Budget Friendly Tips to Create a Healthy and Productive Co-working Space

A Guest post by Reno Macri

Modern technology and the increased popularity of telecommuting has led to the rise of co-working spaces, and according to research by Deskmag and Deskwanted, 74 percent of workers are more productive in such environments. Additionally, more than two-thirds feel more creative and a third of people earn more since moving.

While this highlights the potential productivity benefits of co-working spaces, actually creating a healthy, productive place of work on a budget can still pose a challenge for even the best office fit out companies London and the wider United Kingdom has to offer. Here, we offer five tips to help you achieve success.

1. Choose Your Location Wisely

One of the best budgeting tips is to take great care when choosing the location for your co-working space. While you need the building itself to be easy to find and convenient to get to, so that people actually use it, you also need to try to find a property that is going to be affordable to rent.

“By nature, co-work spaces work well in older and underutilized buildings,” Peter Gasca points out in an article for Entrepreneur.com. “Look for space that has been vacant for a while or is not being used to capacity. You may be able to work a good deal with the landlord or property manager.”

2. Consider Adjustable Furniture

Unlike in a standard office, co-working spaces are likely to be used by a huge range of different people, so it is virtually impossible to cater to their individual needs in terms of ergonomics. However, one potential solution is the inclusion of adjustable seats, workstations, desks and other furniture.

Work with a company offering office refurbishment services and discuss the possibility of adjustable furniture of various types. Not only can this help alleviate problems like backache, it can also provide improvements to productivity and overall well-being, according to Get Britain Standing, resulting in a healthier workplace. As well as this, it will add value to your rental proposition and will help entice new businesses to take up a contract.

3. Create Different Spaces

Co-working spaces tend to focus on providing open plan office space, allowing people to collaborate and communicate easily. After all, one of the primary appeals of co-working environments is the ability for freelancers and other independent workers to engage with others. However, there may be times when privacy is needed, even for a short time. For this reason, you should offer both open plan and more closed spaces.

In addition to appealing to different tastes, you also want your environment to appeal to workers from different generations as well. Millennials, for example, tend to prefer open spaces as they value collaboration, but the Baby Boomer generation tends to value their privacy a little more. Offer both options and let people move freely.

4. Select Your Colours Carefully

Picking a color scheme for a co-working environment can be challenging because you shouldn’t overly brand the space, as it will be used by workers from completely different businesses. However, in terms of colors, blue has been shown to boost concentration, while yellow can boost confidence and creativity.

Although it can be tempted to go for a generic look to please everyone, you may end up pleasing no one. Try to seek out office refurbishment services from businesses with an appreciation for color psychology, or with a willingness to work with you to provide furniture and other equipment which fits with your chosen color scheme.

5. Provide Plenty of Natural Light

Finally, an element of design that the top office fits out companies London has to offer are increasingly aware of is the need to include larger windows and openings, in order to ensure a good amount of natural light gets into workplaces. According to Psychology Today, natural light can improve productivity and reduce instances of depression.

With that being said, artificial light has its role to play, especially in co-working spaces that are accessible at night time. However, the key to good design is ensuring both are provided so that problems like eye strain are minimised, mood and productivity are improved and the environment feels welcoming, rather than dark and dull.

Author Bio:

Reno is a founder and director of Enigma Visual Solutions, a leading commercial interior designer, offering office design services, office refurbishment, office space planning and much more. He enjoys sharing his thoughts on upcoming marketing ideas and design trends. Feel free to follow him on Twitter.

---

Also published on Medium.