Tech companies like Google are backing physical workspaces

Google plans to buy the brightly coloured Central Saint Giles building located in London’s West End, comprising 38,000 sq metres of office space, in a move intended to “reinvigorate” its work environment. A multimillion-pound refurbishment of the office will create more space, creating new collaboration spaces and inclusive meeting rooms for hybrid working, as well as covered outdoor working areas.

Google’s plan to buy the Central Saint Giles building is part of a wider plan to grow its UK headcount. The tech titan added 700 staff last year, bringing its total UK headcount to 6,400. The new West End office, plus one in King’s Cross and another in Manchester, will give Google the capacity to hold up to 10,000 employees across the UK.

After years spent working at home, it is exciting to see this global business and tech-sector leader backing the office as a place of work. Increasingly, employers like Google are looking to the workplace as a means of facilitating new hybrid and flexible business models, which work best when staff have access to the right space and facilities, such as technology that allows for collaboration with teammates working from different locations. Indeed, it is becoming clear that hybrid working is not for everyone – some will want to work full-time from the office, whilst others only occasionally; the ability to marry different working styles will be the true test of future workspaces.

For instance, BizSpace Waltham Abbey combines different professional spaces, including a range of office suites, meeting rooms, space for solo work, and communal areas ideal for networking. This recently refurbished four-storey building also offers workers access to an on-site café, conference venues and breakout spaces, all brought together by sleek interior design.

For technology businesses looking to get back to the office, BizSpace Waltham Abbey provides space for companies of all sizes, on flexible terms. At BizSpace, we know that the right workplace can allow a company to grow and thrive. As highlighted by Google’s recent billion-dollar property purchase, the physical workplace is often the stepping stone to business growth, bringing workers together in an optimised setting and improving productivity.

Of course, for some tech businesses, investment in one central office hub is not the right move. Though most workers no longer wish to work from home full time, many would like to cut the commute and work near home, when possible. BizSpace has seen an uptick in demand for regional, flexible workspaces in recent months, reflecting a growing interest in the hub-and-spoke model.

Whichever model of working tech businesses choose to adopt, Google’s commitment to the physical workplace is evident, and others in the technology sector and beyond are sure to follow suit.