Professionalism 
Having a space for your business to call its own can be a great opportunity to improve the professionalism of your business. Offering members of staff the opportunity to feel more integrated into the team, in a positive working environment, as well as providing you with a place to hold meetings with clients. Hope Park’s on site meeting rooms, breakout area and café provide the perfect space for doing this – with a welcoming, clean environment and all the facilities you could need to make the right impression.

Networking
Being a part of a workspace like Hope Park, whether it be in your own serviced office or one of our co-working spaces, gives you the opportunity to make connections with businesses in a similar situation to yourselves. The new contacts that you meet in these environments can be great for helping your business progress and to give a sense of community.

Growth 
Bradford already has a big economy, the eighth biggest in the country and third largest in the Yorkshire region behind Leeds and Sheffield. Despite this, Bradford is still a city that is flourishing quickly, with GVA increasing by 3.7% between 2014 and 2015, outpacing national growth of 2.6% and Leeds City Region growth of 3.4%. By making the move to Bradford now, your business could reap the benefit of what this growth brings to our city.

Like-minded People
Bradford District is already home to 17,620 businesses employing almost 200,000 people. Bradford is also clearly a hub for entrepreneurs, with nearly 35,000 people being self-employed. This brings more of a chance to work with a wider variety of companies and people. Bradford is also home to the headquarters of a number of major companies, such as Morrison’s, Yorkshire Building Society and Hallmark Cards, including two FTSE 100 companies.

Location
Hope Park Workspaces is in a prime location within Bradford, at the tip of the M606 motorway. This allows easy access to Bradford city centre, with all the amenities you need to thrive. For those who need to travel further, being situated just off the M606 allows you to easily reach nearby cities Leeds, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Halifax and Manchester, making travelling to meetings, conferences or events less hassle and traffic.

If you’re looking to move into office space within Bradford, contact Hope Park for a professional, flexible and accommodating range of workspaces to choose from, sure to suit your business. Alternatively, take a look at our office spaces here or get in touch to find out more.

 

 

All data taken from Bradford Council website and correct at time of writing.

As the UK falls back into its second national lockdown in just under a year, most of us are wondering how our daily lives will change when it comes to our jobs. After many of us have converted our living rooms, kitchen tables and the lucky ones with spare rooms into part-time offices, many businesses are wondering – how will our office space evolve when the pandemic is over? Many companies are realising that whilst some prefer the workspace environment, many are happy in the comfort of their own home with a more flexible working lifestyle.

Due to the favourable working from home dynamic, our new satellite office service has proven popular with those who are changing their office strategy due to COVID-19. Having a satellite office can bring two or three locations together by having a central, satellite hub at the middle of all office locations. Employees can dip in and out of the office environment when required – attending meetings, workplace gatherings or simply to have a change of scenery. This gives you the advantage of having the office workplace without the need for several locations. You can read more about the advantages of satellite offices and what we offer as a service.

Here at Hope Park Workspaces, we have implemented various safety precautions to protect both our staff, tenants and visitors from COVID-19. We’ve set up clear Perspex screens around the reception and seating area. Two-metre distance stickers on the floor around reception and the café area, plus Perspex screens protecting the café service section. We have also set up hand sanitizer stations around the building including the main entrance and exit doors to the building. Our cleaning team operates each morning and evening, servicing around the building and antibacterial cleaning hotspot surfaces such as door handles, security door buttons and Perspex screens.

As the COVID-19 pandemic is still a very current issue for all workspaces, we will continue to do our very best to keep all staff, tenants and visitors safe on our premises, as this issue develops.

Whilst we don’t know when the pandemic will be over, what we do know is that the workplace will most definitely be different – with companies both expanding and downsizing their office premises, it’s set to be an interesting year for business.

If you would like to find out more about our serviced offices in Bradford or learn more about how we are adapting our offices for COVID-19, please get in touch with us today.

1. Hope Park Workspaces Bradford

Top Features…

 

Ideal for…

  • Freelancers
  • Startups
  • Small, Medium & Large companies

 

Whether you’re a freelancer, a growing startup or a global corporate, Hope Park Workspaces has a solution that will suit you.

With both buildings located just off the M606, Hope Park is positioned perfectly. Just a stone’s throw away from Bradford’s city centre and provides easy motorway access to the surrounding cities of Leeds, Huddersfield, Halifax and Manchester.

Hope Park Workspaces was built with modern design, integrity and quality in mind. With fresh and vibrant appearances, futuristic breakout spaces and the ever-popular onsite Cafe, Sugar Snap Kitchen; the Bradford business park can really portray the professionalism of your company. Hope Park also works in partnership with Cedar Court Health Clubs to offer heavily discounted use of their Gym, Pool and leisure facilities to all companies and their staff residing in Hope Park Workspaces.

On top of this, Hope Park is a social enterprise. ALL of their profit is reinvested into their partner charity TLG, ‘Transforming Lives for Good’, which helps to give hope and a future to struggling children across the UK. By choosing to locate your office at Hope Park, you can help to transform lives too!

Find out more about Hope Park Workspaces.

 

2. Bradford Chamber of Commerce

Top Features…

  • Multiple locations to choose from
  • Superfast broadband
  • Listed heritage locations
  • Affordable pricing structure
  • Fully serviced offices
  • Workshop integration 
  • Meeting & board rooms
  • Skyline terrace views (at select locations)

 

Ideal for…

  • Small, Medium & Large companies
  • Start-ups
  • Freelancers

 

Created over 150 years ago, the Bradford Chamber of Commerce was founded with intention to support business in the Bradford district with funding, mentoring and networking.

Bradford Chamber of Commerce aims to provide a range of office spaces for businesses of all sizes. Their locations consist of Commerce Court, Chamber Business Park, City Hub, and Chamber Hub. Each location has a range of amenities from meeting to lounge rooms, hot desks, to workshops. Choose from listed buildings in Little Germany or brand new modern workspaces at Commerce Court.

Find out more about Bradford Chamber of Commerce.

 

3. Assembly Bradford

Top Features…

  • Super fast wifi
  • HD projector
  • Meeting room
  • Kitchen room
  • Modern open design
  • Affordable membership plans
  • Assembly hall available for business events
  • Beautiful listed building

 

Ideal for…

  • Freelancers
  • Startups 
  • Small businesses
  • Team sizes of 2 – 8 people

 

Situated in the heart of Bradford, you will be surrounded by local culture and beautiful architecture that Bradford has to offer. Assembly Bradford is located amongst the thriving bar & restaurant area so you’re never too far from a delicious work lunch or after dinner social.

Assembly Bradford offers a great working atmosphere amongst creative and like minded people. This place is the perfect location for startup companies or those who are beginning to grow their business and want to take the next step.

Find out more about Assembly Bradford.

 

4. Hub 26

Top Features…

  • Luxury office spaces
  • Virtual & day rate offices
  • Onsite Gym & Yoga Studio
  • Hot desking
  • Modern meeting rooms
  • Lounge with gourmet kitchen

 

Ideal for…

  • Small and Medium businesses
  • Freelancers

 

Based just off the M62 in Cleckheaton, Hub 26 offers a vibrant, luxury style office space for businesses looking to take their company to the next level. Situated in between Leeds, Bradford and Manchester, Hub 26 offers easy access to surrounding cities with both flexibility and accessibility for its clients.

Aiming to create a positive work-life balance, with modern offices, vibrant lounging areas and state of the art gym, Hub 26 has the all round package for your business. Hub 26 offers meeting rooms and lounge facilities which are available to anyone. They also offer both temporary or permanent contract with Hub 26 meaning you can have the best of both worlds.

Find out more about Hub 26.

 

5. Wizu Workspace

Top Features…

  • Superfast internet
  • 24/7 Office access
  • 1 – 20 People sized offices
  • Meeting rooms
  • Onsite parking
  • Stocked kitchens
  • Storage availability 
  • Virtual offices

 

Ideal for…

  • Small, Medium and Large businesses.
  • Startups
  • Freelancers

 

Wizu Workspace offers a fully managed office environment with a fresh and modern atmosphere suitable for small businesses, startups, freelancers and entrepreneurs. Situated in Clayton village, you’ll be surrounded by restaurants, cafes and other amenities nearby.

As a natural office space theme, Wizu has kept the original feel of the building architecture after going through an intensive office refurbishment; with exposed brickwork and original mill beams tied into the office design.

Wizu has many offices located around Yorkshire, including Leeds, Sheffield and Bradford, offering professional workspaces that won’t break the bank.

Find out more about Wizu Workspace.

 

And those are our top 5 workspaces! If you’re interested in getting your first office or want to expand from your current workplace, get in touch with our friendly team at Hope Park Workplace and let’s take your business to the next level.

New measures we have put in place:

  • Social distancing will apply throughout our business centres. Clearly marked on all main entrances and common area walk ways.
  • Clear signage across our sites have been installed to ensure all visitors and tenants follow 2m social distancing rules.
  • As per Government advice a full risk assessment has been carried out and is available. Please ask one of our Workspace Coordinators if you wish to see a copy of this.
  • All communal areas and touchpoints are cleaned using hospital grade cleaning products throughout the day.
  • Non touch hand sanitisers available at Main Reception, protective Perspex screens have been installed at main reception to ensure the safety of our employees and to ensure the 2m distance is maintained.

 

Current Situation

  • Both of our buildings are now open for business.
  • Virtual viewings and viewings in person are available across all locations and following the social distancing measures at all times

 

We thank you for your full cooperation during these unprecedented times and trust that you will work with us to help keep everyone safe and secure. The Government guidelines must be followed and we ask that you to read these if you haven’t already. Working Safely in Offices.

Regular weekly updates will be provided or if anything changes within each week.

Thank you all for your support.
Michelle, Managing Director.

Can you tell me about Cloud2?

Cloud2 is a Bradford based company, we create industry solutions that solve real business problems.

As a leading Microsoft Gold partner in the UK, we look to create solutions that are unique to Cloud2 with intellectual property in 4 key areas: collaboration and compliance, process automation, intelligent insights and guided decision making.

As an example of intelligent insights, in healthcare we helped Rotherham Hospital significantly reducing waiting times for patient appointments by 65% within 6 months.

For companies, we help automate traditional processes and see how their business is performing in real time from any location.

Our expertise includes technologies such as Microsoft Teams, Power Apps, Flow, robotic process automation, Power BI, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

What challenges were you facing that made you decide to choose Hope Park Workspaces?

When we started Cloud2 11 years ago, the Microsoft technologies we worked with changed every 3-4 years, nowadays they change every month, and are almost entirely built in the cloud. So we wanted a working environment for our team that was modern and forward looking, with good internet infrastructure and the ability to adapt to our needs and to support the rapid pace of change and growth we’re seeing at Cloud2.

Location – love the fact it’s right off the M606 motorway, didn’t really realise how easy it would be for everyone in the company and visitors to get to and from.

How did you hear about Hope Park?

Word of mouth, from another company, Z1 Telecom that were already a tenant and kept saying how lovely it was here.

What has been your overall experience like with us?

It’s been great so far, we love the ethos of Hope Park. Since they are owned by a charity, it aligns well with Cloud2’s values, particularly the one where we look to contribute something back to the community.

We enjoy using the full size sports hall in the building where we play table tennis and badminton at lunchtimes.  The support we get from the Hope Park admin and management team has been really good, they do request and take feedback on board and in the time we’ve been here we’ve seen an ongoing programme of investment. We do feel more of a partner than a tenant and so many of our visitors comment positively on the site. Finally, there is superb food from breakfasts to lunch and great coffee available onsite at The Sugar Snap Kitchen so we don’t go hungry or thirsty!

What’s next for your company?

Our team has grown by over 50% since we moved in just over a year ago. We have ambitious growth plans and are looking to continue to grow within the Hope Park facilities and to proactively support the Northern Powerhouse Partnership. We’re excited to be in the middle of delivering a number of groundbreaking projects and look forward to sharing these in a future update.

For more information about Cloud2, visit their website www.cloud2.co.uk

Flexible working spaces are set to grow by up to 30% annually for the next five years across Europe, according to property giants Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL). Typically, flexible workspace operators tend to operate by offering shorter term licences as opposed to the traditional office take up strategy of longer term leasing. As a business developer for Hope Park Workspaces which offers both types of commitment, I’m often asked what the difference is. Each business’s requirements and needs are different so it’s important to know the Pros and Cons of both. 

 

What is a licence?

A licence is an easy to understand legal binding contract which gives the customer permission to occupy on easy in easy out terms and does not require a solicitor. A Licence is typically used for shorter term periods from rolling monthly agreements up to 2 years. A licence can be drafted and completed quickly resulting in a quick move in to your new premises. These are predominantly used for serviced office spaces whereby the monthly cost is inclusive of most features needed for a business to operate in an office environment i.e Internet, Furniture, all utility and maintenance bills etc. This makes the monthly cost easier to account for.

 

Pros

Licences tend to be much shorter agreements including shorter notice periods, this gives your business the opportunity to scale up and down to a larger or smaller office in the building and poses less risk of long term financial commitment.

Extremely short move in periods which mean on some occasions, you can move into your office the same day that the licence is signed.

Tend to include everything you need in one monthly cost which reduces variable costs and makes budgeting easier.

Cons

Doesn’t give exclusive possession to tenant meaning less freedom to make your space your own

No long term commitment to space which gives less security for your business.

Landlord can serve notice

What is a Lease?

A lease permits exclusive use, solely to the tenant, for a set period of time. The tenant assumes control over the property during that time. Usually, a lease tends to be a medium to long term commitment and are more difficult to terminate unless break clauses are agreed.

Pros

Prices are considerably lower although the price excludes all the extras that come as part of a serviced office package.

With exclusive occupation of the space, there is more freedom to brand the space and make it your own.

Longer term agreement mean more security for the tenant

 

Cons

Can be a long and intricate process. Involving ironing out details on  fit-out costs, dilapidations, service charges, other inclusives, break clauses and in some cases , agents fees

Can be long time to move in date

Whilst price is initially cheaper, when service charges, fitout costs, cleaning and maintenance as well as spending the time managing said charges. Prices can potentially be higher in total including the hassle of maintaining this in house.

 

What does Hope Park Offer?

Hope Park offers businesses completely bespoke workspaces. whether you require a private 1 person office or a whole floor we have a solution offering both licences and leases depending on the requirements of your company.

Get in touch to find out how we can support your business.

With the increasing availability of flexible serviced offices in the market, choosing the right space can become complicated and confusing when in reality, it should be an exciting process. Here are some questions that you should always ask your potential new office provider to help you get a better understanding of the value that they’re offering and to show them you know what you are talking about.

1. How many square feet are allocated to each desk space?

You may have heard office providers mention that their serviced office spaces are only X? amount per desk. Using a price per desk rate is now the most common way to advertise rented office spaces, and is a simpler way to work out how much you will pay for your space. However, It’s up to the office space provider to decide how many square feet (sqft) they allocate per desk meaning you could be comparing a selection of very similar  12 desk offices at the same price per desk, yet the actual size of the office can be completely different. Here is an example of how 2 different office space providers might vary;

Office space provider 1

Advertised desk rate: £200 per desk

Advertised office size: 12 desk office

sqft allocated per desk: 25 sqft

Actual office size: 300 sqft

Office space provider 2

Advertised desk rate: £200 per desk

Advertised office size: 12 desk office

sqft allocated per desk: 50 sqft

Actual office size: 600 sqft

As you can see from the breakdown, whilst they both advertise a 12 desk space, one office is half the size of the other. As a guide, anything below 40 sqft per desk would start to become quite tight and uncomfortable. 50 sqft per space is a healthy amount per desk to go by although the provider should be listening to your requirements which may differ from their default office set-up. To save time, always ask for the total sqft and the floor plan of the office so you can make direct comparisons.

2. What’s included in the monthly price?

This may seem like an obvious question, but that’s down to it being the most important one. For any business, variable costs pose a risk to their growth and make budgeting difficult. Make sure to get a full breakdown of what is included and whether the inclusive monthly price is fixed. If there are any variables, be sure to find out the exact costs. Certain items could or could not be included for a variety of reasons. This choice is down to the office provider. Ask whether the following are included for a full picture;

  • Internet
  • Furniture
  • Service charges
  • Parking
  • Heating/air conditioning
  • Cleaning
  • Kitchen facilities (tea, coffee, sugar etc)
  • Meeting rooms
  • Maintenance
  • Telephony
  • Business rates
  • 24-hour access
  • Security
  • Building insurance
  • Contents insurance

Some of the above won’t always be expected to be included in the monthly price (contents insurance, business rates, meeting rooms) but the provider should always be open to sharing and give a full breakdown so that you can evaluate and make an accurately calculated decision.

3. What are the benefits to my employees?

Any forward-thinking business will know that its most valuable asset is its employees. This means that they will want their team to enjoy where they work as well as have a workspace that will attract new talent. Always ask what’s in it for your team. Is there a gym on-site or nearby where tenants get preferable rates? Parking? Cafes and coffee shops? Breakout areas? Does the workspace put on events that would be beneficial for investment in your employees? Your business should have a home which your team love.

4. What’s the deal with termination?

I’ve heard horror stories of clauses that have forced businesses into additional 12 months, so make sure you ask this question and read the small print before you sign. It goes without saying but what is said to you in person should be honoured in the lease or licence. A fair agreement would be a month or two written notice before the end of the agreement which means the client can leave on their expiry date. Watch out for terms that state you can only hand in the notice after the agreement making which would make what was agreed as a 12-month agreement, in reality, a 13 or 14-month agreement. In the case of a flexible rolling monthly agreement or long term lease, double-check how many months’ notice you have to give, typically you should only have to give a month’s notice.

5. What’s your parking ratio?

This question isn’t applicable to all workspaces, just those that have onsite parking. The office provider should be able to tell you how many spaces you will get with your chosen office, although this depends on how they manage their parking system. Some prefer to open parking on a first come first serve basis, however this only benefits the tenants that start work earlier than others. In terms of assigning a number of parking spaces per office. This means that you always are guaranteed your assigned parking spaces. All providers will have a parking ratio which is calculated by the maximum amount of people against the number of available parking spaces. For most outskirts and out of town locations anything above 3:1 is a healthy amount of parking (2 people per 1 space). this may not sound healthy but due to most companies not having all their employees in at one time, you’ll tend to find that this should allow for parking to be available for you and your staff.

Can you tell me about Singularitee? 

We are a fully outsourced IT department, working with small to medium size businesses to look after their IT. Our IT services focus on ensuring your infrastructure performs to its optimal capability. Our role is to make sure that your IT goes unnoticed; securing, monitoring, identifying trends, predicting failure and intervening at the appropriate time with automated remediation, changes, update and maintenance. We are all about delivering a  great service to our clients and create partnerships with them that go beyond just IT.

What challenges were you facing that made you decide choose Hope Park Workspaces?

We had grown to the stage where an office was required to carry out our daily operation. Our team was growing and we also wanted to create a space where our clients could pop in and visit us. Hope Park ticked all the right boxes.

How did you hear about Hope Park?

We got to know Hope Park through a networking event that we attended. When we decided it was time to get our first office, the Hope Park team were happy to show us around the centre and explained everything that was included in a fixed monthly price.

What has been your overall experience like with us?

It has been great and we have made ourselves at home in the office. The staff at Hope Park are very friendly and helpful, nothing is too much trouble. We have got to know other tenants in the building too which is a bonus. Having free parking on site is a huge benefit for both our staff and visitors.

What’s next for your company? 

We are looking to grow our client base and our team. We are keen to build our network in Bradford and support more local businesses.

Fore more information about Singularitee, visit their website www.singularitee.co.uk

Can you tell me about Raise Digital?

We are a software development company who specialise in the creation of mobile applications and web-based systems.

We use the latest technologies to provide bespoke digital solutions to real-world problems. This could be to automate and streamline processes, improve efficiency and aid communication.

Our speciality is integrating different systems together to allow processes to run smoothly. Sometimes the smallest interlinking solution is all that’s needed to unlock massive potential.

All our work is carried out in-house at Hope Park @ Rooley Lane.

What challenges were you facing that made you decide choose Hope Park Workspaces?

The company’s client-base has grown considerably in recent times meaning we needed some office space where we could grow. As we were already based on the edge of Bradford it made sense to find somewhere in the local vicinity. Hope Park has proven to be the perfect location as its close to the motorway allowing easy access to our clients who cover the whole West Yorkshire area.

How did you hear about Hope Park?

I was introduced to Hope Park through networking. However I was already aware of Hope Park’s existence having done some work with tenants of Hope Park @ City Gateway and even completed a project for TLG, the charity which they support in 2015. A few months after our meeting it became apparent we would need some serviced office space so I got back in touch to arrange a viewing.

What has been your overall experience like with us?

Hope Park is an excellent place to house and grow our business. Being able to take a fully furnished office for a simple monthly fee makes it so much easier. The facilities are excellent with so much included (tea, coffee, cleaning etc) and that makes a massive difference for a small business trying to grow. The community within Hope Park also helps greatly. All the tenants get on well so there’s always someone to chat to.

What’s next for your company?

We’re just in the process of growing our team to help provide a better service for our clients. Hopefully over the next 18 – 24 months we’ll be able to grow into a bigger space in the building.

 

Turning your office into a place employees love

If you’re in the position of making sure your office meets the needs of the people who work in it every day, you’re responsible for creating an office space that people want to go and work in.

What does it take to turn an office into a space that people love to go and work in? It turns out, not that much. Here are just a few tips for turning your office into a better and more productive environment for employees.

Get the temperature right
If you want to ensure that your employees are happy in the workplace, there are lots of conditions that you need to consider; one or two changes isn’t going to revolutionise your office and turn it into the perfect workplace.
One of your biggest concerns for your office should be the temperature. It doesn’t seem too important immediately, but the temperature of the office can become a big problem over time.

If your office is too warm, it’s going to be uncomfortable for employees who work there. In fact, it’s going to end up distracting them from the task at hand as they try to cool down the office to make it more comfortable. Essentially, this means that productivity is impacted if the office temperature doesn’t meet the needs of everyone. On the other hand, if the office is too cold individuals aren’t going to be able to work effectively. Again, this is going to mean that productivity will take a hit. You can avoid these problems by making sure that your office is the right temperature.

Provide employees with everything they need
To complete tasks effectively and productively, employees need to have everything available to them that they need to complete those tasks. Otherwise, the tasks will not be completed; or they won’t be completed quickly, anyway.

If you want your employees to be completing all the tasks that you set them in a timely manner, you need to make sure that all they could possibly need for their tasks is provided. This includes things such as the information, but also the technology or tools that they need.

Comfy furniture
If you’re going to be sat at a desk every single day all day, it’s important to make sure that you’re sat comfortably. If you and your employees aren’t comfortable when working in the office, it’s going to cause major productivity problems that you might not be able to recover from.

There’s nothing worse than knowing you’re going to be uncomfortable when you go to work. Considering you’re going to be there for hours on end, sat at a desk, you need to be comfortable to be at your best, especially when you have lots of tasks that need to be completed. Comfy furniture, particularly chairs, can help with this; if you’re comfortably sat, that’s the first key to making sure that you can have a productive day at your desk.

Although these are just a few things that you can change around your office, everything that we’ve discussed here can make a big difference to the productivity in your workplace. If you ensure that you get all of these components right, it’s likely that you’ll be able to increase the productivity.