WorkfromHub is a new SME providing neighbourhood-based workspaces. Their mission is to transform how people choose to work and offer hybrid workers the opportunity to work away from the office.

The challenge:

The number of remote workers in the UK has increased gradually over the last 20 years. However, over the last few years there has been a dramatic increase in employees working remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with almost 60% of all British employees now working remotely in some way.

This has resulted in a significant shift in the way people work and where they can work from. There’s a growing trend for coworking or remote working spaces which offer an alternative to the traditional ‘work-from-home’ model. WorkfromHub wanted to explore these trends to ensure they were successfully meeting the demands of the hybrid workforce. They also needed to find a way to equip their remote working system with technologies such as live streaming, video conferencing and IoT devices while ensuring user data was secured.

The solution:

The Digital Innovation for Growth (DIfG) programme connected WorkfromHub with academic experts from our Engineering Department who reviewed the business's overall system design and architecture. They created a full report to identify high priority activities that could improve the efficiency of their hub spaces. The Engineering Department then worked with WorkfromHub to integrate the recommended technologies and enhanced their network security. The project has helped them streamline their business model, offer a positive employee experience to their users, and provide organisations the opportunity to connect with their employees in real-time.

The result:

Since the project, WorkfromHub have launched their business and set up three hubs across South Yorkshire:

• The Dearne – Swinton Rail Station
• The Sheaf – Sheffield Bus Interchange
• The Rother – Halfway Park and Ride

The support provided through DIfG has helped WorkfromHub provide accessible, remote workplaces which offer hybrid workers a high-quality space to work while ensuring sensitive information is protected.