HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY AND GET THE RIGHT WORKSPACE FOR YOUR TEAM?
This question sounds plain and simple but not every manager or team leader may come up with the right or completely sensible answer. If you are one of those who encounter some difficulties answering this question, the following tips should help.
1. Find the right location.
What is the right location? The answer here depends on what your team needs and prefers. For most, satisfying the “need” may already suffice. Ideally, you should get a location that is near your address, your employees’ residence, and your clients’ location. Of course, it would be extremely rare for this ideal scenario to happen; that’s why you need to carefully evaluate your priorities. When talking about “need,” what it mostly entails is the accessibility of the area (should be easily accessible with public transport) and the proximity to utilities and other establishments where you may get your supplies.
2. Know the type and amount of workspace needed.
Should you get a conventional office space or would a serviced office be a more preferable option? Or maybe a coworking office space will already suffice? Understand the differences among these options and take into account the pros and cons.
Here are brief overviews of the three:
Basically, a conventional office space means that you will be paying for the periodic rent and you will have to take care of everything after you get the keys. It has the advantage of giving a tenant greater control over everything inside the office but it also means that you would have to get your own people to do the cleaning and maintenance work. You may also need to spend for the furnishings.
A serviced office is an office or office building managed by a facility management company. Typically located in business districts and large cities, it already has everything that is needed in an office. Additional services may be provided upon request. Good examples of this type of office space are those being offered by Compass Offices.
Co-working spaces, as the name implies, are workspaces shared with other persons (usually freelancers) or with personnel from other organizations. This would be the cheapest option but you will have to bear with the fact that the space you will be using will not be exclusively yours. Still, there are major advantages that cannot be ignored. Companies like Acceler8 provide strategically located coworking spaces that offer the advantages of convenient location, easy scalability, and access to essential services.
If you have a small team of around 3 to 5 people, it will be better to go for coworking spaces. You can just move to a bigger place, a serviced office for instance, once your team grows. Usually, you will not be bound by long-term contracts so moving to a new office shouldn’t be a problem.
3. Choose a space that comes with complete business facilities and extra perks.
If you have already determined the right office type and size at the right location for you, make sure that you will be having access to complete business facilities and take into account the perks you will be getting from the options you are considering. MyOffice, for example, has great DIY workstations complete with printing and scanning equipment. The company’s spaces could be the most suitable for the type of work or project you are doing. Some offer other enticing perks like free access to a common meeting room and kitchen as well as complimentary Wi-Fi connection and supply of water, coffee, and tea.
4. Use FlySpaces.com
If you are having a hard time finding excellent workspace options in the Philippines, use FlySpaces. The site allows you to quickly find the space you need. You just have to select your city and the category of the space you require, and you will have a myriad of options complete with all the details you need to make a well-informed decision, from the rates to the capacity and special features. An interactive map is even conveniently presented alongside the space options available. Even better, you can quickly rent the space you find through FlySpaces. You just have to sign up for an account.
5. And lastly, come up with a shortlist and make your team vote.
Who else gets to say that you've made the right move? Yep, you got that right - YOUR TEAM!
If you are not sure which workspace is the best one to get, have your team involved in the decision making proces. Choose at least three options you deem worth considering and bring them to a vote. Of course, it would help if pros and cons were already identified so it's easier and less time consuming. Present all the information you have about the options and encourage the team to provide some inputs before proceeding with the vote.
In sum, the best workspace is the workspace at the right location, with the right size, the right type or set-up, and the desirable features and perks. If you consider the tips mentioned above, finding the best workspace for your team shouldn’t be difficult.