCR test & medicine and help them make the best use of the vaccine drive.

COVID-19 outbreak has pushed enterprises to focus on their employees’ health and enable services beyond hospitalisation benefits. Smartworks, catering to Enterprises, high-growth startups and SMEs has been a front runner in offering new-age healthcare solutions to its workforce and clients. For prompt medical assistance, Smartworks has onsite medi-clinics with trained paramedics and visiting doctors, managed by MediBuddy.

Commenting on this partnership Harsh Binani, Co-founder Smartworks, said, “Health and safety of our employees and members is a priority for us. We endeavour to provide access to a complete suite of wellness solutions for a healthy body and mind. Our partnership with MediBuddy is a testimony to our efforts in providing the best guided medical facilities and support in these challenging times.”

Commenting on the same, Satish Kannan, Co-founder & CEO, MediBuddy, said, “The second COVID-19 wave has hit India and hit it hard. With the surge in COVID-19 cases, ensuring vaccination for all is of utmost importance. We are looking forward to our partnership with Smartworks who share the same commitment to ensuring safety. As a brand dedicated to providing accessible and quality healthcare solutions, we aim to reach out to and provide maximum people healthcare support to all.”

MediBuddy, India’s largest digital healthcare platform, offers multiple packages for organisations to choose from according to their requirements. From bulk consultations, COVID testing to assisting organisations in ensuring the complete safety of employees and workplaces with MediClinic. With health experts in over 18 departments, one can easily make appointments and consult with doctors online for any health-related ailments. This enables them to avail healthcare services for themselves & their family member at any time, from the comfort of their homes.

Smartworks is India’s largest provider of agile workspaces, with a footprint of over 4 million Sq. ft. across 31 locations in 9 cities (Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune), catering to more than 400 organisations across large enterprises, SMEs and established startups. Founded in April 2016, Smartworks is redefining the Indian office experience by focusing on design, hospitality, technology and customer delight. Smartworks is also the only Indian agile workspace provider to have become profitable in India.

Central to this ambition is the company’s motto, Workspaces that work for you, with the vision of creating the perfect environment by just not building communities and ensuring their member employees are productive in the workplace.