As we ease out of lockdown, using co-working or flexible private office space for rent is a brilliant way to keep your team connected during this time of remote working. Especially for those in the South of England, where there are coworking spaces available near Southampton and the surrounding areas ready to welcome your workforce. But maintaining productivity in these shared environments can be challenging. Below we present eight suggestions to boost productivity within your coworking spaces.
Explore Options
Before settling into a shared office space, you want to make sure that your business and work culture fits in with the community fostered in the office you choose. It’s also important that you get the right level of privacy available, as well as the potential for networking and making connections. You also may want to check the amenities you might need like video conference services, break out rooms and audio-visual equipment.
Foster constructive engagement
It’s a hard balance to strike between community engagement and getting work done. The whole point of collaborative workspaces is to talk and learn from one another but simply chatting often leads to procrastination and lack of productivity.
A good rule to apply is that all interactions with others should have the purpose of being beneficial to your project or team, whether seeking inspiration or connections to other businesses. The last thing you want to do is distract others around you from their work and become an office nuisance, so maintaining constructive co-worker relationships is important especially in shared office spaces.
Overcome procrastination
Procrastination can be an issue in any working environment, but especially in coworking spaces where people are collaborating and chatting all around you. We all do it, postponing the biggest tasks on our list because they take the most time and concentration. Self-discipline plays an important role in any working environment.
Setting strict deadlines and goals for yourself during the workday is the best way of tackling this issue and some recommend you take on the hardest task first so that you don’t end up putting it off until the end of the day. Breaking the task up into smaller achievable milestones and taking regular breaks are great ways to prevent feeling overwhelmed and this helps to maintain your productivity.
Movement opportunities
Taking breaks often only helps productivity if the breaks themselves are spent wisely. Movement during breaks is a great way to focus on something else and be in tune with the present and your surroundings. Placing printers and copy-machines on the opposite side of the room to desks or having a central water station creates reasons for standing and moving which also allows more opportunities for people to interact and foster a working community. You might also consider choosing an office or coworking space with attached wellbeing facilities, such as health and beauty treatments, osteopathy and a gym or recreational area.
Stand-up desks and workstations offer and encourage shifting positions often throughout the workday which is a great idea as we all get uncomfortable sat in the same position all day anyway. New offices and co-working spaces from organisations such as Agora in Southampton, the south of England are designed with modern innovations to encourage movement in a welcoming environment.
Hide gadgets from yourself
Scrolling on smartphones, tablets and other gadgets is a common distraction even outside of work despite also helping us stay organised. With so many screens calling out for your attention with notifications, keeping them in a secure place during working hours like a drawer in your desk can significantly improve productivity.
Networking
Networking events in private office space for rent and co-working offices can range from guest speakers, workshops and mixers which can be a great opportunity to form good relationships with co-workers. They can also help you to build a network with people from external companies to your own and bridge the gap between industries for potential fresh ideas and perspectives for your work projects. Networking events are key to promoting effective collaboration and connection in the workplace.
Use meeting rooms
Many collaborative workspaces offer various meeting rooms available to choose from and book, including conference and training rooms. These are in popular demand, so booking ahead is crucial but making the most of these is great for when your team really needs to regroup and focus or if you have reached a key stage on a project where you all need to be on the same page. This minimises the potential for any distractions from surrounding conversations as you can have privacy. Co-working spaces in locations such as Agora in the South of England have a wide selection of meeting rooms and spaces designed to meet all business needs including screens for presentations.
Get properly equipped
It goes without saying that noise is one of the biggest distractions in a shared office space. If noise is something you know you can’t block out, investing in a quality pair of noise-cancelling headphones could save you from frustration. Also making sure to have a spare set of cables and cords for electronics is always useful so that there’s no risk of losing battery which could impact your productivity. Also making sure you are comfortable where you are working can make all the difference, choosing locations equipped with comfortable chairs and seating areas is vital.
There are many shared office spaces available in the Southern part of England, so if you’re looking for office space in Southampton or Bournemouth there are plenty available. These environments are a key part of modern working, especially as working from home has become the new normal and many companies no longer need their own, expensive private offices. These spaces allow companies to meet up as often as needed to discuss important matters or work collaboratively, without the need to rent out a permanent office space.
These 8 ways to make your co-working space more productive should help you to achieve the work progress you want, whilst making the most of collaborative workspaces. To book your place in our Southampton office and coworking spaces, call us on 02382 356 966 or fill out an enquiry form.
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