Insights from the forefront of future of work thought leadership

The impact of the coronavirus on our society has been far-reaching, some changes were temporary and others had a lasting effect. One area that has been significantly affected is the workplace environment and our expectations for the future of offices.

In previous discussions about the future of work in Australia, we have emphasised the challenges posed by skills shortages, the competition for talent, and the need to manage a diverse workforce spanning multiple generations.

These challenges have thrown up a need for organisations to: 

• Increase employee benefits and flexible working options to attract talent
• Compete more readily for talent on a global scale, and
• Reduce focus on degrees, skills and experience in favour of talent and purpose.

In terms of workplace design, we’ve seen businesses adjusting to employee expectations by creating diverse and flexible workspaces, such as quiet zones for deep work, or meeting areas for collaborative teamwork. For employers, this involved an intentional shift to consider the needs of their employees with workspaces that accommodate different types of work and working styles.

3 years after the global pandemic, how has the future of work changed and what can we expect the office of the future to look like?

It’s worth noting that disease and the fear of infection has influenced architecture and the form of our built environments many times in the past. Cholera prompted the introduction of sewerage systems, the bubonic plague in China led to rat-proofing buildings, and tuberculosis is at least partially responsible for the white, clean modernist aesthetic. 

There is little doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has also changing the way we use our workspaces.  

Contactless design

Base building architects and workplace designers are prioritising hands-free and contactless pathways through offices, using technology such as voice activation, sensors, facial recognition and smartphones. Ideally, we will be entering our buildings through sensor doors, calling the lift on our smartphones and using facial recognition to enter your office suite, making it to your desk without the need to needlessly touch surfaces. Embracing these technologies will further future-proof workspaces and increase visitor and employee engagement within the spaces.

Flexibility as we’ve never known it 

Not-withstanding the negative impact COVID-19 had on the world around us, most of us were empowered with trust from our employers overnight – and most responded in an exceptional manner.  Working flexibly and remotely was suddenly normalised and the stigma attached to it has disappeared.  

This period has been enlightening, giving us a fresh perspective on the way we work; a reset of work-life balance as we have not experienced in the recent past. We need to remember that with enlightenment comes responsibilities for us as employees, to work proactively to make the new environment work. As such, we’ve identified some success factors for individuals and teams working in the new normal: 

     1. The ability to work with autonomy

William Shakespeare, as always, makes this point with the least verbiage:  “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves.” Organisations will benefit greatly from team members that are self-directed and who manage up and drive results rather than being passengers on this journey. 

     2. Physical distance requires – and often builds – trust 

Stronger bonds have been built in teams as we prove to ourselves and to each other that we are reliable and available – despite being physically distanced. 

     3. Flexibility requires an outcome focus 

Work is not a rigid time schedule, but rather is about goals you achieve and tasks you master. Our forced work-from-home time has shown us what we always knew, but were frightened to demonstrate: that it is the output and outcome that matter, not that you were still at your desk at 7pm on a Thursday. 

     4. True connection comes from knowing the people behind the work 

We’ve come to know each other on a deeper level now – being let into each other’s sanctuaries. We’ve seen changes in the way colleagues interact. Emotional barriers have been broken down as we’ve witnessed each other on Zoom calls, managing our work and home lives alongside one another. We’re meeting each other’s pets, kids and housemates; seeing inside their bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens. 

The clear boundaries between work and home have become blurred and this is often for the better, creating more genuine relationships and greater flexibility in response to different employees’ needs. Our relationships are no longer transactional and will hopefully never return to being just that. 

Managers and business leaders have also been innovative in how they support their teams from a distance, with many showing greater concern for employee mental health and wellbeing. As remote workers make up a greater portion of their teams in the future, employers need to continue to facilitate engaging employee onboarding, collaboration and connection.

So what happens next? 

IOur workplaces will always play a crucial role in maintaining cultural placemaking and binding teams together.  This means that organisations will look at their facilities in a different light and not calculate their required office space based on a rough 10 sqm/FTE (full time employee) which has become the norm. The thought that organisations may now appreciate wider thoroughfares and distancing workstations more spaciously is simply a more exciting and human alternative to the dense population approach of 2019. 

Now with hybrid working becoming the norm, focussed work can be done at home, and allowing the workspace as a hub for social connection, incidental conversation and collaboration. The golden moments that are not scheduled and often lead to innovation, happen in the office when no one plans it. By providing an activated, engaged hub which caters for various activities, a new workspace provides a variety of accommodation for staff counts way beyond the traditional 1/10 sqm calculations, whilst decreasing the density of bodies in space at any particular moment in time.

This has lead to some organisations keeping their current leased space but increasing their alternate accommodation, or indeed, decreasing their required space all together. We anticipate that this will need to be assessed for all organisations, based on their unique needs.

COVID-19 accelerated the future of work and the future of workplace design. To help businesses plan their workplace strategy for the future, we have assembled the most crucial future of work knowledge in one place. Check out all you need to know about the future of work here

 

The workplace is changing around us as we speak. With more and more people working remotely or with flexible work arrangements, employers are facing new challenges daily in how they create a positive company culture, enable collaboration, attract new talent and plan for growth.

Because of this, there is a serious conversation happening all over the globe about what the future of work and its workforce will look like. We’re in the middle of a massive overhaul of the workplace as we once knew it. The questions we are constantly being asked, and asking of ourselves, is how we can better shape workplaces to accommodate these shifts, while also future-proofing and facilitating these new ways of working.

With this is mind, we invited Cindy Lenferna De La Motte, Future of Work Strategist and Head of Customer and Community at Harvest Digital Planning, to join Annelie Xenofontos, Axiom’s Senior Workplace Strategist, to lead a conversation on company culture, how to create intelligent workplace design outcomes and the future of the workplace. The answers below are a summary of both their responses during the event.

What are the key challenges of the future workplace?

It’s here, it’s arrived and we are already working in this ‘future’ workplace. The key challenge here is the pace of the evolution, and how businesses and employees are keeping up.

Professional development, once considered a 'nice-to-have,' has now become a critical 'must-have' in the evolving future of work. Future of work strategists emphasize that individuals should dedicate three hours per week to enhancing their skills, ensuring they stay relevant and adaptable in the workplace over the next 25 years. By prioritizing continuous learning, professionals can future-proof their careers and remain competitive in an ever-changing job market.

Upskilling and innovation play a massive role; businesses alone cannot afford or accommodate the pace of upskilling that individuals need to keep up with the digital evolution that’s happening. Employees need to take on this growth mindset and responsibility for themselves, and employers need to wholeheartedly support and facilitate their learning.

Those in senior roles, leading business change and growth, cannot rest on their tried and tested measures. Instead, they must lead the way in updating their knowledge and learning so as to drive innovation both in their businesses and in their staff, ensuring their business remains competitive and up-to-date.

There are numerous meet-ups, short courses, podcasts, reading material and forums to meet up with other people, learn and share information. Gone are the days of doing a university degree that will see you through a job for life and into retirement. The lifetime of learning in degrees is now estimated to be three to five years post-graduation, so adopting a new approach and mindset to lifelong learning, even into retirement, is part of the future of work evolution.

From a workplace perspective, customisation is now a baseline requirement. We don’t want to fit in a box anymore. We are working in more sophisticated ways, and we want and expect a customised work environment that supports innovation, creativity and efficiency.

Businesses need to constantly think about what is next and their workplaces need to be conducive to thriving in this evolution.

What are the top skills needed for the future workplace?

Diversity and inclusion are topics that have been talked about for a while and are certainly on the HR agenda, but they need to be highly prioritised in the workplaces of the future. Workspaces need to be designed to facilitate the collaboration of employees of different ages, cultures and backgrounds, and to enable spontaneous conversations, innovation and learning to occur. The evolution of business practices doesn’t only come from business leaders anymore. It comes from every person in the workforce.

Young people coming into the workforce have a wealth of information to bring, while the current working generations have significant experience to draw on. Encouraging collaboration between generations through smart workplace design and technology allows a business and its staff to bolster and flex its knowledge base for now and into the future. This is where the magic of a diverse workforce happens.

In Australia, we are relatively good when it comes to creating a diverse workforce, particularly in larger cities, however inclusion of a diverse workforce still requires attention. We need to be choosing skills and capabilities over age, location and culture to keep our businesses at the forefront, and upskilling current team members into new roles to keep them relevant.

Is the war for talent real?

We have a skills shortage in Australia and the war for talent is real and fierce. According to the Australian HR Institute, there are almost one million more job opportunities than there are employed people in Australia.

The top companies are offering impressive compensation and benefit packages, which the most talented individuals are honing in on. And businesses are getting clever with what they are offering—thinking not just about more dollars, but also about the ways their staff want to work and live.

Your culture, mission, purpose and workspace have such an impact on your employer value proposition (EVP). From the moment someone walks into your office space, they think about whether it feels like a good company to work for. Is your office representative of your culture and attractive to talent?

A workplace that embodies the culture, mission and purpose of the company lives out its values and starts to hand back autonomy to staff, one of the biggest motivators for top talent. Invest in your employees through creating a space that’s meaningful to them and allows them to do their best work. Creating a comfortable work environment and reducing employee frustration are key metrics in your workspace design, as are:

• Green spaces
• Personalised spaces
• Quiet spaces
• Environmentally friendly processes
• A focus on health and wellbeing
• The opportunity for connection, creativity and deep work

Cindy says, “At Harvest Digital & Planning, we made a conscious decision to source the best candidates for skill and capability regardless of location. The world is literally our oyster and right now our team is 100 percent remote.”

Remote working comes with new challenges, but ones that we are working through, finding new ways to be inclusive and find the emotion in our day-to-day interactions as face-to-face teams do. With remote and flexible working becoming the norm, businesses and workplaces need to find new ways that work for them and their own cultures to address inclusion for remote teams. We don’t have all the answers but we are experimenting together.

What kind of technology and processes can you use to bring remote workers and workspaces together?

This will differ from organisation to organisation depending on your workplace culture and the type of work that you do. But at the heart of it is asking yourself what your team needs in order to stay connected at a human level, as well as at an operational level.

Some businesses initiatives that have worked for businesses we know are:

• Ensuring that all new employee onboarding is done face-to-face, even if that means flying someone to head office for an induction. Ensure that all managers of new staff make the time to make that face-to-face connection as this is the start of inclusion and sets the tone from the outset of the employment relationship.
• Connecting people back in through regular town halls or team-based meetings.
• Communication is critical so have a real-time tool like Slack or Skype for chat. This also helps reinforce culture.
• The “cupcake experience”: always consider who isn’t in the office to receive the cupcakes brought in by a team member. What can you do for those not getting a cupcake? It might seem like a small thing, but it goes miles when it comes to making a remote worker feel included.
• Pizza hour: bringing everyone together to eat pizza.
• Using emojis or gifs in communication allows emotion and sentiment to come through in email and internal comms.

Workplaces can evolve and flourish in businesses with lots of remote workers with some innovative thinking.

At Axiom, we encourage businesses we work with to think about how they might be innovative with their space depending on the outcomes they require. How much space do they really need? How can they reduce their environmental footprint, waste and cost by thinking about the way their staff will use the workspace?

Solutions such as agile working environments that chop and change according to business fluidity, spaces for technology that connect staff members both in-house and remotely, flexible working so spaces might be used differently on different days depending on who is in the office and the outcome they want to achieve, and even lending out space that is not used all the time—not only can it spark creative partnerships and collaborations but it’s also commercially viable.

Where do I start to futureproof my workplace?

Teaching new ways of work requires teaching individuals a growth mindset. For organisations and business owners, start with a small experiment or collaborate with a new partner to challenge your current ways of working.

Ask yourself, am I still doing the right thing? How could I reimagine my workforce connecting, thinking and innovating? Try something different that aligns with your business. Listen and engage your people and implement.

What are the top 3 things that a modern office should have for a thriving environment?

It’s a feeling thing! Each business has a different identity so it’s not a one size fits all approach. You have to tap in and consider what space and technology you need to create the feeling that you want your employees to have when they step into the office. You want staff to love going to work because it feels good.

Although we’re living through a period of rapid change and unprecedented uncertainty, there are still things businesses can do to future-proof their workplaces. Find out more about the future workforce in the Future of Work: A Progressive Leaders Guide To Staying Ahead

Did you know mental illness is the leading cause of sickness absence and long-term work incapacity in Australia? Given that our work plays such a significant role in our lives—we do spend most of our working weekday hours there—it’s crucial we acknowledge its impact on our mental health and wellbeing just as much as we do on the physical side. Aside from reducing absenteeism, focusing on workplace wellness helps employees to feel healthy and valued at work, enabling them to perform their best. Additionally, a healthier workspace attracts new talent and leads to greater retention.

In recent years, there has been significant talk about the benefits of workplace design, which includes activity-based working (ABW) or agile working. But in this post, we will specifically be exploring how ABW can affect employee wellbeing—both mentally and physically. Let’s start with a definition.

What is activity-based working?

Activity-based working understands that employees undertake a variety of activities in their everyday work and therefore require different work settings, supported by the appropriate technology, to perform these tasks efficiently and productively. ABW is about creating spaces to meet the needs of individuals and teams, with an emphasis on empowering employees to make decisions which allow them to work at their full potential.

The wellness benefits of activity-based working

There are many wellbeing advantages of a workplace designed with activity-based working principles:

Sense of agency = happiness

The flexibility of an ABW workspace allows individual working styles to be taken into consideration. Employees are able to choose the space best suited to both their task, their style of working and their mood. Naturally, this licence to choose is linked to a feeling of agency or control for the employee, which is essential to a workplace focused on employee wellbeing.

Work/life balance

A key pillar of ABW is flexibility for employees. They are enabled to choose where and when they work according to their individual working style, preferences, patterns and productivity cadences. As more and more employees prioritise a healthy work/life balance, this flexibility is both attractive and significant to their overall wellbeing.

Healthy eating behaviours

A feature of many ABW workplaces is a communal break out area or eating hub for employees to dine and socialise with colleagues. Paired with a policy of discouraging eating at one’s desk, studies have found ABW encourages healthier eating and increased movement.

Collaboration and networking

Businesses and individuals increasingly understand the significance of interaction and collaboration between employees, and are looking for ways to facilitate strong connections between coworkers. ABW supports employees to work collaboratively through enhanced opportunities for formal and informal knowledge transfer and networking. And while collaboration is good for business, it’s also important for employee wellbeing. Research shows teamwork makes people smarter, more creative, and more successful—and who doesn’t want that?

Aside from the business and productivity benefits of working in a team, having friends at work boosts mood and morale, providing emotional and psychological support to ensure employees are resilient and ready for the challenges of the workplace.

Work the way that works

As we’ve already mentioned, a trademark of activity-based working is the flexibility for employees to choose when and where they get their work done. Unlike traditional one-size-fits-all workplaces, an ABW approach takes into account different personalities, habits, associations, styles and patterns of working. This is especially essential for supporting mental health in what can often be a challenging and stressful space.

An attractive workplace

While salary and benefits aren’t off the radar for younger generations, it does appear that millennials prioritise things like work/life balance and a sense of purpose or meaning in their work. With this focus on workplace wellness, it’s clear that a workspace with variations and choice in the work environment is an attractive option for the next generation of workers.

The wellness downfalls of activity-based working

Installing hot desks or knocking down cubicle walls is not enough to reap the workplace wellness benefits of ABW. This approach requires careful consideration and customisation to ensure that a company’s culture and style of working is reflected. It requires the support and buy-in of all levels of the business—from the C-Suite to the student doing work experience.

Important elements to consider when creating a fluid workplace design include:

• quiet spaces where employees can work distraction-free when required;
• making employees feel connected and ‘at home’ even without a permanent desk, such as encouraging opportunities for social interactions.

The bottom line

No matter the workplace strategy, there will be impacts on workforce wellness. However, designing a workplace that meets your business’ future vision and requirements, instead of focusing on what’s cool and trendy, will always result in better outcomes. ABW is a flexible and dynamic style of working which will support your employees to do their best work and encourage a culture of workplace wellness.

Key takeaways about activity-based working:

• One size does not fit all and operating as if it does will be detrimental to your employees’ wellbeing.
• One in, all in. Employees need to feel supported in their working practices, otherwise they can easily sink back into old habits.
• ABW offers flexibility and support which encourages a healthier workforce, both mentally and physically.
• ABW can offer a highly productive and healthy office environment when aligned with the overall business culture.
• ABW as a workplace strategy will only succeed if it meets your business needs.

Want more? In this deep-dive white paper, Axiom explores how workplace design influences digital transformation across the key areas of talent, diversity, innovation and technology. We look at the steps to achieving your own digital transformation and we emphasise the importance of having an ongoing workplace strategy as you move forward.

This post is the second in a series. Please read Part One first to understand what’s happening with the way Australia works.

As we learned in Part One of this series, the war for talent is very real, and the complexity and confusion around 457 skilled visas in Australia are not helping. Big international tech companies are consuming local talent and paying above odds on wages plus offering highly desirable employee benefits. And there is currently no national conversation occurring about the future of work in Australia and how to prepare for it.

However, the private sector is beginning to respond: in 2019, Telstra announced a huge $25million upskilling and reskilling program in collaboration with Sydney’s University of Technology. 

So what can your business do to attract and retain talented, productive and forward-thinking employees? And beyond this, how can you future-proof your workplace? Your workplace strategy is an excellent place to start. 

Start by getting to know your employees

Understanding the context around your current and prospective employees is crucial in developing a workplace strategy which suits their requirements and satisfies their health and wellbeing needs – so they can be the best employees possible. 

Future of Work strategist Cindy Lenferna de la Motte recommends considering how your employees are feeling:

• Anxious about whether a job exists for them in the future
• Stressed out living in a share house or overwhelmed by household debt (maybe both)
• Tense and worried about the climate crisis
• Concerned about failure/change/isolation/etc

Cindy says a workplace can act as a ‘release valve’ for employees, so consider how your workplace can alleviate the fears and anxieties your employees have, freeing them to be efficient, productive and happy at work. Some examples include:

• Supportive leadership that provides a future vision, encouraging co-creation and collaboration
• Investing in professional development
• Quiet spaces for ‘deep work’
• Flexible working arrangements 
• Coordinated Wellbeing programs including Employee Assistance programs and Financial wellbeing
• Acknowledging and addressing societal issues like the climate crisis as a company

Keeping the employee experience front of mind will ensure you build a business that is more ‘human’ and supports connection and community, one that is less brittle and more adaptable to inevitable change. 

Explore the nature of work

While it’s important to get to know your employees, it’s also crucial to genuinely understand the work that is taking place. Cindy mentions that often workplace design becomes a little too trendy – like installing ping pong tables when what’s really required is quiet space where employees can escape the hubbub of the open-plan office setting to get deep thinking tasks done. 

The nature of the work is also inextricably linked to the employee doing that work and their style of working. It is, therefore, essential to understand and consider both when designing spaces to work. For instance, some employees thrive in a loud open office environment and need the background chatter to concentrate on the task at hand, another employee, however, would find the same task impossible, the chatter disruptive and need a quiet space. Why not design space for all styles? Creating lots of different ways and areas for people to work – in collaboration or individually providing – sitting, lounging, standing or moving options – is a hallmark of smart workplace design.  

What the future of work in Australia looks like

According to the World Economic Forum, the top six skills required in 2022 will be:

1. Analytical thinking and innovation
2. Active learning and learning strategies
3. Creativity, originality and initiative
4. Technology design and programming
5. Critical thinking and analysis
6. Complex problem solving

Consider how your workplace can support this type of work. Think about both the physical space and also the technology and policy which enables this work to occur. When done well, your workplace will be an essential enabler of productivity, innovation, collaboration and community. 

Go deeper than ‘trendy’

As Cindy points out, ping pong tables, bean bags and other workplace design ‘trends’ can often be employed with good intentions, but without sound intentions. The physical design of your workplace needs to dig a little deeper, to support productivity as well as being an enticing employee value proposition and theories based on evidence which takes into consideration the actual health and wellbeing needs of your staff.

“It’s more than just offering hot-desking (or whatever the latest trend may be). It’s about tapping into the visceral nature of what your people need through intentional design,” says Cindy.

Explore more about workplace strategy, the future of work in Australia and how the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated transformation in the workplace in our ultimate handbook: A progressive leader’s guide to the future of work in Australia.

While new business models, fresh ways of working, and an increasingly tech-enabled ecosystem have shifted the workplace needs of companies, one thing remains crucial throughout the disruption: the commercial office lease.

A commercial lease is a binding agreement between landlord and tenant which sets out both parties’ obligations. The lease spells out terms and clauses for both landlord and tenant, so you, as the tenant, can better understand exactly what you’re entering into. Seeking out advice from trusted partners throughout your entire lease expiry process is smart, but when it comes to commercial office lease, advice from a tenant representative or legal advisor can help to ensure your lease agreement is favourable and fair.

What’s in a commercial lease agreement?

All commercial leases include what is known as ‘essential terms‘. As the name suggests, these terms are essential to the contract and without them, it may not exist at all. Essential terms are things like payment of rent, names of the parties involved and a description of the premises to be leased.

Outside of the essential terms, there are a number of clauses that can be included when it comes to your office lease. In this post, we will unpack six commercial lease clauses you can’t afford to NOT know about.

1. Subletting

The option to sublease part of your property to a third party can be helpful if your company’s space requirements are likely to change over the course of your lease. For example, if your business is downsizing, subletting some of your space can support cash flow by making use of unused floor space.

The option to sublease will need to be written into your lease agreement from the outset. Know that your original lease remains in effect even when a new sublease has been signed.

2. Repairs and maintenance

Maintenance and repair obligations should both be set out in your commercial lease. Generally, as a tenant, you are responsible for the ‘rented premises’ like floors, walls and fixtures, and are therefore required to repair and maintain them during your lease.

On the landlord side, maintenance and repairs to the structural parts of the premises, building systems and common areas like lobbies or the lifts are usually included. Check your lease carefully though as sometimes these items can be inserted under the tenant’s obligations.

3. Ending the lease early

Including a ‘break clause’ allows you to terminate the commercial lease earlier than the specified term. Most break lease clauses include a notice period where you must let your landlord know of your intention to break the lease.

If your lease agreement doesn’t include a break lease clause, and you end up needing to leave your lease earlier than the anticipated term, you may be required to buy out the term of your lease, assign it to a third party or otherwise negotiate an early exit with your landlord.

4. ‘Make good’ clause

A ‘make good’ clause is a standard inclusion in many commercial leases. The make good provision is negotiable but basically requires the tenant to return the premises back to their original condition, regardless of any improvements that have been made during the lease period.

Before you sign on the dotted line, ensure the make good clause is clear for both parties and you understand your obligations at the end of your lease. You’ll need to consider this additional cost when you decide whether to move at the end of your lease.

Furthermore, complete a thorough condition report including photos and videos of the office at the start of your lease. This will help you to avoid nasty surprises at the end of your lease agreement by providing clear evidence of the original condition of the premises.

5. Rent review

The ‘rent review clause’ explains the process for increasing the rent as the term of the lease proceeds and is common in many commercial leases. The common methods of rent review include:

• ‘Fixed percentage increase review’ that specifies a fixed rent increase on designated dates during the lease term.
• CPI rent review which is directly correlated to movements in the CPI (Consumer Price Index).
• Market rent review that reassess your rent in relation to the state of the financial market.

Ensure you are aware of the type of rent review clause your lease includes and that it suits your business requirements.

6. Option clause

An ‘option clause’ gives the tenant the option to renew their lease at the end of the initial lease term. Usually, the option needs to be exercised within a certain time period (eg. six months before lease expiry), and the tenant must not have breached any terms in the contract during the lease period. An option clause isn’t mandatory, so check your lease before signing.

As you can see, a commercial lease is complex and, as a legally binding document, you want to ensure you’ve got all the bases covered. But the lease terms are just one part of the lease expiry process. To negotiate the right terms for your needs, you need to consider every aspect of the process and develop a robust workplace strategy. For more commercial lease advice and to learn more about choosing the right workplace design partner for your strategy, download our free ebook today.

Understanding Commercial Lease Terms That Matter

The Importance of a Solid Commercial Lease Agreement

A commercial lease agreement outlines the terms and conditions between a landlord and a business tenant. These commercial lease agreements aren’t just formalities they define how your workplace operates and what you're responsible for. Whether you’re entering a commercial business lease agreement for the first time or reviewing an existing one, it’s essential to understand each section fully.

Working with a consultant or legal advisor can help you evaluate commercial lease agreement terms, identify risks, and ensure the lease works in your favour. It’s one of the smartest investments you can make as a business tenant.

Make Good Clauses and End-of-Lease Conditions

One of the most commonly misunderstood terms in a commercial tenant lease agreement is the make good clause. This clause outlines how the tenant must return the property at the end of lease and it can include significant costs. A clear understanding of both commercial make good obligations and end-of-lease make good expectations is vital before signing any agreement.

A thorough condition report with photos and documentation at the beginning of your lease is a good way to protect your business from future disputes. If you're unclear about what's included in your commercial end of lease obligations, seek advice early in the process.

Reviewing and Negotiating Commercial Lease Terms

Lease terms should never be taken at face value. Whether you're signing a new lease or going through a lease review, take time to examine clauses around maintenance, break options, subletting, and rent increases. Many commercial property lease terms can be negotiated to suit your business goals.

Standard clauses like the break clause commercial lease, commercial lease maintenance clause, or option to renew often have strict notice periods or conditions attached. Know your deadlines and understand how each clause affects your ability to expand, exit, or adapt your space.

Crafting the Right Commercial Lease for Your Business

Every lease agreement business and commercial tenant signs should support long-term strategy. The best commercial lease clauses reflect your company’s priorities whether that’s flexibility, growth, or stability. Customisation of commercial lease terms and conditions ensures your workplace setup aligns with both legal requirements and operational needs.

Even the most standard commercial lease terms can include specific wording that shifts responsibilities, costs, and control. Clarifying your rights and obligations before committing helps avoid unnecessary surprises later on.

Conclusion: Your Lease Shapes Your Workplace Strategy

A commercial lease is more than just paperwork; it's the foundation of your business location. From subletting to rent reviews and making good obligations, understanding your commercial property lease advice is essential.

By taking the time to review your lease agreement commercial in detail, and getting expert guidance when needed, you put your business in the strongest position. For tailored advice on leasing, workplace planning, and office design, reach out to Axiom Workplaces.

Conclusion

A commercial lease can shape the success of your workplace strategy more than most people realise. Every clause from subletting to break options, rent reviews to make good has a long-term impact on how your business operates and grows. Understanding these terms before you sign is key to avoiding future stress, hidden costs, or operational limits.

Taking time to review your lease, ask questions, and get professional advice helps protect your business. The better you understand your lease terms, the more control you have over your future space.

Why Choose Axiom Workplaces?

At Axiom Workplaces, we do more than design offices. We support your business at every step of your leasing journey. Whether you’re negotiating a new commercial lease, reviewing your current agreement, or preparing for the end of lease, we’ll help you make smart, informed decisions.

Our team combines leasing insight with workplace design expertise to create spaces that support how your people work now and how they’ll work in the future. We’ll guide you through the process, from lease clauses to layout, ensuring your new space works for your people, your budget, and your business goals.

With Axiom, you don’t just get a fitout, you get a partner who understands the big picture.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)