Future of work newsletter free subscription Future of work newsletter free subscription Future of work newsletter free subscription
  • Marketplace
  • Resources
  • Business Directory
  • Events
  • Advertise
  • Brand Pulse
  • Publish a Press Release
  • Get the Newsletter
  • Contact
  • About Us
The FUTURE OF WORK® since 2003
Allwork.Space
No Result
View All Result
Subscribe
  • More
    • Columnists
      • Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
      • Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
      • Angela Howard – Culture Expert
      • Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
      • Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
    • Get the Newsletter
    • Events
    • Advertise With Us
    • Publish a Press Release
    • Brand PulseNew
    • Partner Portal
  • Latest News
  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Work-life
  • Career Growth
  • Tech
  • Design
  • Workforce
  • Coworking
  • CRE
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Columnists
      • Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
      • Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
      • Angela Howard – Culture Expert
      • Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
      • Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
    • Get the Newsletter
    • Events
    • Advertise With Us
    • Publish a Press Release
    • Brand PulseNew
    • Partner Portal
  • Latest News
  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Work-life
  • Career Growth
  • Tech
  • Design
  • Workforce
  • Coworking
  • CRE
  • Podcast
No Result
View All Result
Subscribe
Allwork.Space
No Result
View All Result
Home Business

It’s Not Your Coworking Space, It’s Their Personality: Why Some Members Simply Don’t Engage

Cecilia Amador de San JosébyCecilia Amador de San José
November 30, 2018
in Business
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
why some members simply dont engage

A recent study found that almost 50% of the variability in engagement can be predicted by people’s personality

  • Flexible workspace operators often have a hard time getting their introverted members to engage with others.
  • Engagement has been shown to improve productivity, creativity, and happiness levels.
  • A recent study analyzed by the Harvard Business Review showed that character traits greatly influence how much a person engages with others in the workplace.

One topic proposed for the unconference sessions of GCUC UK this year was: “How do I get my shy members to interact more with each other?”

It’s a question many flexible workspace operators have seeked to answer; after all, community is one of the added values that shared workspaces offer to the market. Yet, there’s always one, two, a few, or a handful of members that don’t seem to mingle as much  with the rest of the community.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as 22% of coworking members identify as introverted and 47% as ambiverts, according to a presentation made during GCUC Canada this year.

  • Suggested reading: “Research Points to ‘Collaboration Curse’ in Coworking Spaces”

Still, it seems only natural that operators want their members to be engaged. One of the brand promises of flexible workspaces is that they will help people be productive, that they will help professionals battle loneliness, and help individuals build a strong network. Engagement is key to delivering on that promise.

A recent HBR article states that “when employees (this goes for workspace members as well) are engaged, they display high levels of enthusiasm, energy, and motivation, which translates into higher levels of job performance, creativity, and productivity. (…) In contrast, low engagement results in burnout, higher levels of turnover, and counterproductive work behaviors such as bullying, harassment, and fraud.”

Engagement has many benefits, both at the personal and professional level. Yet, no matter how many times studies have proven that collaboration and engagement are beneficial, there are some people that stray away from interactions at all costs. Flexible workspace operators have tried to appease this by offering events catered to introverts, but nothing seems to have hit the right spot…at least not yet.

There are some that have argued that there’s not much operators can do. If a person wants to be left alone, then he or she needs to be left alone; there shouldn’t be a need to push  or force people into interacting with others. It’s who they are.

HBR’s recent article “Is Employee Engagement Just a Reflection of Personality?” looks to a recent meta-analysis that set out to estimate the degree to which people differed in engagement because of their character traits.

The study found that “almost 50% of the variability in engagement could be predicted by people’s personality. In particular four traits: positive affect, proactivity, conscientiousness, and extroversion. In combination, these traits represent some of the core ingredients of emotional intelligence and resilience. Put another way, those who are positive, optimistic, hard-working, and outgoing tend to show more engagement at work. They are more likely to show up with energy and enthusiasm for what they do.”

The easy, quick fix to the engagement question would be then to only take on members that have an “engageable personality”. But, that would mean losing on at significant amount of potential members. It would also go against one core value of coworking: inclusivity.

On the other side, the study also found that at least half of engagement comes from contextual factors from a person’s work and work environment. This means that although you can’t force your shy members to interact constantly with others, you can definitely give them a little push in the right direction. This can be done through your design or your events roster.

Stay tuned for ideas on how to get introverted members to engage with your workspace community.

More stories for you

You Won’t Believe How Much It Costs to Start a Coworking Space — Or How Profitable It Can Be

You Won’t Believe How Much It Costs to Start a Coworking Space — Or How Profitable It Can Be

6 hours ago
Jonathan’s Flex Diary Can WeWork’s New Campaign Win Back The Business World

Jonathan’s Flex Diary: Can WeWork’s New Campaign Win Back The Business World?

7 hours ago
London Flexible Office Provider Workspace’s Occupancy Falls As Large Clients Leave Following Rise Of Hybrid Work

London Flexible Office Provider Workspace’s Occupancy Falls As Large Clients Leave Following Rise Of Hybrid Work

15 hours ago
11 Ways To Build Social Capital A Guide For Coworking Operators And Community Builders

11 Ways To Build Social Capital: A Guide For Coworking Operators And Community Builders

1 day ago
Tags: Coworking
Share5Tweet3Share1
Cecilia Amador de San José

Cecilia Amador de San José

Cecilia is an experienced writer and editor with a background in strategic communications. She has written articles for Allwork.Space on several topics, including the future of work, flexible workspaces, employee wellness., and more.

Other Stories Recommended For You

You Won’t Believe How Much It Costs to Start a Coworking Space — Or How Profitable It Can Be
Coworking

You Won’t Believe How Much It Costs to Start a Coworking Space — Or How Profitable It Can Be

byUltraSoftBIS
6 hours ago

Coworking spaces can be profitable but success depends on location, costs, and smart strategy.

Read more
Jonathan’s Flex Diary Can WeWork’s New Campaign Win Back The Business World

Jonathan’s Flex Diary: Can WeWork’s New Campaign Win Back The Business World?

7 hours ago
London Flexible Office Provider Workspace’s Occupancy Falls As Large Clients Leave Following Rise Of Hybrid Work

London Flexible Office Provider Workspace’s Occupancy Falls As Large Clients Leave Following Rise Of Hybrid Work

15 hours ago
11 Ways To Build Social Capital A Guide For Coworking Operators And Community Builders

11 Ways To Build Social Capital: A Guide For Coworking Operators And Community Builders

1 day ago
Advertisements
Workspaces Run Better On UltraSoftBIS
Advertisements
Nexudus - Tech Stack Lovers

Unlock your competitive edge in tomorrow's workplace.

Join a community of forward-thinking professionals who get exclusive access to the latest news, trends, and innovations that are shaping the future of work.

©2024 Allwork.Space News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Exploring the Future Of Work® since 2003.

Advertise   Newsletters   Privacy Policy   Terms Of Use   About Us   Contact   Submit a Press Release   Brand Pulse   Podcast   Events   

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Topics
    • Business
    • Leadership
    • Work-life
    • Workforce
    • Career Growth
    • Design
    • Tech
    • Coworking
    • Marketing
    • CRE
  • Podcast
  • Events
  • About Us
  • Solutions
    • Advertise | Media Kit
    • Publish a Press Release
    • Brand Pulse
Subscribe

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
-
00:00
00:00

Queue

Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00