Apr 24, 2021
There is a massive transformation in how ‘work’ is perceived in office spaces the world over. Today, the office environment has changed, with many companies trying to strike a balance between work-life whilst maintaining high levels of efficiency and productivity. More and more companies are approaching hybrid working models to emphasize employee well-being. With the help of flexibility, people can focus on their mental health, which otherwise was challenging to manage in traditional office spaces.
Coworking space is one of the ways through which companies can offer a flexible yet engaging and productive work environment to their employees. In addition, these shared office spaces provide a supportive atmosphere that encourages people to be involved in meaningful conversations and connections.
What is a Coworking Space?
A coworking or plug and play office space is where self-employed, office people, freelancers, and many other professionals work in one area. You can even work out of a custom-designed managed office where your team can relax in lounge areas, play a game or two at breakout zones, sit amidst nature in spacious cabins which are well-lit, relax in a calm ambience with biophilic design concept, and work productively in a fully furnished office space that is designed in your brand colors. And the best part is, that you will have best-in-class amenities at your disposal.
Most companies who prefer to use such spaces offer a flexible or the office to their employees, allowing them to work a few days from home and come to office space on other days, thus promoting a healthy lifestyle and well-being. A major advantage of a managed or serviced office is that you can upgrade or downsize your office space as and when you want. The agility of these shared office spaces is their big plus, especially for hybrid teams.
Why is the Emotional well-being of an employee important?
One of the significant challenges a company or an employer face is engaging employees in a way that maximizes efficiency and also keeps the professionals in a happy space. Therefore, promoting a caring culture for employees’ well-being is highly important. If an employee feels lonely or depressed, it will result in poor performance, or higher attrition rates, eventually hampering the company’s performance. On the other hand, a happy, content and satisfied employee will give more than 100%, which will also reflect his positive attitude towards the company.
Such stressed, lonely and unaccepted feelings are more prominent in a work-from-home environment, where people have no one to talk to and express themselves. In such a scenario, a coworking space or serviced office is a suitable alternative, offering a vibrant and engaged community, networking and mentorship events, brand associations and interactive workshops to promote your employee’s well-being.
How does it impact well-being?
After the pandemic, many companies moved to the work-from-home model, which is still followed and appreciated by some people. But, working from home has certain disadvantages, such as isolation or distractions or the burden of doing chores in office timings and not being able to socialize with anyone. Such things result in people feeling pulled in different directions, affecting performance in some ways. The same goes for working out of traditional office spaces where professionals find it difficult to socialize with the same few people every day. Also, in traditional offices, there is the extra burden of managing administrative tasks, reception, security, mail management and more. This causes professionals to feel distracted and burdened and takes the focus away from their core area of operation.
Coworking desks or shared office spaces came as a welcome alternative, and a much-needed relief, to working from home or working from a traditional office space. Here are the reasons how it impacted their well-being:
A feeling of relaxation.
Considering the work-from-home condition, many people are juggling their professional and personal responsibilities. In most cases, people working from home will be disturbed and diverted by home chores, making them late or delayed with essential submissions.
On the other hand, when working in a business center, your team can rest assured that there are fewer distractions. The gypsum reinforced walls ensure lesser noise, the soothing ambience, bean bags in lounge areas, games like snooker, foosball, table tennis etc, open and well-lit spaces, and a community of like-minded people – all this gives the teams a workspace where they can be more relaxed and comfortable in their working environment as compared to a traditional office.
Easy accessibility.
Managed office spaces offer employees a more accessible and flexible option, that is generally missing in a conventional office or work-from-home environment. Most of the coworking spaces in Hyderabad are located in premium locations that are easy to commute also. The prime locations of IT or business hubs are an added advantage to the companies and freelancers alike.
Interaction Opportunities.
These furnished office spaces are a haven for a mix of various professionals who may be from different cultural backgrounds and diverse industry verticals. Thus, people working in these spaces always take advantage of social interactions which they cannot get while working from home. Imagine how nice it would be when you know you have someone besides you with whom you can talk and take a break, it will lead to better engagement and thus resulting in better health and increased productivity.
Chances to Network.
Most plug and play offices conduct numerous activity sessions for their employees that have industry leaders, mentors, or other professionals come up to share their experiences. These interactive workshops, seminars or speaker sessions provide an opportunity to expand the network and connect with people. In addition, having an open conversation where you can share your experiences helps in reducing stress and promoting good mental health as well.
Best-in-class amenities.
If you own a business, you will understand how many things you need to manage to run the place successfully. But, on the other hand, if you take seats in a business center, you will not have to worry about anything as everything will be managed by the workspace provider. You can simply concentrate on your core business objectives and leave the rest of the administrative tasks to the workspace provider.
In such a case, a place that offers you every facility will take a lot of burden off your back, leaving you to only focus on matters most important to you, eventually making you more relaxed and satisfied. Consider the many world-class facilities offered by coworking spaces such as 24×7 power backup, high speed Wi-Fi, security and surveillance, free water, tea and coffee, reception and mail management, housekeeping and maintenance and more.
Automated workspaces
With the automation playing a significant role in managing repetitive and tiring tasks, it allows people to have spare time to take care of their needs. Similarly, many workspaces offer automated facilities such as restricted access control, cloud-based systems, AV equipped meeting rooms, real-time monitoring, facial recognition, and more. Such facilities will enable people to spend less time on administrative work and more time being productive.
Summing it up
Office space on rent is an excellent concept of providing people with necessary facilities under one roof, enabling them to perform better. When people don’t have to worry about managing everything by themselves, like in the case of work-from-home, they will feel more relaxed. iKeva is one such workspace provider with community and member benefits that provides a holistic experience at workspaces.