IWG and Attacq Limited collaborate to take flexible working to a new dimension.

IWG — the unrivalled leader in hybrid work solutions partners with Attacq, the South African-based Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), with a combined vision to create a sustainable, unique and flexible solution that will provide a value-based office model to create personal, financial and strategic benefit to businesses of every size, empowering businesses to be their most productive.

Starting with their Lynnwood Bridge and then the Waterfall City precincts Attacq, renowned for its creation of communities in its precincts and not merely beautiful bricks and mortar, is broadening its footprint, offering flex-space options which will be managed by IWG. Trusted by thousands of enterprise customers worldwide — with 83% of the Fortune 500 using their services — IWG has been at the forefront of flexible working for more than 30 years with thousands of locations across 120+countries, 58 of which are in South Africa, a further 6 opening in 2022.

Attacq, known for developing, owning and managing sought-after property precincts in prominent locations which include hotels, gyms, restaurants and lifestyle brands in each of its locations, is confident that IWG has the experience and expertise to provide a workspace solution that will offer Attacq investors more choice and unlimited access to the hybrid world of work, giving each potential and existing client, flexibility within a thriving community.

IWG has had a long and prolific relationship with Attacq, aligning at a time when digitalisation and new technologies are transforming the world of work. Fewer companies will need an office that is just a sea of desks, but instead, they will aim for financial flexibility to invest in their staff, supplying a fully equipped workspace, with everything from furniture to super-fast WI-FI provided, halving their property costs, releasing capital to invest in generating stakeholder value.

“At Attacq our purpose is to create sustainable value for all stakeholders and strive to add meaningful worth to every business, organisation, partner, or person that comes into our space of influence. We take customer service very seriously,” says Michael Clampett, asset management and property executive of Attacq Limited.

“It then only stands to reason that we had to affiliate with an experienced partner that takes it as seriously as we do. Despite the obvious impacts of COVID-19 on office space, flexible workspaces look to be emerging as a strong offering and solution, for a return to and future of the work environment”, Clampett adds.

“Attacq has a high-quality and diverse South African property portfolio that includes the retail, hotel, office, mixed-use and light industrial sectors. All of which offer the perfect environment for a flex-space alternative, enabling people to choose where and how they want to work, allowing business the agility that is so needed by businesses now and in the future,” says Greg Davis, business development director, IWG Africa.

Covid -19 has been a gamechanger in the world of commercial real estate. The rapid acceleration of hybrid work, catalysed by the pandemic, has fundamentally changed how and where people work, as well as what businesses want from their offices.

The post-pandemic world has offered an opportunity to re-evaluate how the workplace can enhance productivity and employee engagement through the growth of flexible office spaces as an asset class. Property owners are realising that serviced offices have long been a popular alternative to simply finding one tenant, and demand for flexible working options is only increasing.

77% of employees say a place to work closer to home is a must-have for their next job move and workers are four times more likely to choose an office closer to home. Cutting down on the commute is the single biggest thing a company can do to reduce their carbon footprint. People want the personal productivity benefits of living and working where they want. Attacq and IWG together aim to harness the power of flexible working to increase tenants’ productivity, efficiency, agility and market proximity.

“With the Regus, SPACES and now HQ in South Africa, partnering with Attacq is the perfect example of taking flexible working into the suburban locations and the cities and towns outside of the main metro areas where the need is growing,” adds Davis.