I have told you all before about not being able to work at home because (and this is definitely the biggest reason) your cat deposits and spreads itself out on your entire keyboard. I have also shown you images of uber’s new San Francisco offices and how they plan on designing the interior layout – they’re going to “set up a series of small groups of workstations and shared spaces” – by following global office trends.

As is The Bureaux. And thank goodness they’re a bit closer to home. But what exactly is The Bureaux, and what makes it different?

The great man behind it, photographer Greg Beadle, enlightens us.

We’ve taken the traditional office lease concept and relaxed the rules to make it more user friendly to small businesses and start-ups, who don’t want to commit to long leases and a host of additional services costs.
Basically The Bureaux offers affordable space, from hot desks to private office suites, to businesses that are to starting out in the Cape Town market, expanding or consolidating, with easy lease terms that are flexible enough to accommodate their growth plans.

That is pure, simple genius.

The Bureaux offers one price with all services included – use of shared meeting rooms, connectivity to uncapped high speed internet, electricity, cleaning, access to kitchen facilities as well as 24/7 secure access to the workplace. They have chosen ‘City Fibre’ supplied by RSAWeb as the source of their internet supply in all buildings, ensuring high speed internet that runs above 20Mb/sec with a current maximum speed of 100Mb/sec – all for between R1 500 and R5 500 a month.

As for those global trends?

The global trend sees workplace sizes shrinking as living spaces tend to shrink and the power of corporations is rather rapidly shifting to the individual. Everything is online, everyone can work from anywhere. Shared desk spaces are sprouting up all over the world. Wework.com are building skyscrapers all over the United States and creeping into Europe. Shared office space is the future of the way we will work.

Also, Greg adds, entrepreneurs are tired of working in their pyjamas.

The company started in The Woodstock Exchange on Albert Road and have now opened up more space in Point Centre in Sea Point and City Junction, in the heart of the CBD. All spaces are at between 80-90% occupancy, so they’re clearly doing it right.