Written by The Brew by rent 24 – an official Calmer partner.
If you are considering moving into a coworking office space (if you haven’t done so already) you may be initially enticed by the many physical benefits; a great rate, facility support, and no large set-up costs (i.e. office furnishings) are all big features. But once you’ve moved in, there are even more advantages from both a business perspective and a personal wellbeing one.
Joining in with coworking office life can help you to develop fantastic connections with like-minded people that can provide you with advice, ideas and even referrals. What is more, social connections with coworkers are great for reducing stress and developing a positive approach to every working day.
1. Read the coworking newsletter
Many coworking community teams will write and distribute a regular newsletter or blog that will provide useful and relevant pieces of advice such as the best ways to improve wellbeing at work and cost saving marketing strategies. These are generally written for members in mind so it’s worth encouraging your team to read them.
If you find something particularly engaging you could even ask the blog writer directly for more information or even refer to it in your weekly team catch-up meetings.
Also, don’t be afraid to approach the community team and suggest writing a blog yourself if you think other members would benefit from your expertise. It’s extra exposure for your business and a great to support your coworking community.
2. Chat to desk neighbours
Small talk in a coworking space helps you to form rock-solid connections with professionals across different sectors.
Making conversation doesn’t come naturally for everyone, but there are a wealth of benefits to connecting with those around you; such as networking opportunities, inspiring collaboration, brainstorming, mini-breaks from your computer screen, creating a more pleasant working environment and even forming lasting friendships!
3. Engage with the community team
The community team at The Brew are a friendly bunch! They are usually the first people you will meet when you enter the coworking space and they enjoy meeting new people and developing a rapport with members.
Without the community team, a coworking office is likely to lose its charm – the team are there to support your business and will be more than happy to answer any questions or solve any problems.
Not only can they fix issues like a broken kettle or light bulb, they can also help source a suitable venue for some client hospitality or recommend another member who might be able to quickly help solve a challenging project.
Of course, it also works the other way round – if the community team know who you are and what you do, they may refer other members to you!
4. Attend social events
Most coworking facilities will hold social events with the aim of creating a strong community amongst coworking members. Such events present an opportunity to mingle with different professionals that share the same postcode as you.
Whilst the natural break-the-ice question “So what do you do?” will come up in almost every conversation, you may also discover another Game of Thrones fan or avid cake baker you can share ingredient tips with the next time you see each other in the office. These social connections can help you and your team maintain a positive attitude to coming into work each day.
5. Utilise any free workshops
Coworking offices often run workshops onsite to support its members; such as an accounting presentation, a leadership Q&A or a wellbeing session by Calmer. So invest some time into investing in yourself - an hour out of your week could provide some fantastic insight that will get your creative juices flowing and give you knowledge and ideas to focus you and your business.
At the workshop, you will also meet other like-minded members that you may not have spoken to before. It’s therefore a great opportunity to discuss aspects of the workshop or support each other through any future tasks that the workshop assigns you.
6. Use the communal areas
There are many physical and mental benefits to taking regular breaks from your desk and computer screens. By grabbing yourself a coffee in the kitchen area will not only give you a break from your desk but you’ll often see other coworkers in these communal areas too.
So be brave! Strike up a conversation - ask whether they saw the game last night, or how their day is going… you could even talk about the weather! A positive 5 minute chat with another coworking member is likely to perk you up better than any double espresso can!
7. Provide support/free advice for other members
Yes, your time and knowledge has value, but be willing to offer free advice and support to other coworkers when they need it. Helping others will not only give you the feel-good factor but it will open up discussions and creative ideas with people who have different perspectives and challenges. One way or another you will get just as much out of it as the struggling business next to you.
8. Use other members services
Instead of searching on Google for a supplier, ask the community team or the people around you if they can recommend another member. The solution to your requirement could literally be sat behind you!
If you do give business to a coworker that you see at social events or by the water cooler, then chances are that you’ll get a better service, a better deal and maybe some extra advice thrown in for free!
Summary
A coworking office is the ultimate networking environment without the pressures of sitting through a 3-hour breakfast with strangers and standing up to do a 5 minute presentation.
Your office is not just a desk that you sit at for 8+ hours a day – think about how you can approach your working day differently to integrate into your coworking community.
Developing business and personal relationships with the people you are surrounded by will not only help your productivity, it can also be great for relieving stress and creating a positive mindset about your work-life balance.
About The Brew by rent24
The Brew by rent24 provides coworking spaces and private offices in London for teams of 1-100 people. At The Brew boasts free meeting rooms, superfast internet, excellent community managers and a friendly atmosphere as standard.
We also offer social events, educational business seminars designed to enhance business growth and a curation of wellness workshops and content to support work/life balance and mentally healthy workplaces.
We recently announced exciting expansion plans that are powered by global coworking provider, rent24. As a result, Brew members now have access to over 50 coworking spaces around the world, including Berlin, Amsterdam, Chicago, Moscow, New York and Tel Aviv. And that’s just for starters, as there’ll be more than 185 global locations worldwide by 2020.
Check out www.thebrew.co.uk for more on our coworking offerings or stay up-to-date with the latest in small business news by following us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.