How to attract to the office? That is, about building community in the workplace
Natalia Kozanecka
Just a few years ago, working in an office Monday through Friday seemed natural. Remotely? Only programmers worked. Hybrid? And what does that actually mean? The pandemic has changed a lot - forcing people to work within their own four walls. Working fully remotely, with family "on our backs," learning to separate work and private life - made especially difficult by the lack of change in environment - we learned, as a society, why it is important for us to return to our offices.
Our research, which we conducted in 2022, shows that we come to the office for relationships (you can read more about the condition of employees/chicks and organizations after the pandemic in the RE_work report. This is an extremely important finding that has guided thinking about stationary work.
It is now 2024, and the pandemic has long been forgotten, but the mode of remote and hybrid work has stayed with us for a long time. No wonder - convenience, saving time and money, because after all, commuting costs money, are the main arguments that make the possibility of performing professional duties in a mode other than stationary one of the most important factors for people who are in the process of looking for a job.
In the middle of last year there was already buzz about major companies like Google and Meta announcing a "return to the office," but the trend hasn't quite caught on. While organizations are unlikely to give up on providing remote and hybrid work options any time soon, they are increasingly thinking about what to do to attract their male and female employees to the workplace. Here are some inspirations to help you build community in your workplace.
Learn some ways to attract people to your offices
#1: An interesting place in a good location
The workplace itself, the building and its atmosphere, is extremely important and affects the desire to stay in the office. On the one hand obvious - on the other hand, in the daily routine it can be forgotten. Nowadays, more and more organizations are deciding to relocate and rent an office, taking into account several factors - a good location, a properly equipped interior and... environmental protection. While the first two factors are clear, what does environmental responsibility look like in practice in office rentals?
At Concordia Design, when planning the renovation of the historic building, we decided to do it in the spirit of sustainability - including leaving some elements, such as the floors, which were renovated, opting for furnishings from local manufacturers, which limited supplies and reduced the carbon footprint, or properly planning the circulation of equipment we would no longer use - putting it back for reuse. It paid off, as many of our clients, when deciding to rent an office in Poznan, were not only concerned with design, but also whether the interior was arranged in a responsible way.
#2: Community manager - the heart of your community
The right place - a building - is one thing, while even the best location and the most modern interior are no substitute for a community. Its heart, organizer(s) and guardian(s) is the Community Manager. Therefore, it is worth expanding the internal structure of the organization with just such a position.
At Concordia Design, it is Agnieszka who takes care of our community - she solves current challenges, provides logistical and technical assistance, organizes the space, and with her smile makes everyone feel at home here - not only teams that by definition already function as a group, but also people working in coworking, who in principle can be so-called freelancers.
If you want to find the right person for the position of Community Manager, it is worth paying attention to specific qualities of this person, such as openness, good organization or empathy, when recruiting. In addition, it is important that the prevailing score on the FRIS cognitive style survey is PARTNER - if you want to learn more about the FRIS survey, go here: https://www.concordiadesign.pl/badanie-fris-budowanie-zespolu/
#3 Take care of coworkers
If you rent offices, don't just focus on building team spaces. Coworking offices should account for at least 20% of the space developed for rent. All this is because - just thanks to the development of the remote working model - many companies have dared to go beyond the borders of the city where they are based and attract people from other parts of the country. Therefore, a lot of people have appeared on the market who, on the one hand, need a space to work (because they don't necessarily want to work from home), and on the other hand, need a community with which they can integrate and have relationships.
#4 Give teams something they won't experience when working remotely
Certainly when working remotely, a team or coworking space will not experience...community. But, in order to build this community and strengthen relationships between individuals, you need an idea. Meetings are, of course, the most important, but - in order to engage and attract the community - it is worth getting hooked on a non-standard theme for such events.
Concordia Design often hosts days with delicious snacks. The building is home to The Guardian's award-winning restaurant, Concordia Taste. It's thanks to the skills of the chef that we can provide our community with delicious and customized finger foods that give those working in the building the opportunity to experience something new. Thematic meetings also work well for us - we encourage companies and people working in coworking to introduce themselves, their passions and what they do on a daily basis. In this way we not only provide an opportunity to get to know each other, but also to exchange services with each other. Also, we - or rather, the Concordia Consulting team - share our knowledge and experience.
Concordia Design is not only a building, but also a team that provides consulting services. Using the knowledge of expert people, we often organize lectures for the community on interesting topics, such as - product development, services or organizational culture. In this way, we expand awareness and encourage the development of the organization.
Want to learn how to grow your community? Or are you looking for an office for rent or coworking space in a good location? Stop by for coffee and see how we engage our community.
