Networking opportunities, cost-effective workplaces, and a community-orientated environment are what makes co-working spaces interesting to work in.  

Co-working businesses enjoy diversity and collaboration in their environment. Although, when their members grow over time, some issues regarding the culture at the co-working space may arise. This isn’t a pleasant experience and we don’t you to go through this difficulty. 

That is why in this article we will be showing your 9 strategies to foster a culture in a co-working business. 

9 strategies to foster a culture in a co-working business 

1) Define your mission and vision

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Culture in a shared co-working space can’t be established without clearly defining your mission and vision with your team and members. If you find yourself, someone who hasn’t defined their mission within the business, it is time to sit and work on it. 

Your mission and vision statements determine behaviors and attitudes within the environment you are working in. Your team and members should be aware of this culture and operate in the same way possible. 

You may try putting up pictures on the wall or accessories on your desk that reflects the company’s mission and vision statement. It will significantly influence the company culture and the way they feel when around your working environment. It is a vital part of culture-building when working with your members as you are considered to be one family there and are together for many hours.

2) Maintain healthy communication 

Ensure you maintain communication with all your members. Try to ensure you can find a time and day when every member in the co-working space is available, so no one misses out. Healthy communication is the key to a thriving culture in the working environment. 

You would be surprised that 86% of workspaces fail due to a lack of communication and collaboration with their team and members. Also, teams and members who communicate show an increase in productivity by about 25%! 

Even if members are working on a different project, healthy communication makes them want to stay around your presence and influence their productivity in the co-working space. 

3) Setup regular meetings 

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Company managers should seek to develop a habit of conducting regular meetings. Regular meetings keep you aware of daily activities and constantly encourage your team and members to stay aware of the company’s goals and personal goals. It builds unity and comfort for everyone. 

Even if someone isn’t at the office, include them with the help of virtual meetings or calls. 

4) Encourage knowledge sharing

It would be selfish to set up a culture that only goes your way. Knowledge sharing is a huge part of setting up the proper learning culture. 

When your team and members are engaged and share their knowledge, it’ll create an engaging environment, not making anyone feel left out. They’ll also feel good about themselves because you are trying to get the best out of everybody. 

5) Promote flexibility 

Flexibility is the key to fostering the desired culture in sharing office space. 

Flexible schedules are commonly popular for everyone who wants to work at offices and remotely. Thanks to technological innovations, the idea that everyone should be in the office simultaneously is not necessary anymore. 73% of employees have claimed that flexible work schedules have increased their overall work satisfaction. 

The concept of work flexibility brings freedom to working members and allows them to properly structure their way of working the way they want to. 24/7 access co-working spaces are the only type of co-working spaces that will enable this since they don’t require a specific time for anyone to be at the office.  

6) Organize events outside the shared space

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Sometimes, members are so concentrated on the co-working culture that they don’t have enough time to observe what is going on outside the co-working space. To break these barriers, you can organize events outside the office. 

For example, a night out with all the members. It is a good way of connecting and doesn’t always mean you should only do that when working together. 

This will improve the overall well-being and satisfaction within your workforce. Lots of employers have embraced this corporate wellness program that can be tailored to the personal needs of their employees. Caring for their mental health is very important and having a ‘work-life balance’ is key here.

7) Use corporate giving software

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A corporate giving software is responsible for increasing the engagement of your members and helping you showcase corporate social responsibility (CSR). 

Corporate giving software showcases your CSR strategy and influences the working environment culture. This is a significant part of keeping a healthy culture in a workspace. 

The best corporate giving tools in the market are found when you find the perfect CSR tool, also known as workplace giving programs. Corporate and employee giving are in the form of: 

• Fundraising events
• Employee assistance funds 
• Volunteering time 
• Donating specific in-demand things to a non-profit organization 

One example of a corporate giving software is Alaya. The software offers: 

• Grant management: allows you to run payroll donations and matching 
• Volunteer management: lets you track and report all field and online volunteering 
• Employer branding: will enable you to customize your platform and add your personality and branding 
• Workplace culture: allows you to build and maintain employee engagement and participation 

8) Collect feedback and ideas from your team and members

Feedback is a crucial part of co-working business culture. Since everyone is sharing space with diverse people, some may need help adjusting to the working environment. Feedback is the best way to ensure this. 

It would help if you involved your team and members in the decision-making process. This will make you open to new ideas and foster a better culture in the co-working business. When members of the co-working space are involved and heard, engagement will take place automatically.

You may create a positive culture at the co-working space and retain members for more extended periods with an influential culture. You may even require assistance from a community manager to help you build and foster an excellent culture at the shared workspace. 

9) Use employee engagement software 

Every business considers employee engagement vital for their productivity. This is because employees will be loyal, happier, and establish a better working experience at the workplace, and in this case, at a shared space too. 

Moreover, every shared space needs to have an employee engagement platform that will assist employees in working and not get that feeling of discomfort when sharing space with other members. 

The best employee engagement software out there is the one that seeks to grab your employee’s attention, and that way, it increases their overall productivity no matter where they are operating from. An employee engagement software is separated into four categories: 

• Recognition
• Wellness 
• Surveys
• Perks 

There are many ways an employee from your team may be given a thumbs up for their job. We took an example from Perkbox to see how an employee engagement software operates: 

• Employee-to-employee recognition: includes shoutouts and creates an engaged company culture, especially in shared workspaces. 
• Company polls: a fair small competition is held as employees vote for colleagues who deserve recognition. 
• Milestone celebrations: anniversaries, events, birthdays, and much more. 
• Employee rewards: any rewards or recognition you choose are given to employees. 

Benefits of coworking spaces 

The truth about coworking spaces is that they can really create an environment filled with link-minded people who love to work together and collaborate. Here are the three main ways how fostering a culture at a coworking business is beneficial: 

• Your coworking business becomes a caring community: all the members are seeking ways to collaborate, and ultimately practice new ways of working. 
• Establishes a culture that allows everyone to succeed: a good culture at a coworking business means a culture that ensures everyone has what they need to succeed and achieve their career goals. 
• They create more productivity: one of the best ways to achieve your maximum potential and pass it on to the other members. With the many obstacles out of the way, a stronger culture at the coworking space means happier and more engaged members. 

Wrapping up our 9 powerful strategies 

That sums it up for this article. Hopefully, it has brought some new ideas for the way you will foster your new culture at your co-working business. Remember, fostering a culture at a coworking business can be easy to set up, but it just takes the right culture to operate smoothly for every member there. 

This article went on an in-depth review of how you could make everything work in a shared space and what to expect from it. Communication, organizing events outside the office, defining your values and mission, and using the right software makes a co-working business’s best culture. Exactly what you are going to do!