How Caterspot Leverages Flexible Workspaces With Deskimo

The pandemic has sobered many business professionals to the long-term advantages of remote work systems. Not only does it empower employees to build a brand of ‘work-life balance’ that best suits their personalised needs, it also reduces spare capacity and eases the heavy rental burdens faced by companies.

Caterspot is a company that has conducted its operations remotely since last year’s lockdown. We reached out to Caterspot’s co-founder, Camilo Paredes, to find out how Caterspot leverages flexible workspaces with Deskimo.

About Caterspot

“Joining us today is Camilo Paredes, Co-Founder of Caterspot. Could you give a quick introduction about your company for our readers?“

Sure, I’d be happy to share more about what we do. 

CaterSpot is an online marketplace that connects companies with great local suppliers for everything workplace. Companies can discover, book and manage workplace services – from food to pantry supplies to gifts to team activities – all in one place. 

Caterspot has earned its title as a one-stop shop for workplace services built for teams in and out of the office. 

Coping with Covid-19 disruptions

“Covid-19 has undoubtedly disrupted business operations across the world. How has CaterSpot adapted its operations to some of the challenges brought about by Covid-19?“

Covid-19 has definitely been a challenge for our team, most specifically in our food vertical, because Covid-19 intensified concerns about food safety and cleanliness across the board. 

Caterspot has always been committed to connecting our clients to reliable and reputable food supplies. That being said, the ongoing health crisis has introduced a new set of heightened safety measures that our operations have had to adapt to. In light of this, we invested more time and resources into reassuring our customers of our upgraded Covid-19 safety measures. 

For example, our list of verified caterers are required to meet the intensified food safety requirements most corporates require. This includes temperature screenings and health declarations for kitchen employees, intensified cleaning regimes and basic PPE gear for food handlers, delivery personnel and frontline workers. 

Flexible workspaces and downsizing solutions

“How have flexible workspaces fitted into your operations during this pandemic era?” 

Deskimo’s pay-as-you-go model in particular has enhanced our operational scalability. It’s eased our decision to temporarily move away from long-term leases, which were a significant fixed cost for us during this recession.

Instead, we’ve been able to tailor our usage of professional workspaces according to our specific scheduling needs. This has been especially important given the turbulent and changeable global situation. 

Additionally, flexible workspaces have answered one of our biggest dilemmas brought about by the pandemic – how to operate remotely without compromising collaboration and company culture. 

I think the general impression of remote work is still relatively narrow; remote work doesn’t have to be confined to work-from-home arrangements. Flexible workspaces have allowed us to downsize our office space while retaining routine work sessions and small-scale in-person meetings. 

Building a healthy remote work policy

“Numerous businesses are moving their employees onto flexible work systems for the long-term. Having been a mostly remote company for the last 1.5 years, what is a healthy remote work policy to you?” 

At Caterspot, we emphasise work-life balance. Just as you mentioned, our operations have mainly been conducted remotely since lockdowns started last year. Based on our experience, two things should be set in every good flexible work policy – clear expectations and effective communication channels.

Employees should be made aware of regular working hours, internal approval processes, weekly meeting times and the various channels they can use to reach their coworkers. We’ve made an active effort to set clear boundaries surrounding these expectations within our team over the past 1.5 years. 

Next year as the Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, we plan to reopen our offices and bring our employees back. We do however plan to maintain a flexible culture. We anticipate our teams to work at our offices 3 days a week and for the remaining 2 days of the week, we plan to give them Deskimo credits to let them work from anywhere and have a change of environment which we feel will improve productivity. 

Top workspace pick

“Which workspace listed on Deskimo is a top pick amongst your staff?”  

We enjoy Deskimo’s diverse offerings. I particularly appreciate how accessible and well-designed the workspaces in the central area are. If we had to pick, Arcc Spaces One Marina Boulevard (OMB) would be our favourite. 

The space’s stunning view of the Marina Bay coupled with its amazing interior makes it a favoured option. Most of all, I think the warm service we’ve received during every visit is what keeps our team coming back. Of course, the free barista-brewed coffee and massage chair add a nice touch too.

Caterspot and the future of work

“What advantages do businesses like Caterspot have, when looking at the future of work?“

I think Covid-19 has increased our overall reliance on online marketplaces. While the pandemic crisis might eventually fade away, the consumer market’s heightened dependence and taste for convenience will drive the demand for online services in the long-term. 

Corporate dining has been particularly difficult given the frequent shifts in local COVID-19 safety measures. Hence, Caterspot’s efforts to refine and tailor the online food and corporate catering experience to the remote future of work has become even more pertinent. 

As a company focused on seamless transactions and fuss-free online workplace services, we need to make sure that our own internal operations are scalable too. Deskimo has helped us refine our flight towards flexibility.

Deskimo’s generous array of workspaces has provided each of our employees with the flexibility to plug in from any hotdesk in Singapore and keep our business up and running.

About Deskimo

Deskimo is the flexible work platform of choice that helps businesses navigate the new future of work. With us, you and your business can adapt to flexible work, and pay-as-you-go across dozens of spaces in Singapore, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. 

*Our workspaces are currently safe, open and ready for your return. Do adhere to local Covid-19 safety measures to keep yourself, and other workspace patrons safe.

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