Month: November 2019

Categories
Real Estate

Why Host Your Company Christmas Party in a Shared Workspace?

Company Christmas Event - The Collection

Choosing to host your company Christmas party in an office rental building comes with many benefits; here’s what to know.

 

With the holidays around the corner, it’s a good idea to start thinking about preparing presents for friends and family and scheduling your December to fit both your working obligations and your social plans. However, one event that’s always debatably skippable and often considered quite awkward is the professional’s company Christmas party.

 

Usually scheduled within the first two weeks of December and held in an office environment between coworkers, the office Christmas party is notorious for being one celebration that workers often seek to skip, rather than genuinely enjoy. In many cases, people approach it with a mindset of survival rather than indulgency.

 

But hear us out here. We’re here to make the argument that Christmas parties are genuinely different when celebrated in a coworking environment, or a shared office, rather than a traditional office space.

While the differences between a coworking space and a traditional office might seem rather superficial at the surface, there’s a lot behind the deeper workings of a shared workspace that makes them very different to the traditional office space, to the point that they change the social dynamic of the office and allow for a much more chill, much less tense, and far less awkward social environment.

 

Why Bother with a Company Christmas Party to Begin With?

First, it’s important to field the most obvious question: why bother in the first place? The months of November, December, and January have more than their fair share of celebratory occasions, mandatory family get-togethers, and excuses to be with friends and head out to party.

 

What’s it hurt to skip one of the more awkward social events, especially if you’ve already separated yourself from the ‘mandatory’ nature of traditional office parties, and are more of an introvert to begin with?

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Arguably the greatest reason to host a company Christmas party at work to begin with is to promote teambuilding. However, you might counter that it’s strange to think of a coworking space as a ‘team’, when attendance and membership is transient and ephemeral, and many of the people coming to ‘work’ are generally strangers.

 

The nature of coworking means that no matter how new someone is, they meet with others fairly quickly. While there is no formal team, there is a sense of collective identity, especially in coworking spaces that make a point of hosting regular events and get-togethers as a way to promote cohesion and develop a friendly and harmonic atmosphere at work.

Other Benefits

Besides teambuilding, there’s also value in hosting a company Christmas party as a way to prepare for:

 

  • The upcoming year
  • Recap previous achievements
  • Celebrate specific milestones
  • Feature certain workers
  • Speak about policy changes or certain goals that might exist past the horizon of the current year

 

More than just a space for people to work separately on their own projects and deadlines, coworking spaces also offer a collective identity and sense of culture. The management that often works closely with workers to create a better, healthier workspace, and that means that moments wherein workers come together to talk about what they liked and didn’t like about the year are an important opportunity to introduce improvements in the early days of the next quarter.

 

Coworking Parties vs. Traditional Office Parties

It’s true that social events can be a little bit more of a pain to get through when you’re primarily introverted (which could really just mean that you’re not much of a party person to begin with), but there are still plenty of pragmatic reasons to attend Christmas parties in coworking spaces, and they’re usually far less awkward than those in traditional office spaces.

 

With lesser worries about hierarchies, a more casual environment all year round, and more regular events, coworking spaces are far less likely to confront the problem traditional office spaces have where everyone’s freak flag flies high after being bottled up for the entire year. Some offices see the Christmas party as a great way to ‘really’ get to know one another, while in coworking spaces, such social interactions are part of the norm. You also don’t have to worry about looking ridiculous in front of the boss.

 

It’s Still a Christmas Party 

At the end of the day, many of the same rules apply, especially when hosting the party itself. Keep the atmosphere light and fun, incorporate something to do aside from mingling and drinking, get a DJ or even a live band performance, and hire a catering service. Christmas parties can have a them, and they can even be celebrated entirely without alcohol (some workers might resent that).

 

Some things are universal, including how to throw a good party – and knowing what to avoid when trying to throw a good party. Simple examples include charging members of the coworking space extra to attend the party, disallowing plus ones, making the party mandatory (or practically mandatory), and so on.

 

Don’t skimp but maintain a healthy budget. Prioritize the important things: that is, food, beverages, and music. As mentioned previously, the beverages don’t have to be alcoholic, and there are plenty of ways to have fun while sober, and further minimize the potential of having people embarrass themselves.

Less Post-Party Shame

This one is arguable, but some might say that there’s less shame in letting loose at a company Christmas party than a regular office holidays party. This is partly because, in theory, all workers in a coworking space generally work on the same level and there is no hierarchy – while the landlord or landlady owns the space and may be involved in its management, the management of a space is separate from the people who work in it, and you don’t have to worry about feeling like you made a fool of yourself in front of a department head or your boss.

 

Since the relationships between people at a shared space are purely social and voluntary rather than being based on contracts and demonstratable differences in power, there’s room for a generally much lighter and more socially conducive atmosphere.

Categories
Work Environment

6 Things You Should Never Do In a Shared Workspace

Just like any other office, there are do’s and don’ts to working in a shared workspace. This guide explores what exactly you should never do when renting a coworking office.

 

Depending on who you are, where you are, and what you need, a coworking space can be a great boon – or not worth your time. It’s all about understanding what coworking spaces are for, and what they’re not for. First and foremost, let’s define a coworking space. A coworking space is an office space that consists of several independent parties, including:

 

What is a Shared Workspace?

Shared workspaces are designed to appeal to a broad selection of workers, rather than providing a very specific atmosphere, but they are still offices. They exist to provide a place for people without office space of their own to work away from home, either in a team or potentially in close cooperation with other workers.

 

However, they do differ from normal offices. Hierarchies aren’t visible. Cubicles don’t exist. There are no dedicated spaces for specific members or individuals. There are different spaces within any coworking community – spaces for socialization, spaces for group work, and spaces for concentrated solo endeavors – but all the trappings of a normal office melt away and no longer exist.

 

There’s also an unspoken etiquette that comes with working at a coworking space, and it revolves around understanding that this is an environment for everyone’s benefit – and that by working together, you’ll each bring one another further along.  In line with that, here are six things you should never do if you’ve rented a spot in a coworking space.

 

1. Don’t: Heavily Waste Time

Nothing begets nothing. While there is some data that suggests that coworking spaces improve productivity and are certainly a boon for some creative types, the coworking model doesn’t change that work still needs to be done, and work is, for the most part, work. You sit down, concentrate, and focus on the task at hand.

 

For many who are easily distracted, coworking spaces can present a greater challenge. If you simply cannot be self-sufficient at home, then the colloquial and social environment of a coworking space can help you get into the swing of things. There’s a fine balance between being more productive in a positive environment and simply wasting the majority of the work day getting into long conversations with other coworkers.

 

It takes time to make it to a coworking location, get set up, plug in your laptop, get your workstation in order, and procure that first cup of tea or coffee. By then, you’ll likely have run into several other coworkers, all of whom might have something to say. That’s great when you aren’t busy – but when you are, efficiency is key.

 

Setting limits for yourself and being strict with your time management is key if you’re going to work from a shared workspace location. Know when you can afford to stay and talk, and when you simply need to close off from others and be with your work.

2. Don’t: Rely on Others to Do Your Work

Coworking spaces become a great place to coordinate and cooperate on others, find new partners for brand new ventures, and brainstorm with your team. But it’s common knowledge that everyone needs to pull their own weight, just like in any other office or workplace.

 

When people talk about collaborative efforts and the networking potential of such spaces, an emphasis is placed on the potential for collective productivity – one hand washes the other, and that way, we’re all better off.

 

3. Don’t: Join Solely to Fight Loneliness

Coworking might seem like a good way to simply get to know more people or hang around others for a while – but if that’s your issue, then you should work on your social life in general. If you can do your work at home no problem, and don’t have issues motivating yourself to be productive (and don’t need to work with a physical team to begin with), then a coworking space will very clearly become more of a time sink than a way to improve yourself.

 

It’s important to consider working with others if it’s clear that you don’t work well on your own – but if you do, and simply need some company, find other places to socialize. Coworking spaces are primarily for work. While it’s nice to make some friends here and there, that’s not their primary function. Instead:

 

      • Hit up a bar
      • Go to interesting cafes
      • Visit hobby meetups
      • Go to the gym
      • Take a stroll through the park with your pet

 

One caveat is that some coworking spaces do feature specific events for socialization, and to build a sort of team spirit. If you’re bored with working from home, or simply lack inspiration, then joining a shared workspace just to be in a different environment can make a difference.

 

4. Don’t: Spread Rumors and Stoke Flames

An office space is no place for drama or office games. Not only are they disruptive and toxic in a traditional office as well, but they have even less of a place in coworking spaces, which are typically far more open, while hosting a much wider variety of groups and individuals.

 

Hostile behavior, bullying, and abuses of power are tolerated even less in coworking spaces and will not get you anywhere.

5. Don’t: Skip Events 

There’s more to a shared workspace than just work, although that is its primary function. As mentioned previously, some spaces host events and fun activities at the coworking location itself, or in other places.

 

Rather than skipping out on these because they aren’t exactly conducive to your progress as a company or as an individual, consider joining anyway. Not only can it be a lot of fun, but it helps to bring you closer to others without disturbing them at work. It’s an opportunity to get to know who you’re working alongside, without wasting time. Oftentimes, the events will be held in the same building also.

 

6. Don’t: Join Just to Find Clients

Coworking spaces are a collaborative experience. While they are a place to network, there’s a difference between building teams and forging connections at a shared workspace to the benefit of everyone and using the space solely to network and market your own endeavors, at the expense of everyone but yourself.

 

Conclusion

No one likes a spoilsport, and someone who joins a shared workspace just to spam fellow members and talk to them all the time about potential business opportunities without getting any work done is not only wasting their time, but wasting a lot of other people’s time.

 

They’re making a space that should be collaborative and safe, suddenly feel hostile and exploitative. There are good ways and bad ways to use a coworking space, so be mindful of your shared workspace etiquette.

Categories
Business Trends

6 Simple Tips for Managing Remote Workers

Managing remote workers is now a necessary skill in the workplace, as the gig economy encourages more employees to seek remote work. These 6 tips will help you to manage your team, whether they are physically present or not.

 

About half of the US workforce engages in some form of telecommuting, and roughly a quarter of workers currently already spend a significant portion of their work week working from home. Outsourcing has grown tremendously as well, with a growing percentage of companies in Europe and the US outsourcing much of their work to businesses and freelancers in other parts of the world.

 

In other words, more companies rely on remote workers today than ever, and it’s likely that the numbers will continue to grow. Yet while many business owners and managers have their own way of working with employees locally, managing remote workers requires a completely different approach.

 

Managing Remote Workers in 6 Steps

Rather than trying to impose greater control over a remote worker, or leave them to their own devices entirely, the right approach entails a simple set of rules and tips for:

 

      • Managing communication
      • Measuring and encouraging progress
      • Developing morale and rapport
      • Making the most of what could be an incredibly profitable employer-employee relationship

 

With majority of the workforce expected to engage in freelance or remote work by 2020, these skills are no longer just beneficial, they’re necessary. These 6 tips can help you manage your team more efficiently, while improving profitability.

1. Make Communicating Easy and Fast 

First and foremost, it’s critical to outline the importance of simple, effective and instant communication channels. While working in an office, you and your workers have the luxury of simply getting up and taking a few steps through the office to engage in a face-to-face conversation. Your in house workers:

 

      • Have the means to communicate with you whenever necessary
      • Schedule appointments when talks aren’t strictly critical
      • Engage in regular team meetings and one-on-one conversations whenever needed

 

Remote employees struggle to feel a part of something greater, or appreciated in any way, unless it’s explicitly made clear to them that they, too, possess some form of access to you and your time/attention.

 

Emails are an obvious and often critical communicative tool for remote workers and their clients/employers, but you need to provide your workers with a faster and more immediate communication tool as well. Choose a professional and reliable instant messaging system, like Slack or Google Hangouts.

 

In addition to communication channels, consider having these workers join together in one space monthly or bi-monthly. Renting an event space or coworking option every couple months can help all workers feel a part of the team.

 

2. Set Communication Guidelines (and Stick to Them)

Instant messaging and other reliable communication tools are critical, but they shouldn’t be abused. It’s important to instate clear communication guidelines that respect your remote worker’s time and rest.

 

This might mean that, should you live in vastly different time zones, the majority of your communication will occur over email due to the inherent delay (especially if you tend to start your workday around the time your remote worker would be going to bed).

 

If a project necessitates a greater degree of communication and coordination, give your remote worker enough time to plan accordingly and be awake on the hours they’re needed.

 

If you respect your worker’s time, you will get better results. This means no work-related communication over the weekend, no intrusive messages during sleep hours, and reasonable expectations for communication (such as having a 24-hour window to reply to messages and following up only as often as truly necessary).

 

3. Create and Manage a Water Cooler

Remote workers often do not feel as though they are part of the company they work for, even when formally employed. This is because it’s hard to feel like you are part of a greater team when you spend most of your work hours at a desk at home, alone, with no sense of how your other teammates or doing, or what they’re doing.

 

In order to help remote employees feel like they’re more than just a cog or a business function, but an individual whose presence within the company and the team is felt and respected appropriately, it’s important to develop a place for your remote workers to interact and communicate with other workers.

 

Rather than being a purely professional asset, help these workers remind themselves that there are other humans involved in the work they do. These people have names, personalities, lives, and humor.

 

Establishing channels to promote and encourage virtual mingling can help.

 

      • Slack and other communication software allow teams to create and manage channels, giving you the opportunity to create a virtual water cooler for the sharing of memes, music, and off-topic conversations (helping remote and local workers mingle and establish friendships virtually).
      • Particularly techy companies can take it a step further and schedule fun remote activities, like playing competitive or cooperative video games after work, or on a monthly, event-like basis.

 

4. Send Feedback and Offer Recognition

Whenever your non-physical workers send something in, respond with appropriate feedback. It’s often enough to simply acknowledge (in a positive way) that you’ve seen their work.

 

However, it’s even better to talk about how the clients responded to a specific part of what they did, or what they could do better. If you do offer criticism, be sure to also stress the things they did right.

 

More than anything, managing remote workers relies on giving direction. It’s difficult to motivate oneself for work, especially from home. Feedback can help remind workers that the work they’re doing is valuable to the team and encourages them to continue giving it their all.

 

5. Forget Hours, Focus on Results

It’s much harder to supervise a remote worker and tell exactly how much work they’re doing within any given amount of time. As such, it’s important to forget about trying to control how a remote worker spends their time, or how they put in their hours.

 

Instead, focus on deliverables, deadlines, and results. Even if your remote worker is paid based on a 30-40-hour workweek, consider not how much time they’re putting into their work, but what they’re bringing to the table, and if it’s worth what they’re being paid.

 

If you ask your remote workers to work full-time, then expect results that you would receive from a full-time worker and reward them accordingly. Trust them to put in the time they need in order to deliver as per their expected quota.

6. Align Your Goals

Remote workers have embraced the nature of modern work, wherein flexibility is king. Every opportunity to work is also an opportunity to learn a new skill or hone an ability. Many workers no longer aim for stable careers or advancements within a single firm but aim to improve their portfolio by developing new abilities.

 

This happens from taking on greater workloads, to figuring out various types of editing software, to becoming competent at several different types of content production.

 

Encourage workers to intimate their goals and explain what they would like to develop while working for you. Then, see if you can align their goals with your own, assigning projects to them that would help them grow as workers and individuals, while benefiting you and your clientele.

 

Final Thoughts

Managing remote workers requires being empathic and aware of their needs and requirements, even if they aren’t able to voice them on their own.

 

Remember that you are working with humans, and that helping them feel like a true part of a team can do a lot to improve morale and productivity.

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