When businesses start looking for a new office, the initial brief is rarely the final one.
A search might begin with practical considerations such as desk numbers, location and budget, but priorities often evolve once businesses start exploring different spaces. Features such as phone booths, breakout areas and additional meeting space can quickly become far more important once teams begin to picture how they would actually use the workplace day to day.
James, Leasing Executive at MYO, sees that shift happen all the time. Focused on new business, he works with agents and prospective customers as they explore their options, helping them navigate a market where no two workspaces – or requirements – are quite the same.
James joined MYO just over a year ago after working agency-side in commercial property. Moving landlord-side gave him a new view of the process, and a much closer look at what really influences businesses when it comes to choosing their next office.
How workplace expectations have changed
If any MYO location has had a front-row seat to changing workplace expectations, it’s Victoria Street.
Opened in 2019 as the first MYO location, it is also the only workspace in the portfolio that predates the pandemic. That gives it a unique perspective on how significantly office requirements have shifted. Today, businesses are asking for far more amenity, breakout space and room to collaborate – reflecting a move towards workplaces that need to support much more than simply sitting at a desk.
MYO Victoria Street has evolved alongside those expectations. We’ve introduced more phone booths, redesigned communal areas around how members use the space and developed offices with more built-in amenities, including kitchens, meeting rooms and breakout areas.
The office now has to work harder throughout the day. Focused work, meetings, calls, collaboration and time away from the desk all need their place, and businesses are paying much closer attention to how easily a workspace can move between them.
The wider Victoria market has evolved too. With continued investment in the area and more competition for businesses looking for flexible office space, expectations are higher than they were in 2019. That continued investment in MYO Victoria Street helps ensure the space keeps pace with what businesses want today.
James sums up the result in three words: premium, connected and relaxed.
When priorities start to shift
One office search can come with a lot of opinions.
As more people join the conversation, the requirement often starts to take on a life of its own. Finance might be keeping a close eye on budget, leadership on the bigger picture, while the people who’ll actually use the space every day are thinking about privacy, meetings, calls and where the team will come together.
The challenge is finding the point where all of those priorities meet. And sometimes, that means the original plan changes – from the space itself to what the business is willing to invest in.
That’s where a viewing can really help bring the decision into focus. Seeing a workspace in action can quickly turn an abstract list of requirements into a much clearer picture of what will actually work for the team.
At MYO, that conversation doesn’t stop at choosing the space. Our dedicated project and design team can help shape a private office around the way a business wants to work, creating a setup that reflects those priorities and feels right for the team.
Looking beyond the price tag
Price matters. But when businesses start comparing flexible workspace, the cheapest option isn’t always the one that offers the most value.
For James, cost is one of the most common conversations during the leasing process – but it rarely stays there. Businesses quickly start asking bigger questions: how is the building managed? What support is there day to day? What happens if the team grows – or needs less space?
Then there’s everything beyond the office door. Gyms, wellness facilities, roof terraces, cafés, breakout spaces and on-site service can all shape the working day, and the offer can vary significantly from one flexible workspace to another.
At MYO, the aim is to bring those elements together: the privacy of a business’s own office, the benefits of shared spaces and amenities, and an on-site team that can feel like an extension of their own. Because choosing workspace is about finding the right balance between cost, experience and what the team actually needs.
From 12 months to something much longer
A flexible commitment doesn’t always lead to a short stay.
At MYO Victoria Street, James sees plenty of businesses arrive with a 12-month agreement in mind, only to stay for years. Once teams settle in, get to know the building and build relationships with the people around them, the idea of “temporary” can quickly disappear.
“A lot of our customers initially sign for 12 months but then renew for many years as they trust us, the product, the building and the wider team behind MYO.”
That trust is a big part of what keeps businesses there. Flexibility might be what gets them through the door, but over time it’s the quality of the space, the service and the wider experience that gives them a reason to stay.
And as a business grows, that flexibility can extend beyond MYO too. Being part of the wider Landsec portfolio creates the opportunity to move from a private office to a larger floor – or even a whole building – as requirements evolve.
For many MYO members, that means flexible workspace can still feel settled, familiar and very much like home.
Why new business never gets boring
For James, the best part of new business is the unpredictability.
Different companies come through the door with different priorities, different ways of working and very different ideas about what their next office should look like. That variety keeps the role fast-moving – and means there’s always something new to figure out.
The real satisfaction comes from seeing that journey come together – from the first conversation to the point where a business feels confident it has found the right place.
With MYO continuing to grow, James is looking forward to plenty more of those moments.
