Do you work in an office? Do you dread the commute to and from work each day? If so, flexible working arrangements may be for you. A flexible work schedule is a flexible way of working that allows people to choose their own hours and days when they want to work. This type of arrangement can also offer many benefits such as increased productivity, time management skills, health benefits, and more! In this blog post, we will discuss how flexible schedules can benefit your life by giving you more time with family members, improving your mental health status through better sleep habits, and reducing stress levels.

What is a flexible work schedule?

A flexible work schedule is a flexible way of working that allows people to choose their own hours and days when they want to work. This type of arrangement can also offer many benefits such as increased productivity, time management skills, health benefits, and more!

What are the benefits of flexible work schedules?

Flexible working arrangements will give you an opportunity for more family time with your loved ones since you no longer have to spend so much time commuting back and forth from home to work each day. You may even be able to leave earlier or arrive later than usual if this works better for your lifestyle! Working flexible hours also help employees feel less stressed because they do not need to worry about having enough money at end of every month due to long work hours. Having flexible work schedules can also lead to better sleeping habits which means employees are able to sleep longer and more comfortably!

How Employers Can Incorporate Flexible Work Schedules

Flexible work schedules don’t just give workers benefits. There are plenty of benefits for employers as well that include:

– Increased productivity

– Improved work quality due to fewer distractions from the outside world

– More flexible workforce means more opportunities for employees who may have different commitments such as children, caregiving responsibilities, or even a second job!

For employers looking to incorporate flexible work schedules into their companies, they can do so in a variety of ways. One way is to allow employees to work from home on specific days or hours that work for them. Another option is flexible hours, which means employers give their employees more control over when they come into work and leave work. Employers can also offer compressed work weeks, which is working four ten-hour days instead of five eight-hour days.

How to Get Your Flexible Work Schedule

The benefits of flexible work schedules are numerous and many people wonder what they can do in order to get one. If you want a flexible schedule for your own reasons then it is important that you speak up about this with your employer so that together you can come up with ideas on how best to make this happen. Maybe instead of coming into an office, every day full-time workers could start by working four days per week and gradually increase their hour’s overtime? You never know until you ask.

It might take some time to work flexible hours into your normal schedule, but once you do it will be well worth the effort!

The pandemic has brought us many things these past few years. For example, stylish cloth masks, the ultimate excuse to avoid seeing people (“I can’t come out, I’m social distancing!), and, of course, the increasing availability of remote work. 

Now, it may not be for everyone, but some employees have truly loved their time working from home. They don’t have someone looking over their shoulder constantly, they have a fridge full of food and drinks nearby – a lot of them don’t even have to get dressed in the morning!

Indeed, some workers seem to think they currently have a pretty good deal working out of their home office. However, what they don’t know is what remote work will bring in 2022. Will they still be happy about their situation in the New Year?

Well, that may depend on the worker. Here are some of the remote work trends to expect in 2022.

Hybrid Work Will Become the New Norm

Though many people have enjoyed working from home, they’re not necessarily against going back to the office – at least not completely. While less than 20% of executives said they wanted to return to a pre-pandemic office environment, only 13% said they were ready to do away with the office for good.

This suggests that, if some changes are made, many workers may be ready to return to the office in 2022. To address this, more businesses may allow their employees to shift from the remote work model to a hybrid work model. This allows them to get the best of both worlds: the flexibility and space of working from home, and the advantages that come along with working in a collaborative team environment in the office.

Remote Networking

By now, just about everyone who has worked online has probably used something like Zoom for online meetings. Video chat is a great way to get the remote team together and keep everyone on the same page, so Zoom meetings aren’t likely going to go anywhere in 2022. In fact, they may be used for even more work-related purposes, like networking.

Since meeting up may still be difficult in 2022, workers may want to try and extend their professional network by arranging networking opportunities online. They can message someone they’ve been wanting to connect with professionally, and ask them if they’d like to meet up on Zoom for a chat – kind of like a virtual coffee date. You could even have a specialty coffee delivered to their place for extra effect!

While this may have seemed strange in pre-pandemic times, nowadays it’s perfectly acceptable. If you haven’t been a part of a virtual coffee date yet, don’t be surprised by an invitation in 2022.

A Growing Concern for Cyber Security

As remote workers have headed online in droves, so has a ton of personal employee data and company data. This begs the question: is all this private and sensitive information safe online?

Considering that major social media platforms and even banks have had cyber security issues within the last few years, this is a legitimate concern. Therefore, expect to see companies continuing to ramp up their cyber security game in 2022.

It seems like an increasing number of business owners, managers, and employees have been waking up to the importance of inclusivity in the workplace within the last few years, and, thankfully, this trend doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Indeed, employers who strive to build more inclusive communities show that they value and respect their employees and their differences, which often results in a happier and more dedicated team. Who doesn’t want to feel safe, secure, and welcome in their workplace?

This inclusivity trend isn’t specific to the traditional types of businesses and offices either – it has also been an important topic in coworking spaces. Let’s take a look at how to build a more inclusive community at coworking spaces.

What is an Inclusive Community?

Before we get into some tips on how to create a more inclusive community, it may help to first define the term. An inclusive community is one that is welcoming and respectful to people from all walks of life and ensures that they all receive equal treatment and opportunity free from discrimination.

Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? An inclusive community means that you can have a diverse group of people who are free to be who they are without consequence, and that their differences are respected and valued by everyone in the office. This allows for a more collaborative, cohesive workplace, which can be good for everyone’s respective businesses in a coworking space.

How Do You Create an Inclusive Community at a Coworking Space?

There may not be a quick method to creating a more inclusive community in your coworking space, but there are some steps that you can take to get you going in the right direction. Check out the following tips.

• Take a look at the decorations around your coworking space. Are there any posters, pictures, or other kinds of artwork that may make fun of or otherwise offend a certain group of people? Remove anything may make someone feel singled out or unwelcome in your space.
• Host a networking day for minority-owned businesses, even if they aren’t currently members of your community. Not only is this a great advertising opportunity, but it also shows minority communities that your space is inclusive and may give them the encouragement they need to sign up for a spot there themselves.
• Consider the design and layout of your coworking space. Would you be able to easily accommodate someone in a wheelchair, for example? Do you have gender-neutral bathrooms to better accommodate non-binary individuals? Identify any areas that you think may be difficult for certain groups to navigate and see how you can make improvements.
• Offer different packages and pricing options to include workers of all income levels. A trial membership is also a great idea so people can see if they feel comfortable at your space.
• If you don’t already have one, develop a Code of Conduct at your coworking space that promotes inclusivity. Ensure that all members read and sign it upon joining, and put it up in a common area as a reminder.

While you may not have heard much about them just a few years ago, coworking spaces have become a trending topic in the business world lately. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, coworking spaces are membership-based workspaces that are commonly shared by small businesses, freelancers, and other independent professionals. It allows them the chance to get out of their isolating home offices and into an affordable workspace within a collaborative environment.

You may think that moving from a home office to a more social setting would negatively impact employee productivity, but it turns out that it often has the opposite effect: it gives it a boost. Let’s explore how coworking spaces enhance employee performance.

They Allow You to Set Your Own Schedule

Coworking spaces are often open to their members nearly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This allows workers the freedom to create their own schedules, which is perfect for those who don’t do well on a standard 9-5 shift. Some people may feel more productive if they can break up their working hours during the day while others may do their best work in the middle of the night. Coworking spaces are accessible to workers whenever they’re feeling most industrious, and this bodes well for employee performance.

They’re Full of Learning and Brainstorming Opportunities

A coworking space is often shared by professionals with a wide variety of skills and expertise, and members can certainly use this to their advantage. They don’t necessarily need to leave the office or wait for a return call or email if they’re stuck on a problem and need advice, as they have many other people that they can turn to within their shared workspace. This means they spend less time waiting around and more time on actual work, leading to an increase in productivity.

They’re Good for Networking

Independent professionals like freelancers and remote workers often don’t have the networking opportunities that others do when they’re part of a larger business – after all, they don’t even have coworkers for the most part. When they’re part of a coworking space, however, they may suddenly find that they have access to people from all kinds of industries.

This allows them to expand their network and make new connections with people that may be able to help them advance their careers. Their fellow coworking members can help endorse their skillsets, introduce them to other potential opportunities or contacts, and give them career advice. Meeting the right person at the right time can do wonders for one’s career and work performance, so you shouldn’t underestimate the power of networking opportunities in a coworking space.

They’re a Source of Social Support

Employees who work on their own may find themselves feeling awfully isolated at times, and this isn’t always great for their mental health. This loneliness may cause them to feel depressed or unmotivated at work, which can certainly have a negative impact on performance.

Joining a coworking space is an excellent solution to this problem, as it ensures that workers will be surrounded by like minded professionals on a regular basis. Even just a quick chat or check-in with a fellow member may be enough to lift an employee out of a bad mood and have a positive impact on their work performance.

One of the outcomes of the pandemic has been an increase in the number of people working from home, which has suited many workers just fine. They don’t have to make a mad dash to get themselves ready and out the door in the morning, they’re able to save money by making their own coffee and lunch at home, and they don’t have to spend any time sitting in traffic to get to work. What’s not to like?

As much as some employees are loving the arrangement, however, a lot of companies are still unsure of what they want the post-COVID workplace to look like. Do they want their employees to continue working remotely, move to a hybrid model, or come back to the office on a full-time basis? It’s great that the employees working from home are happy, but what is best for the company?

As it turns out, working remotely offers advantages for both employees and employers. Here are some of the reasons why remote working may be here to stay.

It Benefits Everyone Financially

When working from home, employees can save money on the coffee, lunch, and gas that they may usually need to get themselves through another day at the office, but they’re not the only ones benefitting financially. With most if not all their employees working remotely, companies can save money on expensive commercial real estate costs and the accompanying overhead. Since these expenses can be so outrageous these days, companies may save more in the long run than their employees!

Companies Can Attract New Talent

If they’re offering fully remote positions, employers are no longer limited to seeking out and hiring candidates that are based in their area or are willing to move there. This means that businesses in sparsely populated rural areas suddenly have a much wider talent pool to choose from, and those in cities don’t have to worry about a potentially high cost of living turning off candidates.

They Can Also Attract the Same Quality of Talent

It often seems that businesses based in big cities attract more quality talent than those in rural areas, probably due to the appeal of living in the city and the many services and attractions it has to offer its residents. With remote positions, however, the location is no longer an important consideration for many employees. Instead, there is more of a focus on the business itself and what it can offer potential candidates. This means, for example, a small company offer competitive wages and positions in a rural area can attract the same kinds of people as one based in a big city.

In fact, some employees who had been living and working in the city swiftly left for the suburbs during the pandemic due to the flexibility that goes along with working remotely (and, in a lot of cases, the cheaper real estate). This is something that companies may want to keep in mind if they’re considering eliminating their work-from-home positions. Unless these employees are keen to pack up and move again, they may quit and begin their search for another remote position elsewhere.

While a lot of companies tend to do something special for their employees around the holidays, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners often get left out in the cold. They just don’t have coworkers to celebrate with or corporate-sponsored events to attend during the holiday season.

What some of these people do have, however, is a community of people they can celebrate with at their coworking space. Throwing a holiday party at a coworking space can provide its community with some much-needed festive cheer, as it can otherwise be a lonely time of year for those who spend most of their time working solo.

If you’re looking to bring your coworking community together this holiday season, then think about implementing some of the following creative ideas for your next party.

Take Part in a Charitable Event for Your Local Community

People are more likely to be in the giving spirit during the holidays, so take advantage of this and organize an event or drive for a local charitable organization. This will give your coworking space colleagues a good reason to get together while giving back to your local community. Plus, if the locals take notice, it could be great publicity for your coworking space and your participants’ businesses.

Try to find a cause that really resonates with your coworking community, and then see if you can all volunteer at a related charity or collect donations on their behalf. Some holiday-related volunteer opportunities may include serving food at a local soup kitchen, collecting gifts for children, and putting together care packages for the homeless.

Host a Game Night

If you want your coworking space members to kick back and have a little fun at your holiday party, then consider hosting a game night. You can provide them with an assortment of board games or get them involved with other classics such as charades and Pictionary.

The nice thing about a game night is that you can tailor it to your specific coworking space. For example, if everyone celebrates Christmas, you could do Christmas trivia or have people act out Christmas-related clues for charades. On the other hand, you could also just as easily leave out any specific holiday references and simply concentrate on enjoying the time together.

Organize a Holiday Wellness Party

The holidays can be a stressful time of year for some people, so instead of supplying them with booze and baked goods to take the edge off, why not have everyone engage in an activity that may benefit their physical and/or mental health?

You could invite a yoga or dance instructor to come in and do a class, run a group-wide meditation session, or have a speaker come in to talk about keeping healthy in the workplace. Allowing those in your coworking community to learn about and engage in beneficial physical and mental health practices could inspire some productive New Year’s resolutions and ultimately lead to a happier and healthier workplace.

It’s no secret that the pandemic has been hard on companies of all shapes and sizes ever since we first started hearing the words “COVID-19”. All around the world, companies have had to reorganize their operations multiple times to help stop the spread, which has often resulted in lost sales, lost jobs, and, in some cases, lost businesses entirely.

Though they may not be thought of as traditional businesses, coworking spaces haven’t been exempt from this struggle. The entrepreneurs, freelancers, and other small business owners who would normally benefit from coworking spaces have been choosing to work from home to limit their contact with others, leaving many desks empty in these community-minded spaces.

While not all coworking spaces have survived these trying times, some have managed to steer their way through by making some necessary adjustments to their business models. Here are some of the ways coworking spaces have been navigating their way through the pandemic.

What Have Been the Biggest Challenges for Coworking Spaces During the Pandemic?

Before we take a closer look at how coworking spaces have been responding, it’s important to consider what their biggest challenges have been since the beginning of the pandemic. A survey of coworking spaces showed that event cancellations were the most common consequence of the coronavirus outbreak, followed by conference room cancellations and membership cancellations.

This makes sense. As we have had to limit our contact with others, several people have been turning to online and phone conferences instead of in-person ones, leaving event spaces and meeting rooms empty. Part of the appeal of coworking spaces is being able to use these extra spaces, so it is also easy to see why some would choose to cancel their memberships entirely.

One of the main benefits of coworking spaces is bringing people together, you can see how it may be difficult for them to survive during the pandemic. Difficult, yes, but certainly not impossible.

How Have Coworking Spaces Effectively Responded to the Pandemic?

Some coworking space operators have had to change quite a few of their policies and procedures to stay afloat during the pandemic, often with varying degrees of success. In response to dwindling membership rates, for example, some spaces have lowered their prices for new members and offered discounts to existing ones. Some have even branched out from their usual clientele and have implemented student memberships to those who are taking online classes. It can be difficult to find a quiet place to study, especially if libraries are closed, so this can be a great opportunity for college and university students who live in busy households.

Lower prices and new kinds of members can certainly help keep the offices full, but they don’t do much for the sense of community that often comes along with coworking spaces. To address this, some places have started organizing online workshops and virtual networking events to keep members engaged and interacting with one another. They may not be quite the same as their in-person equivalents, but they can at least provide people with the opportunity to connect with others again, which is something that a lot of us have been missing during the pandemic.

If you are looking for a spot to work – contact us today! 

Does it seem like you have a never-ending to-do list? If so, you’re certainly not alone. It seems that everyone is leading such busy lives these days that there’s always something that you should be doing – even if you can’t always remember what it is!

Whether it’s at work or in your personal life, it can be difficult to keep track of your schedule and all of your responsibilities without a little help. Fortunately, there are many different organizational tools out there that can help you manage your workload and maximize your productivity. Let’s take a look at some of the best organizational tools that people use to keep themselves on the right track.

Trello

If you’re looking to effectively manage all of your work activities, then it’s hard to go wrong with the popular organizational tool Trello. While it is perhaps especially well-suited for those in financial, scientific, or creative fields, it’s features can be helpful to just about anyone.

Trello allows you to visualize and keep track of your many tasks during the week with a card-based system, where each task is given its own individual card. You can then assign due dates to each card, include files and notes, invite team members to edit, and even add story points, which can help highlight which tasks are most important and should be completed first. Trello also works with apps like Slack in order to help keep your workload as streamlined as possible.

Nimble

Nimble is a great organizational tool for both individuals and businesses, especially those that interact with customers on a regular basis. It allows you to integrate all kinds of information in one place, such as your Outlook calendar, contact information, social networks, sales cycle records, and customer communication history. You can even integrate it with over 130 SaaS apps, including QuickBooks and Salesforce.

Not only can you stay on top of your schedule and workload, but you can also connect it with your team’s contacts, calendar, and communications so you can work together to achieve your goals and build stronger relationships with your customers. Put quite simply, a tool like Nimble is a must-have for any customer-focused business.

Evernote

There are a lot of different note-taking apps out there (not to mention the offline paper and pen option!), but Evernote is arguably one of the most popular ones due to its organizational features. With Evernote, you can take notes in the form of video, pictures, text, and audio recordings, and even scan and digitize paper documents and business cards all in the same place.

You can then access all of your important documents offline and sync them across multiple devices, which is especially nice for those working in teams. It also includes powerful search features that can help you locate the information you need when you need it, whether you’re looking through PDFs, text documents, or even handwritten notes. If you find yourself in a pile of paperwork and notes on a regular basis, Evernote may be just the organizational tool you need.

Coworking spaces have been receiving a lot of attention in the business world lately, and it’s easy to see why. Researchers have found that those who are a part of one would rate their level of thriving at about a 6 out of 7, around a point higher than those working in regular offices. Such a significant difference left many people wondering, what is it about coworking spaces that makes them so special?

As it turns out, it really can’t be narrowed down to just one reason. There are multiple reasons why people are finding such success and satisfaction while working in coworking spaces, and we will discuss them further below.

Flexibility

With everyone living such busy lives these days, it’s nice being able to work in a place that offers a certain amount of flexibility. A lot of coworking spaces do just that, as they are accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. People can work as much or as little as they want, when they want, with no repercussions. They can even choose where they want to work each day, like in a collaborative space, quiet space, or even from home. They are free to use or not use the space in whichever way works best for them, and this is certainly a draw for a lot of people.

Meaningful Work

The remote workers, freelancers, and other independent workers who tend to make up coworking spaces often see their work as more meaningful than those with more traditional office jobs. This meaning comes from the fact that they feel as if they can be themselves at work, unlike a lot of workers who have specific work personas.

In a coworking space, everyone tends to be working a range of different jobs for different companies. This means that individuals are typically not in any kind of competition with each other, allowing some people to bring their guard down and freely talk about themselves and their projects to others. This can lead to sharing ideas and making connections with others in the coworking space, making them feel as if they are part of a community.

Community

Independent workers typically don’t have many, if any, coworkers at their job, so it’s nice to have the opportunity to make connections with others at a coworking space. It can help ease some of the feelings of loneliness that can often come with working on your own and give you something to look forward to during the day.

That being said, what may be even more of a draw for some people is that fact that they don’t have to interact with others. There’s no pressure to constantly be socializing with fellow coworking space members, and there are typically places they can go where others will respect the fact that they want to be alone and get things done.

No matter how many people they talk to and how often though, workers in a coworking space still tend to feel like they are part of a community. Different coworking spaces tend to have their own unique vibe and feel, and managers typically go out of their way to accommodate all of their members and make them feel at home. This makes people feel a sense of community, like they’re a part of something. Who doesn’t want that?

Freelance, independent, and remote workers everywhere are realizing the many advantages of coworking spaces, or shared workplaces. Not only do they offer a professional space to get things done, but the opportunities to network and share in the local business community can be invaluable to some of their users.

This is why a coworking space can be a great choice for hosting an event, as you’ve got the facilities, the office, and members of your local business community all right there in the same place. If you manage to pull off your event successfully, you may be able to take your networking game to the next level.

Here are our 3 tips for hosting an event at a coworking space.

Tip #1: Take Advantage of Your Community Manager

The community manager at your coworking space is a valuable resource before, during, and even after your event. They may be able to assist in various ways, like promoting your event, planning the room layout and schedule, and making sure you have the time and space you need to clean up and organize everything afterward. They may also give you insight into event-related things that you haven’t even thought of, so make sure to check with them early on in your planning process.

Tip #2: Connect with Your Coworkers

It’s not going to be much of an event without your coworking community members! Promote your event online by posting on your website or social media accounts and promote in-person by handing out flyers or sticking a poster on a bulletin board. 

While you’ll probably also mention it to those that you’re friendly with within a casual conversation, this also gives you a great excuse to approach and have conversations with those coworkers that you haven’t really had a chance to connect with yet. You can get an idea of what they’re expecting from your event and if there’s anything in particular that they want or do not want you to address. Then, if you like, you can take that information and tweak your event plans accordingly to ensure that they meet everyone’s expectations.

Tip #3: Network, Network, Network

Arguably, the best thing about hosting an event in a coworking space is the networking opportunities. Unless you make it your mission to know up-to-date information about all of the workers and businesses operating out of your coworking space, you likely don’t know if someone is changing their business model or has an entirely new product on service on the market – and they probably don’t know what’s going on with your business either.

This is why you should be networking before, during, and after your event. Take the time to connect with everyone there and find out what they’ve been up to business-wise, as there may be opportunities for collaborations that would mutually benefit both of your businesses. If there’s a large turnout and you’re worried that you will miss some people, see if your community manager is able to help you out by keeping a list of the attendees. After your event, you can use this list to send a thank you email to everyone and give them the opportunity to connect with you further.