Coworking is forecast to experience further growth into 2019. With this in mind, you need to make sure your coworking space ticks all the boxes. To stay ahead of the competition, it’s important to provide the perfect environment for innovation, collaboration and creativity.
Here are five important stats that can help inform strategies to make your coworking space more productive, more collaborative and more effective in 2019.
1. 84% of people who use coworking spaces are more engaged and motivated
Coworking spaces make people feel more engaged and motivated. Having access to a flexible working space can be just what some people need to feel more motivated about their work.
However, there are a number of things you can do to your coworking space to enhance the experience and boost productivity further.
Colour psychology studies show that colours can affect our brain and influence productivity, creativity, health, stress levels and a range of other factors.
For example, green is a natural, harmonious colour that is very easy on the eyes. As a result, it is an ideal colour if your members are working for long periods of time. Yellow is the emotional colour of positivity and creativity, while blue is a colour for focus, logic and efficiency.
Indoor plants in your workspace provide better air quality and provide many benefits, from decreased sick days to increased productivity.
Promoting a healthy lifestyle is another proven way to boost engagement and productivity. Offering healthy snacks and drinks will help flexible workers and freelancers maintain a healthy lifestyle.
2. By 2020, 40% of the workforce will be freelance, independent contractors & “solopreneurs”
In the world of local business, word of mouth and personal relationships can often be more effective than traditional forms of marketing.
Reaching out to this vital audience requires a specific strategic approach in order to be effective. Get the word out with local institutions or personalities by offering them a free membership. You can also engage with your local community by hosting coffee mornings and sponsoring local events.
Having a strong local business marketing strategy will help attract the members you need to create a vibrant, collaborative coworking space.
3. 1 in 3 coworking spaces in Britain is curated or serves a niche group
The UK is moving towards a more carefully curated member list when it comes to coworking spaces. By having coworking spaces specifically focused on niche groups such as food & drink, finance, marketing etc., you create a space where like-minded people can meet, work and collaborate.
By being more relatable, they are able to collaborate more effectively. People naturally like to work with like-minded individuals and people who share their concerns.
As coworking spaces increase in demand, there is more room for spaces that cater to specific markets. If you’re looking to start a coworking space in 2019, you could research the area and specialise according to local demand.
Being specialised can give you a competitive edge. You can attract the members you want by hosting training events that go into greater depth on topics that are relevant to the majority of your membership. This can help promote your coworking space as a real font of industry learning.
4. 71% of coworking space members collaborate
Whether it’s to share ideas, services or knowledge, people love to collaborate in coworking spaces. However, they also need to get work done. Collaboration often comes during breaks or at the end of the day. If you want to maximise the power of collaboration, consider ways of optimising this time.
Providing on-site facilities will encourage members to stay, increasing the number of opportunities for collaboration. Similarly, hosting “working lunches” can provide a productive forum for your members without encroaching on their work time.
5. 83% of members say they are less lonely since joining a coworking space
People are more aware of the business benefits to improving their mental and emotional health. The fact that freelancers and solo workers feel less lonely in their coworking spaces is a message you can use to encourage new business and a more collaborative workspace.
When people have a more optimistic outlook, they come out of their shells and are more open to innovation, collaboration and more productive working.
As centres for innovation, coworking spaces have immense potential to change the way people do business. Providing a range of supplementary services and thinking strategically, you can help make your coworking space more effective and more profitable.
1 Comment
Colour psychology and niche specific co-working are the sensible & new points that we need to focus to implement them at work space which helps for more collaboration, focus, creative & productive levels among the co-working space users, the main factors that makes people to choose co-working space as their workspace.
Learnt some new things from the article.