Shared office spaces are steadily becoming more and more popular. Companies are constantly trying to downsize, and individual office spaces are one thing that most companies find nonessential. Additionally, shared office spaces have been shown to increase collaboration and relationships with coworkers. With shared office spaces, you can easily turn and ask your coworkers how to solve any problem that you may be having. However, when it is time to buckle down and get some individual work done, there may be an adjustment period for learning how to be productive while in such close quarters with your coworkers. Luckily, there are several tips that can help you with that issue.
Office Furnishings
As always, comfortable and ergonomic office furnishings are a must-have. If your employees are comfortable, they will be more productive. The last thing one of your employees wants to do is swivel in a squeaky chair all day, disturbing both themselves and all of their coworkers. Make sure that the office furniture is up to ergonomic standards as well. This means that the chairs support the lower back, the keyboards and mouse should support the wrists, and there should be a comfortable place to set their feet down. Computer screens should also be set up at the correct angle to prevent any neck or back pain. Being comfortable and being in a position that promotes a healthy posture will help increase your employees’ focus and productivity.
Avoid Noisy Offices
Unnecessary noise is often difficult to work through for some people, so try to avoid workspaces that are in noisy areas. An office building right next to a busy interstate may be cheaper to rent out, but you may find that your employees’ productivity level will drop with all the distracting noise. Likewise, if there is a new building being built next to a potential shared office space, there may be too much noise going on temporarily; it might be best to look for another place. Additionally, you can encourage your employees to wear headphones or earbuds while they are working. This way, the employee can listen to whatever helps them be more focused and productive, and they will not have to worry so much about noise pollution or disturbing their coworkers.
Wellness Areas
It may be beneficial to look for shared office spaces in a building that has a wellness area for your employees to use. A wellness area is usually a small gym-like area that is set up in the building that will give employees a place to get some exercise during the day. This room may be equipped with stationary bicycles and treadmills, or it may just be a quiet room in which to meditate or practice some yoga. A wellness area will not only give your employees a space in which to improve their health, but it can also be a place where they are able to remove themselves from the shared workspace for the span of a few minutes. This time can help them destress from certain situations, which can help improve their health, happiness, and productivity.
Administrative Support
Administrative support is important for any workspace, and shared workspaces are no different from traditional offices. Lobby greeters can be a method to help your employees feel more comfortable with any strange, or new building that they are walking into. Lobby greeters can also help point your employees in the right direction, increasing their comfort level. You may also want to consider hiring secretaries or other administrative support individuals to help out for the period you are in the shared office space. This support can perform small, time-consuming tasks such as creating documents, sending faxes, or making copies of documents. This will ensure that your employees are not spending all of their time on these tasks and that they will have more time to spend on the important tasks in their queue.
Lighting
Another health-related issue that may also help improve productivity is the lighting type and lighting level in your shared office space. Bad lighting can be detrimental to your employee’s health and their productivity. Poor lighting can also cause your employees to constantly squint at their computer screen, causing eye strain. Look for areas with bright, highly efficient lights, or as much natural light as possible. Natural light is much better to work in, as opposed to man-made lighting. Natural light has been shown to improve workplace activity, as well as sleep quality and the overall quality of life that your employees will have. All of your employees will thank you for ensuring that their shared office space is equipped with proper lighting.
Clean the Clutter
Clutter can be detrimental to employees’ level of work. You may hear people say that they work better with a mess on their desks, but this may not be possible in a shared workspace. A cluttered desk can be distracting to neighbours and may decrease their morale and productivity. It has been shown that, generally, clutter can cause poor mental health, inefficient thinking, and overall lower well-being. You may want to choose a shared office space that provides daily cleaners since this will help ensure that the area is kept clean and is constantly being decluttered.
Two-Minute Rule
One last tip to increase productivity in a shared workspace is to encourage employees to use the two-minute rule. It is easy to focus only on the large tasks and forget about the small ones until you become overwhelmed with all the small tasks that have accumulated. This is where the two-minute rule comes in. With this rule, your employees are gently reminded about these small tasks. The rule states that if a task will take less than two minutes to complete, it should be completed immediately, rather than adding it to the end of your to-do list and getting to it later. This rule helps nip procrastination in the bud and increase your company’s productivity.
Working from a shared office space can indeed come with its challenges, but the benefits far outweigh any challenges that you may face. If you are looking for affordable and flexible office spaces to rent out for your company in the Calgary area, look no further than Astra Business Center. Our office spaces are tailored to your needs and have access to all of the important resources that you need to successfully complete a day’s workload, including wifi, security, and free cleaning services. Contact us to discover all that we can offer you.