Business

Hubflow to expand its operations as ‘flexi-working’ replaces traditional office model

Declan Mellan (left) and Gary McCausland, founders of Belfast-based Hubflow
Declan Mellan (left) and Gary McCausland, founders of Belfast-based Hubflow Declan Mellan (left) and Gary McCausland, founders of Belfast-based Hubflow

A ‘NEXT generation’ hybrid working facility in Belfast is to create at least 12 full and part-time jobs over the next year as lockdown restrictions ease and businesses review their working practices - and whether it makes economic sense to run a permanent office.

Hubflow, the brainchild of IT consultant Declan Mellan and leading property developer and businessman Gary McCausland, opened its doors at the end of last year and has since experienced a huge demand for its flexi-working facilities, which enable companies and individuals to hire anything from a single desk for one day to a dedicated office suite for up to eight people.

And such has been the rapid growth that the company, which operates from two premises on Belfast’s Dublin Road and Adelaide Street, is already looking to expand with more facilities planned in Belfast, London, Dublin and other locations throughout the British Isles.

Managing director Declan Mellan claims the traditional office working model is all but dead as businesses consider a much more flexible approach to help reduce overheads and increase efficiency.

“The pandemic has resulted in one of the greatest shifts in history in terms of how we go about work, and the traditional working model has been thrown out of the window as more and more businesses consider their options in terms of how, when - and even if - staff return to the office,” he said.

“Every day we read about major companies shutting their offices or reducing office space to adopt a new method of hybrid working, whether that be a combination of staff working between a central office and home, or from a remote office facility – which is where Hubflow (www.hubflow.co.uk) comes in.

“The concept of working from home (WFH) is not a new one - it's been around for decades - and our idea for Hubflow was spawned long before anyone had ever heard of Covid.

“We simply wanted to create an inspiring and collaborative working environment that gave entrepreneurs, freelancers and SME's access to business grade facilities without the overheads generally associated with running a permanent office.

“What Covid has done though is catapult the WFH model five or ten years into the future, which has seen demand for our services grow way beyond our initial hopes and targets,” he added.

Hubflow offers a flexible and collaborative co-working environment to companies and individuals, who can book a range of flexible desk and office packages, all in comfortable modern surroundings with superfast Wi-Fi, full business support and access to key office facilities with complimentary tea, coffee and filtered water.

Prices start at just £5.50 a day, with fully equipped meeting rooms also available, and virtual office solutions which include a registered business address, call handling and messaging, mail collection and forwarding services.

Chief executive Gary McCausland said that, despite its launch being delayed due to Covid-19, the company has experienced rapid growth and hopes to confirm new hubs in London and Dublin soon.

“Covid may have prevented us launching this time last year as planned, but that gave us time to put in place policies and procedures to enable us to operate a safe working environment, with a socially distanced desk policy, hand sanitisers, air purification systems, temperature checks at the door, and regular deep cleaning with fogging to ensure the facility is fully sanitised.

“And despite the delay, we’re off to a flying start with two Belfast locations now providing flexible and permanent desk and office solutions to over 50 businesses that now use Hubflow on a day-to-day basis.”