By Michael Braun, Lead Community Developer, Bond Collective
While the obvious benefits of shared office spaces and coworking are a value add for the hundreds of companies we work with (cost, flexibility, hands-off setups), so many more large teams are joining our spaces and our team is hearing a very different set of feedback. Recruiting the right talent to flush out your team is hard, retaining that same talent is even harder. In a critically competitive city like New York, if your office, culture, and branding aren’t attractive to those that are hired to further your mission, you’ll be subject to the same set of churn that spells out a death sentence for any company that wants to make an impact.
Shared office spaces like that at Bond Collective provide unprecedented accessibility to an office that is sure to wow your employees and clients alike. Without needing to dump a few million dollars into building the next Google HQ, design-forward shared workspaces carefully and deliberately create productive and sexy atmospheres for teams of any size. Whether you’re one person and you want to increase your quality of life, or you’re a team of 200 that needs to put together a custom project without the burden of construction, the gamut of possibilities is endless. Below are a few subtle benefits of shared office space and coworking that your employees will definitely notice a lack thereof.
Sexy Spaces
The obvious one: shared office spaces (at least the ones that you should care about) are just straight up cool to work in. The design elements are heavily sought after furniture and finishings, and there’s always that ‘wow’ factor when you first walk in the door. In application, someone coming in to learn more about your company is going to be impressed. If it’s a space they can imagine themselves working in, they’re going to be more receptive to the conversation. That sentiment doesn’t dissipate when they do come on board, and it’s a badge of honor to work out of a space that they can show off to friends, family and colleagues. And the most important operational component: it doesn’t fall on your credit line to furnish and build.
Amenities They Can Rely On and Love
24/7 access, free coffee and beer, black/white & color printing, conference rooms, welcoming social events, need we say more? When you move into a shared office, you instantly gain access to tons of amenities that are available whenever you need them. From printing at 2am to prep for a conference the next day, to getting refreshments and conference rooms set up for your next board meeting, our amenities and staff members always have your back.
Crisis Management
Your wifi goes down or there’s a leak in your office, what do you do? In a conventional space, that burden is completely on you. Find a specialist and a contractor, spend thousands in repairs, and use precious employee time to fix an issue that shouldn’t be your problem. If you’re in a shared space like Bond Collective? That burden is on us. Our community managers can anticipate issues before they arise and are always your first line of defense. We’ve been through it all, and will not only work to resolve or best address the issue, but keep you updated as the progress warrants it. No productivity time is lost when you don’t need to worry about the sky falling and needing to pick up the pieces. Your employees don’t have to be concerned about wasting their time with annoying clerical tasks, and always have a point of contact to go to if they need something. And in what is becoming the mantra from an operational standpoint: it doesn’t fall on your credit line to fix or manage, and you can save those manpower hours.
Collaboration and Socialization
Silos. Burning out. Your most efficient employees suffer the very real threat of human exhaustion and error. Getting so zoned in to your work means you start to close yourself off to the world. In a conventional space? Your employees are only interacting with other employees. ‘Shop talk’ doesn’t stop, and they get pushed further down that road. Long nights turn into long weeks, long weeks turn into a job hunt. In a shared workspace however, energy is always high and buzzing with outside activity.
Fostering interaction with other companies enables your employees to leave that scary overworked zone, and gives them the ability to network in a healthy and supportive environment. Your employees passively become a stronger advocate for your brand when encouraged to talk about their work to the people around them. Hint hint, nudge nudge, it’s not only a bonus from a mental health standpoint, but becomes a breeding ground for collaboration and sales.
Custom Built Offices
Things are going well, you’re five employees strong and know you want to grow. That second round of funding comes in, and all of the sudden your team size triples. You’re trying to figure out how it could possibly still be allowed under fire code to have this many desks in one room. Sadly the conventional lease you’re trapped in has little to no wiggle room for growth. Shared workspaces however enable unparalleled flexibility. Upgrading is always encouraged, and we’ll work with you individually to find the perfect fit. What does this mean for your employees? They can feel confident in their surroundings, and as your team changes, the space they call home can change with it.
Location Flexibility
A staple of modern working environments is the ability to work remotely. Working out of a space that has multiple locations in the city or across the country means that your employees don’t have to worry about proper access to space if they can’t make it in to the office. While working remote isn’t a staple in all company cultures, being part of a space that hosts a broader network of amenities will be a huge benefit to employees and prospects searching for something approachable.
In summary, the subtle benefits of being in a shared office space speak volumes to those that are tasked with furthering your mission, or considering becoming a part of it. Working out of a space they can aesthetically be proud of breaks the mold of the ‘nine to five’ expectation, and makes commuting into the office that much more attractive. Consistent, user friendly, premium amenities are always at their disposal, and you can rest easy knowing that operational and clerical hurdles that come with managing an office are not your burdens to bear. While it’s a trend that’s getting more attention in the past few years, it’s no surprise that Fortune 500 companies are making their way into coworking and shared office spaces!
Join the creativity and innovation today.
INTERESTED IN JOINING THE DYNAMIC COMMUNITY MEMBERS FEATURED IN THIS BLOG SERIES? COME IN FOR A PERSONALIZED TOUR OF ANY OF OUR BOND COLLECTIVE LOCATIONS TODAY.
FOCUS ON YOUR DREAM, AND WE’LL HANDLE THE REST.