Happier And Healthier: Shared Workspaces As A Recruitment and Retention Tool

• In today’s globally competitive and digitally connected world, it’s become increasingly hard to recruit and retain the right talent
• Companies large and small are starting to increasingly use shared workspaces to attract and retain the best talent
• There are 6 specific elements that can help operators attract more corporate members to their space

Written by Michael Braun, Lead Community Developer, Bond Collective

Corporate coworking has risen in popularity over the past 12 months. Reports have shown that flexible workspaces offer various types of benefits for businesses large and small, among which is that these spaces are a valuable tool for talent attraction and retention.

Recruiting the right talent to flush out a business team is hard; retaining that same talent is even harder in today’s global competitive world. In critically competitive cities, like New York, a brand’s workspace and culture must be attractive for the new workforce generation; a good paying job is no longer enough for highly-qualified professionals to stick around. If a company is unable to provide an attractive workspace or culture, it will be subject to a set of churn that spells out a death sentence for any company.

Because of this, shared and flexible workspace options are a blessing for companies. These types of work environment provide unprecedented accessibility to space that is sure to wow staff 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 attractive atmospheres for teams of various sizes.

Design a visually appealing space

Flexible workspaces are known for being carefully built out and designed. Operators need to carefully pick out the furniture, the finishings, and the accent pieces in order to create a ‘wow’ factor as soon as a person steps foot into the space. Providing a visually appealing space means that members–individual or corporate–will not be hesitant to invite others into the space.

Offer amenities people can rely on and love

Depending on where you are located and the type of market you are catering to, you need to think about amenities that will enhance the overall workplace experience. These amenities could be: 24/7 access, free coffee and beer, black/white & color printing, conference rooms, welcoming social events, snacks, catering options, concierge services, etc. Offering these types of amenities is likely to attract corporate clients, especially as companies are seeking for creative ways to add value to their job offering.

In-house support team

Something as trivial as the wifi going down can greatly affect the work experience. Having full-time staff in your space that can take care of these minor, yet tedious issues is a of big value for companies; as this is what truly enables them to “plug and play” and not have to worry about day to day administrative, management, or clerical issues; leaving more time for workers to focus on more specific, strategic tasks. As an operator you need to have a staff that is able to deal with issues large and small, people in whom your members can rely on at all times.

Collaboration and socialization

Silos. Burning out. Even the most efficient workers suffer the very real threat of human exhaustion and error. Getting so zoned in work means that one starts to close oneself off to the world. Shared workspaces are full of energy, buzz, and–most importantly–they are diverse. This gives an out to those that might be feeling to stressed or wrapped up in their work and gives them a chance to recharge. You need to design your space in a way that will encourage random encounters among members, as this will foster interaction that can lead to collaboration and innovation opportunities.

It’s all about flexibility

You need to be sure that you are flexible in terms of membership and size. Companies grow and contract, and if you want to successfully attract corporate members, you need to be able to guarantee that you can support their sizing needs, even at a short-time notice. This is beneficial  for companies, as they won’t be forced to put too many people in one area, which can lead to discomfort, or, contrarily, they won’t have too much available space where workers feel alone and left-out. Your flexibility will allow corporate users to feel confident in their surroundings, no matter their team size.

Location and choice

Today, work can be done anywhere at anytime, and as an operator you should offer members of all kinds access to different types of work environments and access to multiple locations. If you operate a single location, you can partner with other operators to give access to your members to workspaces in different areas; if you operate various locations, then it’s easier for you to have a membership package that allows for members to use all of your locations.