Flex space

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Flex space is a term used for lightly zoned buildings. It is mainly used when referring to industrial or office space.

[edit] History

Flex space evolved from light industrial warehouses being converted to office space. Businesses that generally occupy these are new dotcoms, mechanic shops, and companies that contract plumbing, pest, electrical, and sometimes churches and related services.

Companies have discovered that on any given work day, a large percentage of their cubes are unoccupied--in some cases, up to 50%. Employees travel for work, take vacation, or are working from home in greater numbers than ever before. To avoid having to lease or buy more office space, flex space allows a company to have a higher occupancy of cube space and less wasted work areas.

At the beginning of the work day, an employee shows up at work. Cubes are mostly configured in the same way, making them all the same. The employee chooses a cube where he would like to sit, and that is his cube for the day. At the end of the day, he packs up his belongings, either bringing them all home with him or storing them in a locker space. This leaves the cube the same way it was when he came in, and leaves it free and open for someone to use the following day.

A large concern with employees in a flex space environment is cleanliness and germs. It is important in a flex space environment to have a strong cleaning staff that will disinfect the cube areas at night to prevent the spread of germs and colds.