Subline – How engaged are your employees at work? Chances are, not much. Co-working space can boost employee identity. Here’s how.

As per Gallup’s report titled “State of the Global Workplace 2017”, 67% of employees are not engaged at work. Another 18% of the employees are completely disengaged from their work. This forms the majority of your workforce!
As a founder or business owner, what can you do to improve the dismal employee engagement, productivity and ultimately the workplace happiness?
The answer lies in the type of office you choose for your company. Co-working spaces are the workplaces of the present. With the way people work changing drastically, the place where they work also needs to keep up. Co-working spaces are designed to solve the slump commonly witnessed in traditional offices and corporate spaces.

Here’s how shared workspaces impact the employee’s identity:

#1. Innovative design of the space

– Your team members do not need fancy offices to enhance their productivity.
Natural light, collaborative seating, private meeting rooms and networking zones increase employee satisfaction and productivity.
Creative collaboration happens when people are free to move around, without feeling tied to their desks.
In a traditional workspace, there is hardly any opportunity for connecting with people in the company other than the teams they work with. This can lead to professional isolation.
With open seating and a community of professionals who’re open to interacting and collaborating with others from different backgrounds, co-working spaces boost your employee’s self-confidence. Because, networking leads to thriving at a co-working space, both professionally and socially.

#2. Productivity

– Aesthetically and thoughtfully designed workplaces improve productivity. Dingy lighting, colourless interiors and isolated cubicles together create an environment that is uninspiring and often depressing.
A co-working space offers ambiance that includes lots of open spaces, sun-light rooms, greenery and vibrant settings to change the overall mood of the place. Without having to invest in an expensive redesign of the interiors, you can afford the benefits of a well- designed workspace with a co-working membership.
The employees will look forward to coming to offices instead of counting minutes for the day to end. And happy employees, are more confident about themselves.

#3. Collaboration

– Innovative office spaces smash expectations of creativity, to supercharge it. At the same time, employees adapt to this attitude. They are more creative at bouncing ideas within the teams and among different departments.
As opposed to traditional offices where people work in silos to solve problems, co-working spaces encourage them to come together to work on projects.
For your employees, each one gets a chance to create their identity and be known for their expertise. This leads to word-of-mouth publicity for your brand.

How do co-working spaces boost the identity, productivity, health and happiness for employees?

#1. Movement

– Today, with desk jobs, our thumbs and fingers get more exercise than any other part of the body! A majority of us spend the entire day sitting at a desk, tapping on our devices.
However, did you know, that in an 8-hour shift, you should ideally be sitting for 2-hours, maximum? Research by Jack P. Callaghan found the ideal sitting to standing ration to be 3:1. This means, for every 3-minutes of sitting, you should be standing for 1-minute.
The reason why it is crucial to promote movement in a workspace is that physical activity improves the posture and is essential for collaboration. Employees are more alert after taking a walk or having a conversation with their colleagues. These positive interactions reduce or eliminate the negative feelings about the workplace.
Co-working spaces have standing desks, cafeterias, terrace gardens and gaming zones where the co-workers can come to relax from their tension.
For your employees, this means that whenever they feel a downtime, they have recreational activities to get their mojo back.

#2. Flexible layouts

– Gone are the days of the static workforce. With the rise of remote working and the growing number of start-ups and corporates promoting it, flexible design is an important element.
Co-working spaces have dynamic designs. Workstations that can be converted into standing desks, movable walls and areas that serve as lounges and meeting rooms collectively.
From an employer’s perspective, co-working spaces are designed taking into consideration employee wellness. Private cabins and conference rooms give you privacy when needed. The terrace doubles up into a trendy space or a bar after the office hours where the members can unwind after the daily hustle.

#3. Health

– Productivity and happiness improve when the health of the employees takes the centre-stage of the workspace design. Along with promoting a healthy lifestyle, these workspaces offer nutrient-rich snacks, encourage walk-meetings and have sit-and-stand desks.
By alternating between the standing and sitting positions, your employees get a kick of energy, reduced body pain and improvement in their posture. Some co-working spaces take this a step further and have work-out zones where the members can sweat out the calories of the day.

#4. Greater control over work-life balance

- Employees caught up in a traditional office lifestyle often find that they have much less time for themselves than they would ideally want. With long commute times, much of the day is spent in travelling from home to office and vice versa. This hampers their work-life balance and increases their stress levels, negatively impacting their productivity.
By contrast, when signing up at a co-working space, employees can choose a space that is close to their homes so that commute time is reduced. They can enter and leave the co- working space as needed unlike in a regular office, so they can easily take care of family commitments.
Flexibility goes a long way in helping employees regain their work-life balance. By being in control of their own time, employees can give family and personal commitments due priority while concentrating better on their work. This has a positive impact on their mental health and their sense of self-worth, as they can now focus optimally on everything.

#5. Greater control over work hours

- Most co-working spaces are open 24x7. This means that employees can work during hours of their choosing rather than restricting themselves to the 9-to-5 schedule.
People have different natural rhythms and co-working spaces allow them to work in sync with that rhythm, be it an early morning work session or an all-nighter. They can also choose to take breaks in between work to attend to kids or family, pick up the groceries or hobby classes.
Employees can plan their workhours based on the personal needs. They can get their work done much faster and more efficiently while chalking out enough time for sleep, family and hobbies.
This helps boost the employee’s mental health and allows them to lead a more fulfilling life.

At Kontor Space, our mission is to keep your employees happy, productive and healthy. Get in touch with us today, to know more about the workspace and amenities we offer to start- ups and small and large enterprises.