How to Improve Employee Productivity in a Co-working Space

The concept of coworking has been famous among the freelance community for quite some time now. Flexibility, cost efficiency, networking opportunities, and access to support services are some common reasons why coworking has become the go-to workspace option in the gig economy.

However, the outbreak of Covid 19, which created remote jobs as the new normal, has ever since shifted employer perspectives on workspace and work models. Most importantly, it has given new, cost-effective alternatives for startups and small businesses instead of opting for traditional or formal workspace options.

Research shows that coworking is here to stay and will continue to be the ideal choice for every professional and company adapting to the new normal of Remote Working. Approximately 71.5% of workers who used coworking spaces before the pandemic plan to return, and 54.9% of remote workers who hadn't used coworking spaces previously are now considering them. Additionally, 72% of companies utilize coworking spaces to accommodate hybrid teams?, and by 2030, it is predicted that 30% of all office space will be used flexibly, demonstrating a significant shift towards coworking models.?

Despite the favourable trends and statistics, one factor still prevents companies and freelancers from confidently making this decision productivity.

This article will list simple yet effective ways on how to improve employee productivity in a coworking space if your company is using this model.

Make a Schedule of Your Day's Activities

It is easy to become distracted in a coworking space due to the large number of workers around. Sometimes getting a proper routine or flow to work can be challenging for employees within a coworking space. To overcome this, it is always best to encourage employees to plan their schedule and time in a coworking space.

Whether it is creating a time log or a work tracker, let them plan around their tasks according to priority or deadlines. If you want to understand and address how to improve employee productivity in a coworking space, it is important to make sure the time spent in the remote jobs setting is invested efficiently through a proper to-do-list.

Take Time Off at Work

Any company trying to understand how to improve employee productivity in a coworking space should acknowledge the importance of breaks. Remote jobs already have a blurred line between personal and work life. It is quite easy for employees to overwork in a coworking setting that doesn't really mimic the clock-in and clock-out times.

Getting too invested in the work can make employees forget about proper posture and exercise, resulting in burnout and stress. This can have an impact on productivity and even the retention rate of employees in the company.

Create a culture that lets remote workers in the company take a five to ten-minute break every hour. Taking breaks helps the mind reset and makes it much simpler to resume work with full and replenished focus.

Interact with Other Employees

Being a member of a coworking community means that communication is a complimentary gift. Make employees aware of talking and interacting with other coworkers in the space. This could be remote workers from the same company or even just other professionals. It is a great source for knowledge exchange and networking, or, who knows, in the long run, this can even lead to meaningful partnerships for the company.

Trying to understand how to improve employee productivity in a coworking space requires organisations to step down from an HR point of view and think of the time remote workers spend in a coworking setting. This gives a better perspective on the best ways to get quality work done in less time, i.e., a higher level of productivity.

Avoid Distractions

A coworking space is a gathering place for people from many industries. Distractions can be a common occurrence in such a setting. The best way to not let these distractions affect your remote workers, and how to improve employee productivity is to let them use their own form of tools or strategies to cut out such distractions.

Remote workers in a coworking space can consider earmuffs or headphones as a great option to cancel noise and keep disturbances to a minimum. Employees can also display a warning sign to make it clear to others that they prefer not to converse.

Select a Good Location

When shortlisting coworking options for your employees, make sure to choose one that is rather not very popular or less active on weekdays. This goes a long way in improving the productivity of remote workers.

HR teams can also try to book a majority of the coworking space or units for their employees, this way, there is more of an organisational culture than reflecting the feeling of a dispersed workplace. Doing this can be specifically beneficial to remote workers who need to work as a team to get objectives met. Having a coworking space with other facilities like meeting rooms for rent, IT support, and Admin help can also be extremely beneficial in developing strategies on how to improve employee productivity in a coworking space.

Cleanliness

Studies demonstrate the benefits of a clean workspace for productivity. Nothing is worse than trying to work on a project or a particular task and getting distracted by the clutter of paper, technology, and trash wrappers all around.

This can particularly be a problem for remote workers using coworking spaces, as there is no traditional cleaning and maintenance like with traditional workspaces. Searching for papers or documents can slow you down and make it more difficult to concentrate on the task at hand. Train employees how to make sure they have an organised and clean work or desk space.

Simplify Your Work Process with Coworking Spaces

How to improve employee productivity in a coworking space concerning remote workers takes simple approaches when thought out right. The above-discussed points are such simple yet effective methods organisations can ensure their employees are working up to expected standards and level of productivity.