Flexible office spaces are reshaping how companies manage hybrid work, according to Frank Brennan, chief executive of Republic of Work.
Designing a Space People Want to Use
Republic of Work has moved away from treating the office as a mandatory stop and instead designs it as a place employees choose to visit. The layout mixes open desks, meeting rooms, breakout zones and a packed events calendar, aiming to give staff a reason to come in.
“Hybrid working is here to stay, so we’ve stopped treating the office as somewhere people are obliged to be and started designing it as somewhere they want to be,” Brennan said. Teams use the hub as an anchor, meeting a few focused days each week while sharing the building with other ambitious firms.
The energy of a full, varied building does what an empty corporate floor never could. This atmosphere is delivered through the Staff Pass Membership, which larger organisations can use to give employees flexible access.
Enterprise Demand and Sustainability
Looking ahead to 2026, Brennan notes that enterprise demand for flexibility is the biggest shift he sees. Established and international firms are opting for satellite teams in flex spaces rather than signing long‑term leases.
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Recent members range from venture funds to global brands. At the same time, sustainability and energy performance have moved from a “nice to have” to a core requirement, and artificial intelligence is changing how small teams operate. The firm is investing in smarter building infrastructure, greener operations and an ecosystem that helps members adopt new technology quickly.
Access is fully app‑based via the ACT365 system, allowing members to come and go securely. Smart lighting, motion sensors and sub‑metering cut energy use, while EV charging stations sit at the rear of the building. The entire operation runs on a digital membership platform that streamlines room booking and team management.
Beyond the basics, the hub offers professional event and podcast facilities, a point of difference from many co‑working locations.
Growth Stories Driven by Connections
A typical success story follows a simple arc: a founder arrives with a laptop and a hot desk, and a year or two later signs for a private office with a team around them. The company has expanded its floors to keep pace with that journey, ensuring members don’t have to leave the community when they outgrow their space.
The real value, according to Brennan, isn’t the desk but the connections made inside the building. Through national programmes with NDRC, HBAN and Enterprise Ireland, and the dense talent pool on site, the organization has linked dozens of founders with co‑founders, first CTOs or initial paying customers.
These introductions can change a company’s trajectory, opening access to investors, mentors and customers that would be hard to reach when working alone from a spare room.
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Hybrid work is now standard.
While many flexible office operators focus on the physical layout, the success of Republic of Work highlights how community can be a catalyst for growth. The model resembles earlier incubator spaces, yet it scales the concept to larger enterprises that need both flexibility and a built‑in network.
Scaling and Community as a Joint Offer
Flexibility plus a compounding community makes the hub an appealing partner for businesses looking to adapt now. A company can start on a single hot desk and move up to a private suite as it expands.
The recent expansion to over 100 desks across two new floors was built for exactly that journey. “The real value is who’s in the building: founders, funders, corporates and national support agencies under one roof in the heart of Cork,” Brennan said.
By making it easy to scale both space and network simultaneously, Republic of Work aims to keep pace with the evolving needs of hybrid workforces.
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