Afsha
With all the talk going on about coworking spaces and more and more people choosing them over traditional office spaces, they have become the talk of the town. And for a coworking space to truly prosper, there are two major aspects to keep in mind: first, the building of a vibrant coworking community, and second, developing a fluid and dynamic environment.
The coworking space providers make it a point to make their members feel welcomed and comfortable in their workspaces. Therefore, when joining a coworking space, the first thing we encounter is a diverse and welcoming community of individuals from various backgrounds working harmoniously together.
However, all this doesn’t come easy. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes in order to build a community in the co-working space. And in this blog, we learn just that—how do you build a community in your coworking space that helps diverse professionals learn, collaborate, and thrive together under one roof?
So, without any further dilly-dallying, let’s get straight into this!
How to Build a Coworking Community?
Building a thriving coworking community takes time and continuous effort. Below are some ways in which you can build a community in work spaces that would help your members flourish and their businesses grow.
1. Have Onboarding Plans for New Members
Make introductions of the new members to the existing ones and make them feel welcomed on their first day of work.
Keep in mind that people have different personalities and styles. Some might be super outgoing while others are not, so set up an introduction that is comfortable for all.
Here are some other things that you could add to your new members’ onboarding process.
- Offer a guided tour to the new members of the workspace, explaining to them the available coworking services and practices to be followed. Also show them the office amenities, such as the lounge, coworking cafe or pantry, breakout zones, etc.
- Prepare welcome packets for the newcomers, which could include some essential information, merchandise, a personal welcome note, and perhaps also a map of the entire facility.
- Introduce them to the existing members of the coworking community and encourage them to initiate conversations with others.
- Use the buddy system and pair the new members with the already-existing ones. The mentor-mentee pairing can help the newcomers navigate through the coworking workspace.
2. Connect With the Existing Members
Community in coworking spaces is an essential aspect of a flexible shared workspace. It is necessary to build a tight-knit community of coworking space members and engage them actively.
You could also reach out to other community members to organize coworking activities like get-togethers, happy hour parties, after-hours sessions, or casual hangout sessions to get to know them better, understand their interests, and identify any potential chances of collaboration.
Coworking communities are a diverse blend of people from different backgrounds, mindsets, and perspectives; therefore, it is necessary to be yourself and also encourage the members to open up in your workspace by creating a sense of belonging in your coworking spaces.
You should also encourage in-between chats among the members and create online communication groups, which would allow your community members to connect with each other, share their views and ideas, and also form new bonds with the other members.
Read More: Why Switching to Coworking Spaces Are Right Fit for Your Business?
3. Create a Supportive and Friendly Culture
The culture and environment of a coworking space directly affects the community. Therefore, while creating community in the office space, be sure to work towards creating and nurturing a supportive and friendly culture in the office space.
A few things you can do to nurture a supportive work culture are:
- Put the members’ needs above everything else and provide them with opportunities to customize workstations according to their needs.
- Make the members feel heard by collecting ideas, suggestions, and feedback from them regularly. You can also create a team that is responsible for supervising the coworking community’s culture.
- Call attention to the members’ achievements and contributions regularly during coworking activities or other meetings. This would surely make the members feel cherished and valued.
- Promote flexibility at the workspace by providing 24*7 access to coworking meeting rooms, private offices, and shared office spaces to the members.
- Send gifts or pleasantries to the members on their birthdays, anniversaries, and other festivities. This will make the members more connected to the coworking space.
Read More: How to Promote Co-working Space?
4. Organize Events and Attend Them Personally
Aside from just offering coworking events, as a coworking space provider, organizing and attending them personally is something that can work wonders.
Events like music night jam sessions, hackathons, skill development workshops or seminars, yoga sessions, fun Fridays, movie evenings and more such activities always tend to draw a lot of attention from the coworking members. And if you organize and plan these events yourself, you are no longer just the workspace manager but a coworking community member.
Directly being a part of these activities allows you to better understand the overall vibe of your workspace. You’ll get insights on what excites and clicks with the members, along with the things that need to be changed. Learning these things first hand will help you make your coworking space the go-to workspace for many.
5. Partner With Other Organizations or Communities
Partnering with other businesses can make your community in coworking spaces even better. When you develop partnerships with other businesses, you get to offer more coworking services and attract more members. This mutually beneficial relationship helps both the coworking space provider and the local businesses flourish and earn new customers.
For more public exposure, you can partner with businesses like:
- Local cafes and restaurants
- Tech stores and repair services
- Office supply stores
- Local gyms or fitness centers
- Event spaces and organizers
- Professional development and training centers
- Financial services
- Travel companies
6. Share Brand Stories and Encourage Members to Do the Same
Behind every successful brand are unlimited sleepless nights and constant toil. When you share your brand story with your coworking space with your members, you allow them to enter your personal space, your world. And these stories and experiences help you form bonds with your members that go beyond just the coworking space provider and the client bond.
If you feel lost, you can use some of the ideas given below that will inspire you and your members with their stories.
- Origin Stories:
You can discuss how your coworking space came to be and all the challenges and hurdles you faced during your journey in a video or a blog post. You can also encourage the members to do the same. - Member Spotlight:
Regularly feature member interviews or success stories in your coworking activities and on your platform. Understand their journey and the role your coworking space plays in it. - Visual Narratives:
Have a designated corner or a wall mural in your coworking space where members can pin post-its, photos, or short paragraphs describing their experiences. - Collaborative Content:
Encourage the members to co-write blog posts or shoot podcasts about their lives and personal experiences in a coworking space, along with other broader industry trends. - Interactive Social Media Campaigns:
You launch various hashtags, which the members can use to tag you on social media platforms.
7. Use the Power of Social Media Platforms
In today’s world, social media platforms are the ideal places for fostering growing communities. Being on these platforms helps you boost your brand visibility, create an engaging environment for your community members, and attract potential members to your working space.
Make sure to establish your online presence on all major social media platforms to better connect with your existing coworking community members and even potential ones.
Parting Thoughts
So, there you go: 7 steps to jump-start, nurture, and swing your coworking community!
From fostering new connections to helping build trust among the members, we’ve covered it all. And for the most part, most of these steps become easier once you truly start working on them. And just imagine, with effective communication, seamless coworking community event planning, and hassle-free community support, how good of a coworking environment you’d foster at your workspaces!
Also, if you really wish to enjoy the best of coworking experiences, be sure to book your next coworking space with Stylework, where building a diverse, thriving, and vibrant community is our motto. We make sure that you and your business not only get to enjoy the perfect work environment but also have access to a community that helps you grow both as professionals and as individuals.