EAST AFRICAN firms are being forced to rethink how to absorb huge costs arising from the adoption of flexible working hours, a trend that has left more desks unused in an era of expanding office space.

A new survey by Regus, the global property manager, shows 61 per cent of companies in East Africa reported that their productivity has increased as a result of flexible working practices, and 51 per cent link increasing revenues directly to flexi-working.

EAC countries are increasingly adopting flexible working hours, nearing the global average of 68 per cent.

This includes employees shifting their regimen outside the traditional 9AM-5PM, depending on the workload.

Increased Internet connectivity and the growth of smartphones as well as tablet computers have enabled more employees to access office mail from home, according to the Regus survey titled Flexibility Drives Productivity — a global survey that included 203 companies in East Africa.

But as companies adopt flexible hours, they are finding more of their office space underutilised, which means they have to cut back on how much of it they rent, or adopt creative ways of using it.

About half of the 16,000 companies in the Regus global survey said on average, about 55 per cent or even more of the desks are unused in any office at any one point, which combined with workers’ demands for more flexible work arrangements, suggests a more intelligent use of desk space is urgently required.

Property experts, however, say the concept of “hot desking” — where anyone who can log in and use a computer at any workstation on a first come, first serve basis or based on the office schedule — has not caught on in Kenya because office space is still fairly affordable and the traffic manageable.

“While traffic is becoming more congested, the concept is not popular in Nairobi, but I see it catching on soon,” said Gikonyo Gitonga, managing director of CBRE Kenya. “Also, office space here is not as expensive as it is in developed markets.”

In London, for example, office space goes for £55 or $86.4 per square feet per annum while the same in Kenya is £7 or $11.

Mr Gikoyo said that “hot desking” as a corporate culture would catch on as more international companies establish their presence in Nairobi, the regional hub.

Younger employees — known as Generation Y — were found to take up a job paying less but with more flexible hours that allows them to access social media sites compared with one with higher pay but less flexible hours.

Women were also at an advantage with the work environment becoming more accommodating, especially after they give birth.

“The flexible working hours will be beneficial mostly to mothers who have just given birth to accommodate family and work demands,” said the Regus report, noting that few women were able to secure full time jobs after giving birth.

The flexibility trend is catching on more in developing countries such as South Africa, Mexico and the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, China).