With the advent of hybrid offices, there has been a surge of businesses creating coworking spaces that can be customized to who is in the office. The idea is that you can create spaces where people can come and go freely to accommodate different schedules of staff and preferences regarding working from home or office. This article will teach you how to create a collaborative coworking space that suits the needs of your employees and allows work to get done efficiently.
What is a Coworking Space?
A coworking space is an office space in which employees can work separately or together efficiently. It allows staff to shift where they are in the physical space depending on their schedule and what they are working on. After the pandemic, a lot of companies have decided to have smaller office spaces to accommodate a hybrid workforce or one in which some of the staff work from home while others work in the office.
Having a smaller space not only saves a lot of money on expenses like rent, but it also means that fewer staff members in the office are within the same area at a time, making it easy to communicate about projects. Also, some organizations now follow a hybrid model in which half the staff comes in on certain days and the other half on others.
If half of your staff is going to be at home, you do not want to be paying for a space meant for your entire staff, so having a coworking space where people can share desks is important. That being said, you will still need space dedicated to staff meetings or brainstorming sessions. Your collaborative coworking space must be able to function well while taking into account different types of work.
Tips on Creating a Coworking Space
Whether you are finding a new space for your office or simply modifying your current space, there are a few things you should keep in mind when creating a coworking space.
Keeping the above tips in mind when creating your shared office space can help keep people productive and allows for a positive work environment.
How to Create a Collaborative Coworking Space
When creating a collaborative workspace, you must include a few things for it to be successful.
Individual Workstations
For a successful coworking space, you should make sure there are comfortable, well-lit spaces where people can work alone. These spaces might still be beside each other, but having small barriers or ways in which workers can individualize their space can be very helpful.
For example, if the desks are modular and can be used while seated or standing, then each worker can customize their desk according to how they work best. Also, allow for staff to use headphones to either listen to music or block out the noise around the office. This way, those who prefer quiet when working have that option.
Another option for creating a coworking space that works for the individual is having small rooms or areas where people can make client calls easily. Creating “phone booths” will allow your workers to have a private work call without having to worry about potential office noise getting in the way. When working in a shared office space, it is important to find places where employees can go for privacy, especially if they need to take c of confidentiality.
Group Workstations
If you are able to offer a room or area of the shared office space for group work, then people will be able to come together when working on the same project. This could be an actual room so that they can close the door and not disturb their other workers. Or it could be a small area that is partitioned off where people could gather to brainstorm or have a meeting.
This area could double as a meeting room for the entire staff when a staff meeting is held. By adding things such as a smartboard or large computer screen for presentations, you can easily have a staff meeting without needing an entire room dedicated to this and nothing else.
Additionally, if you are scaling down in size, it is important to have spaces that can be used for more than one thing. Having a space where people can have an impromptu brainstorming session or scheduled meetings is a great way to successfully create a shared office space.
Comfortable Spaces
Though you want to make the entire office more comfortable, you should also try to create a separate space where employees can go to relax. A dedicated lounge area will allow staff to congregate more socially, allowing for a relaxed atmosphere.
Having a relaxed atmosphere allows your workers to take short breaks throughout the day, which can be a great way to boost morale. While working from home during the pandemic, many workers got accustomed to wandering into their kitchen for a snack or extra cup of coffee whenever they wanted. By bringing this attitude back to the office, you can promote a positive work environment that fosters more productivity.
Also, being able to discuss a small issue or answer a question about work while grabbing a coffee from the lounge allows workers to stay on task even while feeling like they are taking a break. So, having something like a lounge can allow employees to have things such as a working lunch without feeling the need to schedule an actual meeting
Invest in Collaborative Work Software
If you haven’t done this already, make sure to find collaborative work software that will work for your company. You will want to do some research on the different programs available, as there are a lot of options. Using a software program that allows employees to update what they are working on either from home or in the office will help ensure that your employers are on the same page regarding joint projects.
Another aspect to think about is the use of an online meeting platform. You want to ensure that each worker can use the platform no matter where they are working from and even know how to use advanced settings such as screen-sharing. This is especially important if half your staff will be at home, as you will need to be able to have staff meetings with everyone and not just those in the office.
If your organization has decided to have people sign up for desk space in order to come into the office to work, you will also need a way to distinguish which space will be allotted to whom, along with an online schedule that allows others to see the allocation of your workspace. This is also a way to ensure you know who is working from home and who will be at the office, as you will have a daily roster of which employee uses which desk.
Creating a collaborative workspace might feel intimidating at first, but following the above advice, it should be a relatively smooth transition. Taking some time to think about how best to approach any project is essential, and by thinking through these topics, you have taken the first step in successfully creating a shared office space. The next step is to simply adopt the ideas that work best for you and your staff.
