Useful Tips to Socialize With Your Coworking Neighbors

Socializing with other coworkers is very important. It provides employees with the skills and habits necessary for participating in the corporate culture and increases motivation. Generally, socialization shapes the way employees view teamwork, work habits and the sharing of information, which are all important factors for a small business.

What makes a coworking space unique compared to other working environments is the community. As a member of this community, the ability to engage and connect with your fellow members as they come and go is a must. However, not everyone is a social butterfly who can strike up a conversation on a whim. For the rest of us, this doesn’t mean we have to retreat into our shells and lead solitary lives at the office.

Each one of us want to have an impact and influence among the community where we work. In order to achieve the attention of others or to be in the limelight, we often end up overdoing the efforts for socializing and sometimes end up landing in awkward situations.

1. Put an Effort

You don’t need to interact with everyone in a co-working space. Take it one step at a time and talk to one person first. When you are sitting by yourself quietly, people do not know what to expect from you. Making an effort shows people you are a nice person and the rest will automatically warm up to you.

2.The KISS Rule (Keep it simple, silly) 

All you can do is to greet people around you daily. A simple greeting along with a cheerful smile works wonders. When someone wants to speak to you, you can make yourself available. A simple greeting with a cheerful face. Also when someone wants to speak to you, make yourself available. Say yes from time to time when you are invited for an outing.

Also, you should participate in events like group outings and picnics where you have a great opportunity to bond with each other.

3. Remember Coworkers Names

You know that terrible feeling when you see someone you know you’ve met before, but you just can’t remember their name? What if you ever had to feel that again?

It’s always good to remember the names of your coworkers. Always try to greet them with their names, this will give a positive impact on them. If instances you didn’t remember their names, ask them politely and apologize for forgetting it. Wanting to know the names of other coworkers just mean that you value the community around you.

4. Make an Effort to Network Outside of the Office

Maintain regular and consistent contact with the people in your database.  One of the many successful communication tactics is to periodically meet with people in your network face to face.  It’s much more personal, and much more fun too.

5. Be a Good Listener

Whether in social or work environments, we don’t just want to be heard – we want to be truly listened to. Active listening can play an important role in helping you get ahead in your career and is a skill that can be acquired and developed with a little patience and practice. You should be very generous in appreciating your coworkers for their achievements and accomplishments.

6. Avoid Self-flattery

You might be doing well with your life and with everything that you do, but nobody wants to talk to a person who is obsessed with their personal achievements. Instead, understand what your fellow coworkers doing and offer them some help and advice if they need it. Ask them questions about their life and work, and most of all, make them feel important.

Socializing is about connecting with people, building and nurturing relationships, sharing information, tapping into the hidden job market, learning about career opportunities and expanding your contacts. There are so many ways to socialize to your coworking neighbors. Don’t let your personality type hinder you from knowing others well and being part of a community. Hope this article has inspired you to socialize more with other coworkers.






Mental Health of Employees Should be Part of your Workplace Strategy

What is  Employee Mental Health?

Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

What are the causes of mental ill health at work?

Mental illness is a condition that affects a person’s thinking, feeling or mood. Such conditions may affect someone’s ability to relate to others and function each day.

Many factors influence the mental health of employees. Organizational issues include poor communication and management practices, limited participation in decision-making, long or inflexible working hours and lack of team cohesion. Bullying and psychological harassment are well-known causes of work-related stress and related mental health problems.

How do mental illness impact workers?

Mental illnesses are health problems that affect the way we think about ourselves, relate to others, and interact with the people around us. It affects our thoughts, feelings, abilities and behaviors.  Depression and anxiety are the most common mental illnesses. It’s important to understand that mental illnesses are real illnesses, like other illnesses.

People who experience a mental illness may doubt their abilities or appear less confident. A person may have a hard time concentrating, learning, and making decisions. Symptoms of a mental illness may feed much bigger thoughts. For example, someone who can’t concentrate may then also think that they can’t do their job well or worry about losing their job. It’s easy to see how these changes affect work performance. People who experience a mental illness may withdraw from others, act in unexpected ways, take a lot of time off, or appear less productive than usual. This can strain relationships with supervisors and co-workers.

Here are some ways to improve the mental health of employees:

  • Offer time management to those who would benefit from it or encourage colleagues to share strategies amongst themselves, so they can all be capable of managing their time well.
  • Implement morning briefing as to make them fresh and lively every day.
  • Establish programmes for career development of employees such as on the job training and sponsorship for further studies to keep them motivated.
  • Involve employees in more of the organization’s decision-making processes such that they have a strong feeling of validation, control and participation.

Support mental health at work

Work is a major part of our lives. It is where we spend much of our time, where we get our income and often where we make our friends. Having a fulfilling job can be good for your mental health and general wellbeing.

Companies should value the mental health of their employees as a top asset and fiercely protect it. Mental well-being impacts engagement, presenteeism, absenteeism and productivity all of which impact businesses bottom lines. More importantly, supporting and protecting the mental health of your employees is the right thing to do.

A good workplace mental health

Clearly, work is an important part of all our lives, it gives us a purpose, challenge, and occupation as well as necessary income.

For many people work is about providing a roof over their heads, the means to take care of their children and family, support their hobbies and interests. While it’s important for us to do something meaningful and satisfying with our time, it is also important that we nurture and safeguard the essential relationships and personal aspects of our lives too.

A good workplace mental health is where employees feel happy, motivated and  are able to carry out their duties without undue stress and feel able to talk openly about any difficulties they encounter.

As employees, receiving reward and recognition when they perform well makes them feel acknowledged and appreciated. They are more likely to continue to perform well if their performance results has a positive outcome. This is because recognition and rewards are powerful motivators. They are associated with many of the positive emotions that we want to feel – satisfied, confident, and valuable.

Employees in unhealthy workplaces are less likely to receive supervisorial support as well as reward and recognition. It only takes one unhappy employee to negatively impact workplace culture.

Why mental health should be a part of your workplace strategy

As mentioned above, mental health is a significant issue for businesses, impacting productivity, morale and engagement. Poor mental health is a big contributor on how they are present at their work. They may be present but the way they perform their tasks are not productive at all. Managers should take steps to ensure that they aren’t isolated from the rest of the business.

Employers should be highly motivated to address mental health in the workplace, providing support for employees and building a strategy to improve mental well-being. Supporting good mental health at work is an investment in the business. It helps with staff retention, productivity and ultimately profit.

Organizations should be actively promoting positive mental health by becoming an advocate themselves. Set manageable work hours, train supervisors to lead in a successful manner, have mental health resources readily available, and promote healthy living.

Conclusion

When employees feel happy and healthy, they are able to work to the best of their ability. So take care of your staff and they will take care of you. Hope this article has given you a positive insight on how to protect the mental health of your employees.

KISI Integration

We are very pleased to announce that you can now integrate Coworkify to KISI.

What is KISI?

Offer your members a seamless access into your coworking space via their smartphones. KISI eliminates the need for key cards, key fobs, and physical keys. And it makes it easy to customize who has access to your office space.

Benefits of Integrating Coworkify and KISI:

Security

With this, space owner can now manage the entry of the members on the coworking space conveniently. When you integrate door access control in your space, you’ll have a better idea who is coming and going and when. It gives you an idea who uses your venue and at the same time, it gives you security and peace of mind.

Customized Plans

You can customize the plans or “groups” in KISI. You’re able to grant members access for certain times of a day only. For example, you can set a group of people to have access Monday through Friday from 9AM to 5PM only. If they attempt to unlock the door outside of those allowed time frames, they will be denied access. Also, you can enable control on which doors a member or group of members has access to within the coworking space.

And there’s so much more as you integrate your coworking space with KISI.

See this page on How to Integrate Coworkify to KISI: 
https://coworkify.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360016120013-Guide-on-How-to-Integrate-Coworkify-to-Kisi






How to Revive your Coworking Meeting Rooms

Team meetings are important and an essential part of building a team and achieving the team’s objectives. The meetings are an open opportunity to come together, reflect on progress and help each other.

Every great meeting has on its agenda the goal of coming to a decision about what actions people in the company should take next. One of the most stressful things to do for any business owner is planning a successful business meeting. Choosing the right facility is vital in ensuring that your meeting is a success.

Benefits of a Good Meeting Room

First benefit of a great meeting room is that it can actually help your meetings run much smoother. This is because there are no interruptions or trouble that’s due to lack of certain necessities in the meeting room. If you have a meeting room that meets all of your needs, then you don’t have to worry to get the attention of your guests. Second, it will give your guests a great first impression of you and the company. A great meeting room can help you attract customers, which will eventually lead to growth and expansion.

Ways to Revive your Coworking Meeting Rooms:

Clean the room

The meeting room is often ‘where the magic happens’ for many businesses. Whether you impress potential clients, masterminding smart strategies that will take your company further or nurture your team with inspiring training, meeting rooms can help make it all happen.

A clean, tidy meeting space is far preferable to a cluttered space. Make sure you keep these spaces free of surface clutter and take a moment to wipe down all surfaces either before or after each meeting so that it’s ready to go for the next session. A twice weekly vacuum (dependent on the amount of foot traffic) will keep the floor clean too.

A breath of fresh air is important. This means that many meeting spaces can feel stuffy and feature-poor ventilation. Stuffy, stale-smelling rooms are not conducive to creativity or productivity, which is why it’s so important to keep them feeling fresh.

Pay Attention to the little things

Little things matter a lot. Make sure you pay attention to the little things. That’s why it’s important not to overlook the little things which can make meeting rooms look less-than-lovely. From mildew on the inside of the window frames to unsightly bundles of wires and dust-besmirched TV screens. Pay attention to the little things your guests are likely to notice them. You can do minor rearrangement of the layout to freshen things up in a meeting room.

Invest on flexible table and comfortable chairs

Choose meeting tables, bench tables or desks that can be connected together, and make it possible to change the table area as required.

It’s important to understand how the room will be used and identify key requirements. For example, will people need to move the chairs around and swivel to look at a screen? If so, a requirement might be chairs on casters that can swivel. Alternatively, if the room is meant for creative work, you might want to provide alternative seating that encourages more freedom.

Update the Tech in Your Meeting Room

One of the most important elements to having a professional, modern workspace is a great conference room with  technology. Technology has made activities more efficient, sophisticated and accessible especially for remote workers. In today’s business environment; laptops, smartphones, and tablets are crucial to productivity, so it’s only logical that your meeting room equipment are advanced enough. Updating the conference room with technology is a good experience for your members to have productive meetings.

What do you need?

You should install wireless connectivity whether its Apple TV or Google Chromecast, using flat-screen TVs and streaming devices has replaced the projector in many modern workspaces. If your room can accommodate a large wall-mounted TV, and surround sound, all members will benefit from this.

Good Lighting

Since there are many events in meeting rooms from face to face interviews by presentations to large conferences, it is very important to gather attention in these areas. On the other hand, the design and the lighting of these areas reflect the company culture to guests in a different way.

Lighting is crucial to the meeting room experience. Poor lighting can suck the energy out of a room. Excessively soft lighting might result in participants dozing off. On the other hand, harsh lighting might not be conducive for reading and viewing screens. So make sure you fix the lightning that is conducive for meetings.

Sound

Sound management is often one of the most neglected pieces in meeting room design. Meeting rooms that are designed without consideration for sound often result in unwanted side effects.

If the conference room audio system is not the cause of poor audio experiences, it could be the acoustics and design of your conference room itself creating the problem. You can use something as simple as a white noise machine to give the room a sense of privacy, or hang soundproofing curtains.

Color Scheme

Choosing the right color palette for public areas such as lobbies and more specific and focused spaces such as a meeting or conference rooms requires focus on both the dedicated purpose of the area and the type of people who will be gathered there. Colors inspire different moods and emotions. Some workers might feel inspired by a palette of cool blues and greens in the room, while others might feel too relaxed to focus and others might just feel uncomfortably cold.

Take the time to choose the colors carefully since its great to make your lobby or conference room as welcoming as possible.

Conclusion

So, these are some of the ways to revive your meeting rooms. If you ask most of your staff if they like to attend meetings, you may hear some of the hesitation. Many employees dislike meetings. When you have to huddle around a laptop or dim the lights for an outdated slide presentation, you’re killing the spirit of creativity and collaboration.

All this to say, an efficient team is a more effective team, so having the most up-to-date tech in your meeting space, a good and positive aura inside, allows your staff to interact with one another.

 

 

 

5 Ways Coworking can Beat Burnout

What is Burnout?

According to business dictionary, “burn out” is a feeling of physical and emotional exhaustion, due to stress from working with people under difficult or demanding conditions. Burn out is followed by signs such as chronic fatigue, quickness to anger and suspicion, and susceptibility to colds, headaches, and fevers.

Some people find the isolation of a home office depressing. If you’ve tried working at a library or coffee shop, and still feel isolated, then it’s time to have a visit on coworking spaces. Coworking spaces are flexible offices that provide meeting, desk and kitchen space for freelancers and independents. It is an office environment where you can chat in the kitchen, network around a table, or spend private time at a desk.

In small doses stress can be helpful, but constant long-term stress is dangerous. It can lead to fatigue, headaches, high blood pressure and even digestion issues, which in turn can lead to burnout. Stress destroys our immunity, makes us overly emotional, interrupts our decision-making abilities and can create anxiety and other serious mental health problems.

Let’s take a look at few reasons on why coworking spaces are great place to work and how it can help to make your workday run smoother.

Work-Life Amenities

Many of the newer coworking spaces are beginning to offer amenities that make it easier to fit life into our work. Spaces that include showers and changing rooms, ones with daycare section, ones that cater to the needs of women and ones with gyms all offer amenities that make work less stressful, if not convenient. These perks can help reduce the stress associated with juggling a busy life.

Activities such as yoga, meditation and exercise clubs exist in many coworking spaces. Sure, you can do these things on your own, but doing it with others will ensure you’ll actually do it. Take breaks with coworkers throughout the workday to help focus the mind and decrease anxiety.

Take a nap! If you feel fatigued, take a quick nap, just 20 minutes or less, and recharge. It beats struggling through work and getting nothing done. Some people find even their peak productivity just after waking from a nap.

Community

The coworking space also presents opportunities for businesses to enjoy the community. With designated places to hang out and an events to join, your coworking space becomes a place to network and build relationships with. A sense of community goes a long way to combat emotional and physical exhaustion associated with burnout. In fact, social networking makes it easier for professionals to relax in the workspace. Being part of a community gives you a sense of belongingness, it is a place where you’ll find support and understanding from your struggles and frustrations. In addition, it’s an easy place to make connections for partnerships and collaboration. When your workspace is also a community, stress that’s normally associated with working in your typical office space is minimized.

Every space is unique, that’s why we recommend to try out few options and find the one that feels right. Most spaces offer a tour or free day, so take the chance to try it.

Events

Most coworking spaces have events on a regular basis. Some have weekly or monthly learning sessions where they bring in experts, other events can be social gatherings where you others can invite their family and friends. A change of scenery may be just what you need. Employees are happier when their families are involved. Social gatherings is conducive for  casual conversation  and a change for entrepreneurs to break from their business.

Taking a Break

It’s hard to be enthusiastic if things don’t go according to your timeline. Don’t let thing bring you down, take a step back and do some honest evaluation on why it’s happening. There will be someone in coworking space to give you an honest evaluation and remind you on why you’re doing this.

Sometimes you just need to step away from the task at hand when you’ve been at it for hours! Take a walk, go out for a quick coffee run, change working locations, anything can help. Keeping to a schedule ensures that you work when you’re the most productive, and that you rest during times that would otherwise be unproductive. Take a nice meal with no phone, then catch a movie. Treat yourself . Do what you like the most.

Work-Life Balance

Draw a healthy line between your work and home life. We all know that working from home distorts most people’s professional and personal life. Coffee shops, on the other hand, will give you the sense of being professional, but it will not give you the right balance between professional and personal life. The best place to find the balance is in the coworking space. Don’t forget it’s always better to find a place where you can sit down to work. Make it a personal rule not to check your email until you get to your shared office, and when you leave work, leave work. This way you will be able to keep a balance between your personal and professional life.

Don’t let the burnout win you. Don’t let time kill you. Instead, learn to balance your tasks well so you can be efficient at work and at the same time, enjoy the working journey you are in. Coworking can help you beat burnout. If you haven’t tried coworking yet, it’s time to try it now! 




 

 

8 Things to Consider Before Joining a Coworking Space

A coworking space is a shared workspace where multiple businesses, entrepreneurs and remote workers use as their office together. They work and share office amenities and supplies, although they belong to different organizations.

Nowadays, more and more people have moved from working in a corporate office to a coworking space. Why is this happening?

Benefit of joining a Coworking Space

When you’re a member of a coworking space, you can decide how you want to work. Many coworking spaces have a variety of rooms, ranging from individual desks, private conference rooms, and more collaborative open areas with shared tables.

You’ll have the chance to form strong relationships with your cohorts that could lead to new clients, or even potential employees and business partners.

Coworking spaces also allows you to save money. Everyone likes saving money right? Rather than renting an expensive office, coworking monthly memberships enables you to save money on overhead costs such as utility bills or service providers. One of the greatest benefits is that you’ll have access to a community of like-minded entrepreneurs and professionals. In joining a coworking space, people have different preferences on what they like and even the type of community they want to join in.

Listed below are the major things that you might want to consider before joining a space.

Type of space

How do you find a coworking place that suits your needs? Finding what fits you, your team, your personality, and your budget is a great first step. Depending on your particular need; if you’re a freelancer, a small startup or a large company will determine what is the best choice to meet your monthly budget and workspace needs.

Private Office: A private office may be more suited to teams ranging from 2 to 20 people who are looking for a secured and fully enclosed space to push productivity and business-related works.

Hot Desk: It can be a daily pass, weekly pass, part-time or full-time monthly membership. You’ll get a seat in one of the common areas of the coworking space.

Dedicated Desk: Full-time dedicated desks offer people a bit more privacy as well as a lockable filing cabinet below it, to keep some of the belongings safe overnight.

Location

The location of your desired coworking space is one of the first factors to take into account. You need to choose a location that fits to your existing team and consider also that it will be an an attractive option for people you might want to hire in the future. It’s also important to consider the needs of your clients. Ideally, the location should be easy for visiting clients to locate, and in a desirable spot. Remember, you want the location of your office to leave a positive impression on your clients.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

  • How’s the commute from home?
  • What are the perks and conveniences of the surrounding area? Such as lunch spots, gyms, and bars.
  • Does space accommodate parking?

Budget

Sticking to a budget is always important in business. One of the most obvious things to consider when deciding what space fits your needs is the price. The cost of joining a coworking space differs according to various factors. You’ll need to research well to ensure you are getting the best value out of your membership. Make sure to inquire about all the hidden costs before making a final decision. Consider what your priorities are.

Amenities

It’s important that space provides you with the facilities and amenities you require to maximize your productivity. At the time of assessing the cost, it’s important to scrutinize what all amenities are included in your coworking membership and whether these amenities allow you to save in other areas.

So you need a desk, but that’s not all. How good is the Internet connection at the coworking space you’re considering? Here are few essential amenities that you should consider:

  • Free and Convenient Parking:  Providing free and convenient parking will save coworkers’ time, energy and frustration. It makes them easier to get to their workspace and become productive.
  • 24/7 Building Access: Your coworkers can simply use their smartphone to gain secure entry to keep them and your coworking facility safe.

  • Fully-Equipped Bookable Conference Rooms: Provide several conference rooms of varying sizes that feature Apple TV, HDMI cables, a whiteboard wall, a traditional projector, and a viewing screen that will boost their productivity.

  • Phone Booths: Everyone needs to make phone calls, so you might want to consider a private space for this area.

  • Kitchen and Lounge Areas: Coworkers need to fuel their body to boost their productivity. Such as an area that is for relaxing, where people can eat, work and chat in comfort.

  • Power back up: Providing  power back up of is most essential, as to  avoid any future risk.

Before making a final decision, be mindful of the services that you will use and the money you will end up spending.

Flexibility

One thing to consider is if the coworking space will be able to accommodate your space expansion in the future. Also, if there are available facilities that can be used beyond normal hours of working. Such flexibility must be looked into since there are times that situations are unpredictable.

Community

Finding a coworking space with a great community is the easy part, but finding a space with a community that fits to you at best is what really matters.

You can do research by checking on online reviews on a space community that you are joining. Take out an analysis of current occupants or just do basic observation and ask yourself whether these individuals may prove to be helpful in your business and career development. Generally, the coworking spaces are designed to cater to a particular industry like start-ups, professionals, freelancers, and not for profits or creatives.

If you’re a freelancer who is looking for new opportunities then a coworking space should be your go-to place, it will open up new opportunities for you to network with people and get offers and collaborations. Make sure you can gain the maximum exposure you can, there will be a lot of people you can meet if you opt for a trial period after checking with the management.

It may take you some time to find your ideal coworking space. But remember, the space you choose to work in is an extension of your business, so take the time to find the one that will suit you.


The Workspace

There are a lot of things that you should consider before joining a coworking space. It is important for an individual to feel their company cares about their mental and physical health. If a company provides a stocked kitchen, the healthier and more nutritious snacks, the better fuel it offers. Always ensure your working space has the right layout and design to maintain a professional setup. Check the equipment if they are useful to the needs of your team. The environment, people, atmosphere, and everything that can affect your performance. Identify a coworking space that suits you and your team.

Trial Period

Does your space of choice offer a trial period before requiring you to commit to a contract? If so, test it out to see if it meets your requirements. Most coworking spaces offer a trial period for new potential members.

Many coworking operators have seats to spare and are willing to offer you more than what their official website says to try it out. It will also let you review the facilities it provides, the noise levels when it’s fully occupied and availability of quiet areas or conference rooms for meetings and discussions. Thus, get a preview before you sign-up for the coworking space.

Conclusion


The above factors would surely help you make a clearer decision on your business decision. Working on a coworking space is fun and can prove to be a refreshing break on working from home. So, definitively try them out by making a good decision on allocating your budget well and in choosing a quality space for you. Thus, select your new office wisely. Let us know if this has been helpful for you. Feel free to comment your suggestions. We’d love to hear from you!

 

 

10 Best Ways to Turn Coworking Members into Advocates

Whatever you do, and no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to do marketing on your own. With competition arising on the market, each day, fresh ideas are formed and new companies are launched, and yet, other startups are failing. Of course, we don’t want to be part of the latter. One way to do that is to focus not just on gaining customers, but to turn these customers into brand advocates.

10 Ways to Turn your Members into Advocates

Find your Advocates

The reality is, customers will visit the space then create bookings and leave. Some will become regulars and others have the potential to become advocates. ‘Potential’ because not all members can become an advocate right away. They must find a reason first to be one, so they can really identify and feel with your coworking space.

You can start by sorting your customers or members by letting them answer a quick question or survey: “On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend us to your friends,  family, or colleagues?” Then the members who answered 9 or 10 are your potential space advocates.

Ask and Give Incentives for Referrals

Having a referral program is a great way to strengthen the loyalty of your members. Through this, they can bring in new customers through word-of-mouth sharing rather than just waiting for the customers to come in. Don’t make the referral system complicated, but let it be easy for them until it becomes already a culture already inside your coworking space. This can be done by including links on your websites and social media profiles. Reach out to your long-term clients or regular visitors and encourage them to share your business. Those who have placed a higher rate on the survey, encourage them also to share their experience with their family and friends.

As they give referrals, it’s also good to give back by offering incentives. This shows that you have acknowledged the efforts of your loyal members and in response, this will increase the desire to refer more. Incentives can come in many ways, you can consider giving them free hours of using conference rooms, a free day pass, free coffee or meals, and many others that you can specifically think that will be best for them.

Online Reviews

Word-of-mouth marketing strategy can evolve in the digital world by doing positive online reviews. You don’t have to wait for a 5-star rating to just pop out right away, but you can make your members become advocates by encouraging them to give an online review. Utilize social media and your website for them to leave online reviews. Don’t make it hard for them, but make the online reviews accessible. People nowadays would look on online reviews before they check into something, so make the most out of every opportunity you have.

Do Fun Things

Provide opportunities for coworkers and members to have fun. Just as other organizations have their own parties and events, you can also create it on your coworking space. Big events or even small ones such as having meals together, going to parties can create fun moments for your coworkers. You don’t have to make it compulsory for everyone, but only for those who are willing. Give them a heads up first so they can fit it in their schedule. Through this gatherings, you are creating moments that are memorable for them. All the more, your members will have a connection with your space that new members will be excited to join also.

Remember their Names

Many of us want to be remembered with names right? Though it doesn’t create a big impact for the company, but it stirs up trust and it shows that you value your members. It makes them feel that they are part of the community and they belong. In addition, it shows that you value them as a person and not just their referral. Make it natural and don’t go overboard by trying so hard. Your members will notice if you’re not doing it genuinely.

Create Shareable Content

Another way to leverage social media sharing is to create unique and shareable content. Such as inspirational quotes, beautiful photographs, group photos, or photos of your space that can be easily shared by the followers and members. If this will be done consistently and able to build connections with your members, this can become a natural part of the members’ journey.

Reward Employees

Not just the customers, but even your employees are the best prospects to become advocates. Encourage your members to brag about their jobs and their experiences in working at your coworking space. Give incentives to employees who are able to share their work and bring in new members. Involve your employees in planning creatively, as they are more involved, all the more they will speak highly of your workplace.

Diversify your Offerings

As a flexible workspace, you have to acknowledge that your customers are also changing. As customers are changing, their interest also varies. If you can observe, many are looking for unique layouts, cute and colorful designs, even with the tables and chairs, people are seeking for a variety of layout options. With these constant change, consider how you can diversify your offerings on amenities, special offers, layout options, equipment used, and others to inspire members’ loyalty.

Remain loyal to your brand

Stay loyal to your brand. Whatever space you have created, stand by your brand. If you have advertised that your place is for entrepreneurs, then continue to cater for entrepreneurs. Whatever it is you provide, make sure that you are creating a true value for your members. As you want loyalty from your members, be loyal to your brand. Don’t be alarmed or get overwhelmed right away from the competition. Keep doing what your members love about your space. Give them a reason to stay and be an advocate still. Remind them of your services and make sure that they know what you offer. If they do not, it will have an effect on the way they will share it to others.

Act on Feedback

As you gain feedback and learn from people what they want about your brand, don’t forget to act on it. Improve what is needed and excitingly share your progress to them through various platforms such as social media or through a word-of-mouth sharing.

 

What are the Pros and Cons of a Flexible Working Schedule?

Flexible Work Schedule

A flexible schedule allows an employee to work hours that differ from the normal company start and stop time. A flexible schedule allows workers to vary when they come in and leave their workplace. This refers also to people who work at home.

Does your company offer a flexible work schedule?

Everyone wants flexibility in their lives so that they can have a work-life balance that allows them to enjoy the best of both worlds. Adding flexible work schedules to the list of perks at work is a rapidly growing trend that can do wonders for your business.

Put yourself in your employee’s shoes for a minute. A flexible work schedule sounds nice, right? But is it good for the employer too? Let’s take a look at the Pros and Cons of Flexible Work Schedules.

Pros of a Flexible Working Schedule

Save Money

Because working at home is part of the flexible working arrangement, employers can often save money on their ancillary expenses.  This is because less office space is needed with workers at home, plus fewer furniture and personal needs are required at the office. Flexible working creates better economics.

Adaptability

Through flexible working, you can use the time you normally waste traveling to the office and spend more quality time with your family instead. Flexible work schedule reduced fuel consumption by the employer and less wastage of time by commuting and traveling from home to workplace and vice versa.

If you have a flexible work schedule you can be able to meet the day to day errands and take care of family members without any interference in work. It allows employees to meet family needs and life responsibilities as well.

Reduces Stress

Flexible work hours provide enhanced job control. When the amount of job control increases, this leads to a reduction of workplace-related stress. Hence, no unwanted disagreement between co-workers can take place. The employee decides what and how they will do the work given by the employer.

Reduce Absenteeism

The employee does not have to be burdened by rescheduling prior commitments and juggle work along with their personal lives. This makes the employee more relax and can reduce absenteeism.

Better Client Support

The employer can easily attend a conference with the clients in the comfort of his house. Flexible working hours are beneficial for clients with different time zones.

Cons of a Flexible Working Schedule:

Communication Breakdowns

Flexible working often has workers coming and going throughout the day. They might become overwhelmed and lose track of the tasks and projects. Make sure to keep a to-do list every day to hold themselves accountable. A lack of contact with colleagues at the office could limit the cohesiveness of teams and exchange of ideas.

Not Every Employee Can Work At Home

Some of the employees won’t have the proper set-up at home in order for them to stay productive. As a result, they’re unable to work at a proper time, which affects the productivity of the employee and to the whole team as well.

Liability and Security Concerns

Employees who are at work might find themselves working in an empty, or near empty, office. For instance, an accident occurs and there is no one to assist them. Security logistics may also become a challenge. Emergencies may occur and there is no one to assist them, unless they have other colleagues with them.

Overtime

A flexible schedule can result in the employee working overtime, which can result in high cost. If there are no clear boundaries about working hours, then they can easily fall into the trap of working all the time. A clear working schedule must be indicated so they will be guided well on finishing the tasks on a timely manner.

Distractions Might be a Thing

There are some people who takes advantage of a flexible work as an invitation to relax. They enjoy staying at home and unknowingly, this ha affected their performance already. There will be a lot of distractions working remotely, but there are ways to prevent this. Such as designing your own home office, locking the door, and be undisturbed on designated times.

Conclusion

So, these are some of the pros and cons of working at a flexible schedule. Hopefully, weighing these pros and cons will help you make the best decision for your team, or even brainstorm alternative ways to combat some of the negative outcomes.

 

.

 

How to Beat Monday Blues

Monday Blues‘ is a sad feeling or slight depression that we feel when we join the work after a weekend or after a break. We all come across different people who feel low on Mondays and wait again for Fridays to come.

Why Do We Hate Mondays?

It’s hard to come down from the weekend, especially if you’ve had a great one that you wish wouldn’t have ended. People put a lot of burden on the beginning of their week, stop doing that and enjoy your Monday. There’s no reason to hate Mondays.

Mondays are exciting! It means a new week of opportunities, growth, and expansion. How many new people will I meet? What type of realizations and growth will happen for me in my own personal practice?

Follow these simple steps to beat Monday blues and greet the new week like it’s a Friday night.

Don’t skip breakfast

For most people, breakfast is nothing more than a morning meal which you either eat or avoid, but it is so much more. Starting your morning with breakfast will boost your metabolism. So EAT!!!

Relax

Pick either Friday or Saturday night to go out, and spend another evening staying home with friends. Find time to relax on weekend.

Hit the Gym – Workout

Working out before work or after not only gives energy but also reduces stress. Exercising gives you the productivity boost you’ve been looking for.

Plan your meal

Nutrition is really important if you want to maintain a high energy level. Plan your meal. Decide what you like the most. Take something delicious on Monday. You can also plan to eat your lunch with coworkers.

Plan ahead Sunday night

Decide your Monday morning outfit. This will eliminate stress and will make  Monday’s more tolerable. Also, remember to reset the alarm in order to wake up on time and avoid being late for work.

Set weekly goals

Setting weekly goals help you to guide your week. On Monday, it’s easy to get stuck on taking care of emails that piled up over the weekend and tying up the loose ends of the past week. That’s why it will be best if you plan your week ahead, so you will be guided well with your work.

Listen to music

When the office is almost too much to stomach, music can deliver much-needed relief on the job. Music can affect your mood in many ways. Start your day with your favorite music.

Take small breaks throughout the day

Always try taking small breaks. Go for a walk and talk with your coworkers. Don’t stay glued all day.

Lastly, Smile!

How do you start your day? Do you start your day with happiness or sadness? With joy or anger? Starting your day with happiness, sets the right mood for the day. Start the week right by having a great Monday. We hope that this article has given you an inspiration. Check our blog on how Coworking can beat work burnouts.








What are the Factors Affecting Workplace Productivity?

Workplace productivity typically describes the amount of work your staff can do within a certain number of hours or amount of labor cost. The desire of every organization is to achieve goals and objectives.

Productivity in the workplace relates to how efficiently your workers accomplish your company’s goals and produce goods or services for customers. A productive workplace not only benefits your workforce but also your members and guests. When your employees manage their time and produce work without defects, you get a greater output for your labor and materials costs.

Below are a few factors that affects workplace productivity:

Peaceful Environment

Peace adds a feeling of tranquility and security to the workplace, which supports your employees’ ability to focus on the job and engage with others. Establishing peace in the workplace manages the pressures of everyday life and find a deeper meaning in your daily work.

A peaceful workplace should be the goal of every organization or business. Not everyone loves a quiet place, there are few who would prefer listening to music because they say it helps them work better. The surprising thing is that they could be right. Background music, in particular, can affect people’s mood which, in turn, can positively affect productivity. Also, coworking spaces have dedicated desks where it allows people an opportunity to mold the area to their need. They are designated on one area, so they’re not interspersed with collaborative or social areas.

When employees come to work excited to see their co-workers and actually enjoy doing their job, it creates a more peaceful and productive work environment for everyone.

Coffee Shop or Cafe

Are you a coffee addict? Heading to the coffee shop also puts some space between work and you. What if you get exhausted and you need a break?

Salary, a healthy environment, and awesome coworkers they all matter and influence your motivation. But what about your work effectiveness? Do you feel happier at work when you stay productive and complete all tasks fast, big, and in a novel way? Productivity is not that easy to maintain. I bet you know that feeling after lunch when you are ready to do everything, except work. Tasks are waiting, but what you can do is sit and stare at the blinking text cursor in the hope it will disappear. It frustrates, right? It makes you sad as you want to succeed at work, be happy, and stay motivated. Do you need a solution? Take your laptop and go to a coffee shop or a cafe, as it’s proven to increase your creativity and productivity!

Employee Satisfaction

Employee satisfaction or job satisfaction is, quite simply, how content or satisfied employees are with their jobs. When employees are not satisfied at work it affects productivity. Workplace struggles or inadequacies often lead to bad attitudes and employees who no longer care. Needless to say, employees who no longer care, but are still employed, aren’t working to their potential.

However, the opposite is true for workers who love their jobs. They feel a high degree of satisfaction and, as a result, often produce high volumes of work.

Workplace Appreciation

Recognizing your employees more often can lead to higher engagement levels and greater productivity. Have you ever wondered why?

People like recognition for their hard work. If you want to retain your staff, you have to show more appreciation. Make sure that your employees don’t feel underappreciated by focusing on what’s broken or not done.

Final Words

A supportive work environment encourages your team to learn from their mistakes rather than fear them. Bear in mind that your employees reflect you and your company. Thus, it is wise to pay attention to their health and make sure that they are active, refreshed and energized.