Coworking Office Spaces // 5 Great Ways to Stay Relevant

Coworking Office Spaces and how they – as businesses – have managed to stay relevant despite the dynamic times.

Businesses are soldiering on in an effort to continue providing products & services, growing their market base & thriving – all during the prevailing ongoing global pandemic.

Organizations have had to restructure their workplace setups for their teams to work remotely. At the end of the day, as a business leader, you need to ensure that everyone can work from wherever they will be most comfortable while staying motivated & inspired. There are many options available, one being in coworking office spaces that can help you find a solid footing as you level up to the next normal.

Coworking office spaces are suitable for any business stage from an individual showing up just for a few days a week, to an SME taking up just a desk and later growing from one desk to two to a private office as the team grows. It could be said that coworking spaces are one of the most challenged in this season considering that they are inherently designed to encourage in-person interactions through sharing an office space, and networking.

Yet despite the shift to remote work, coworking office spaces have managed to stay relevant and to come up with new ways of being sustainable & keep the lights on. We have compiled 5 ways in which shared office spaces manage to stay afloat:

Spaced Out

In line with the COVID-19 Protocols & Guidelines –  issued by WHO relating to social distancing and avoiding overcrowded spaces – coworking office spaces have put in place strict measures ensuring the required physical distance in the office spaces is monitored. Effectively enforced by spacing out office furniture at a distance of 1.5 meters between people in different sitting areas. It also has meant restricting the number of people who can congregate in a meeting room or event when they resume.

Digital Nomads

Coworking office spaces are focused on building a community of businesses that can empower each other, encourage collaboration, business development, and networking opportunities. At Nairobi Garage, we do this through community networking events, such as Member Meets, #AfterOfficeHours, Workshops, and monthly Newsletters.

At the onset of the pandemic, events moved online in the form of Webinars. Nairobi Garage was not left behind. Through the pandemic, we’ve ensured that at least every Tuesday morning there is an information-sharing session for our members and ecosystem.

Hands-Free

Redesigning coworking office spaces to leverage touchless and automatic technology has been a great way to minimize cross-contamination and the spread of germs. Automatic light switches in workspaces, self-cleaning restrooms with automated UV light cleaning cycles are some of the tech-savvy methods that minimize contact with people. Innovative organizations worldwide have provided real-time solutions to make it work for everyone during the pandemic.

At Nairobi Garage we’ve installed touch & hands-free technology at our entry points. While our restrooms have automatic taps, soap dispensers & paper towel dispensers. There is also frequent cleaning and sanitization of all spaces from desks to door handles.

Community Care

Coworking office spaces are built mainly through referrals and testimonials. Ensuring that members are comfortable and well catered to is an important step in creating a good working environment for them where they can put more focus on their job, knowing that their office space needs are met. People thrive in spaces where they feel accepted and cared for.

We have designated Community Managers across our four office spaces in Nairobi. They ensure that the needs of each and every member are met whether they are physically in our space or working virtually. Community Managers also keep members in the loop with ecosystem news, funding opportunities, upcoming webinars, and networking events.

Business Bottomline

People the world over have had to adapt to pay cuts & depressed revenues due to the global recession caused by the pandemic. Many organizations have given up their long-term leased office spaces in a bid to cut down on operational overheads. However, there is still a need for teams to come together to brainstorm, motivate and get work done.

Coworking office spaces, like Nairobi Garage, can offer a flexible alternative so you can pay-as-you-go. For example teams of 100 can take up a private serviced office space of 20 pax then create schedules on when different teams can access & use the space. A great way to keep team functionality, saving on crazy overhead costs and keeping the business alive.

We believe the key to thinking up solutions is empathy which is the best way to put yourself in the shoes of others to understand their challenges. For us at Nairobi Garage our are the core of our operations. We are consistently touching base, to make sure that we are adjusting quick enough to the dynamic times.

Nairobi Garage teams are in the business of giving your innovation space to grow while staying connected to a cool community of organizations and professionals. Allowing you to focus on growing your business bottom line.