Choosing the right workspace for the year ahead: what to look for in 2026!
A guide to choosing a workspace that works for your team!
Choosing a workspace is not just about desks or square meters. It shapes how teams show up, how leaders plan ahead, and how easily a business adapts when things change.
As businesses look towards 2026, the question has evolved. It is no longer simply “Do we need an office?” but “Is our workspace actually helping us work better?” Whether you are reviewing your current office space, exploring a coworking space, or planning your next move, the decision matters more than ever.
Some teams run on strict schedules and clear routines. Others need flexibility built into their day. Many combine both. There is no single right way to work. The challenge is not choosing one model, but choosing a workspace that can support different realities without getting in the way.
Let’s start with what’s real.
1. Start with your reality, not assumptions
Every business has its own rhythm. Even companies in the same industry can operate very differently. A workspace that feels perfect for one team can feel surprisingly uncomfortable for another.
Before committing to a workspace, take a moment to look at how your business actually operates:
fixed working hours or variable schedules
predictable routines or project-based peaks
small teams or multiple departments working together
There is no right or wrong model. The risk lies in choosing a workspace designed for one scenario and expecting people to adapt when reality shifts.
And it always does.
2. Check whether the space fits your current team and a future one
Team size alone does not tell the full story. A team of ten can sometimes be more complex to accommodate than a team of one hundred, depending on how people collaborate and work.
Growth rarely follows a straight line. Teams expand, restructure, launch new projects and pause others The question is whether a workspace can absorb these changes without forcing a complete rethink every time something evolves.
A useful test is to see whether the space can handle:
changes in headcount
new teams or departments
periods of growth, transition or consolidation
If the workspace only works at one exact size, it is likely too rigid for modern business life.
Now let’s look at how space is actually used.
3. How space is actually used, day to day
For some businesses, the office is exactly that: the office. Teams come in every day, sit at the same desks, follow clear routines and work best within a structured environment. That model works, and it works well, for many organisations.
For others, space is used a little differently. Desks may be shared, teams rotate, or the office is activated more intensely at certain moments. Not because it’s trendy, but because that’s what the work requires.
Both realities exist. Often, they exist side by side. The key point here is not which model is better, but whether the workspace itself can accommodate how a business already operates, without forcing awkward compromises or workarounds.
In other words: the space should fit the way people work, not the other way around.
Now let’s talk about where all this happens.
4. Look at location as an operational decision
Location is not just about a good address. It is about how your workspace fits into everyday life.
Travel time, accessibility, proximity to clients and ease of access all influence productivity and attendance. For some businesses, one central office space in Mauritius works perfectly. For others, access to more than one location removes friction and makes daily operations smoother.
The real question is whether your location choices:
support how teams move and work
reduce unnecessary commuting
make coming into the workspace feel easy
Which brings us to a common misunderstanding.
5. Understand the difference between needing space and needing access to space
Many teams do not need a physical workspace every day. But they do need it at the right moments.
These moments often include:
strategy and planning sessions
onboarding and training
client meetings
focused project work
Paying for permanent office space to cover occasional needs is rarely efficient. A coworking or flexible workspace model that allows teams to access space when it adds value, without carrying unnecessary costs year-round, can be a more practical approach.
One last check before you decide.
6. The final test before you choose
When evaluating a workspace, observe who has to adapt.
If people constantly adjust their behaviour to fit the space, managing logistics or working around limitations, the workspace is creating friction. Over time, that friction slows everything down.
Before committing, a quick sense-check can help:
Does this workspace support how our team works today?
Would it still work if things change?
Does it fit the way we use desks and offices?
Is the location practical for everyday operations?
Does the space adapt to us, or do we adapt to it?
When the workspace adapts quietly to the business instead, those adjustments disappear. Work flows. Focus improves. People get on with what they are there to do.
That is usually a good sign.
Where Workshop17 comes in!
Planning for 2026 is less about predicting the future and more about choosing a workspace that can adapt as your business evolves.
That’s where Workshop17 steps in. Created for teams that work in different ways, at different rhythms, and at different sizes, that need both structure and flexibility, with professional spaces that support different ways of working, at different scales, across the island.
If you’re already thinking about your workspace for the year ahead, don’t miss our Kick-Off Special for 2026, designed to help teams start the year on the right foot.
Because sometimes, the smartest move forward is simply choosing a better place to begin.