Guide to Managing Your Employees in a Coworking Space

Managing your employees can be a challenge that might require adjusting your management style from time to time. Moving into a coworking office space will be one of those times.

It is time to ditch your old-fashioned office space and try something new. Recently, coworking offices have been all the rage as far as office trends go. Thus, you might want to consider jumping on this bandwagon and try this new office style with your employees. Of course, this radical change would involve other necessary changes. One important change might be a necessary shift in your management style. So, managing your employees would very likely need to change drastically. However, this change can be well worth it.

Make the move from your outdated office to a coworking space

Going through a commercial move is a big project that will take a lot of time, effort, and money. So, you might wonder if this hassle is really worth it. For most, the answer is yes. If you are looking to transfer the office elsewhere or move out, your plan A should be looking for a coworking space that your employees can call their new work home. It will give your employees the opportunity to bond, share ideas, and many more benefits that will make your employees productive. But, let’s not kid ourselves. When there are pros, there are also cons. The good news is that they are all manageable.

Working closely with others will spark many interesting ideas and productive work conversations.

Managing your employees in a coworking office space

A manager’s job comes with many challenges. You must run a tight ship while making sure your employees have a great attitude while being highly productive and efficient. Well, that is easier said than done. On some days, this might sound like mission impossible. However, some managers put in the extra effort and make the necessary changes in their management style. After all, if you want to follow future workspace trends, you must adapt your managing techniques. Here is how you can get it done.

Positive collaboration cannot be left out  

Unlike your old offices, constant communication will not only be an everyday occurrence, but also a constant occurrence in your new office space. That is why it is important to maintain all communication on a positive note. As a manager, you must make sure this happens. There are many ways to promote team spirit and positive communication in the workplace. One of the most effective ways is team building.

Team building options

If you want to be successful at managing your employees, a positive team atmosphere and bonding are key. That is when team building comes into play. When it comes to choosing activities, the sky is the limit. Yet, you should choose wisely. Do your best to choose activities that promote problem-solving, constructive communication, mutual understanding amongst coworkers, creativity, and productivity. If you are on a strict budget and you can’t sponsor a trip or something more financially challenging, don’t give up on the idea of team building. You can always opt for a simpler option like a team lunch or barbeque. These options might not be as efficient in comparison to a trip, but they will still promote bonding and communication amongst your employees.

Team building is a great way to improve team unity and chemistry among coworkers.

Be present when managing your employees

As a manager, do your best to be present. There are several reasons why this will benefit your business and help you manage your employees. For starters, your presence alone in the coworking office space will motivate your employees in record time. Nobody will be goofing around when their boss is present. This might sound unnecessary. After all, we are all adults. Unfortunately, sometimes even adults get too relaxed and lose focus. This is less likely to happen when the head person is present. Also, when you are present, you are more likely to notice gaps and flaws in your processes.

Eliminate unnecessary distractions

Managing your employees means keeping them happy and motivated but also keeping them productive and on point with their tasks and obligations. To keep the ball rolling, you want to have a working environment that doesn’t have many unneeded distractions. One way to keep employees focused on the task at hand is by giving them deadlines for project completion. Make sure that the deadlines provide them a nice chunk of time to complete the work, while not giving them to much space to dilly dally. This is why setting deadlines can sometimes prove to be very challenging.

Don’t overkill it

Surely, distractions are something that all managers want to eliminate. However, be careful when setting boundaries. When dictating office mood and atmosphere make sure that it is not too rigid and stiff. Happy employees will also be productive employees. If you tighten things too much, your workers might feel suffocated, and as a result, something unpleasant will happen. It is very likely that your productivity will drop. You might see high numbers in employee turnover, which is the last thing you want to see. Especially with employees that are skilled and have been around for some time in your company.

Be prepared to deal with confrontations

Don’t be too optimistic. You might think that your workers are professionals and above getting into conflict. Don’t kid yourself. Even the best of us can crack under pressure and get into a heated argument in places where we shouldn’t. Work is certainly a place where we want to avoid scenes and unpleasant encounters. Still, they sometimes happen. As a head manager, you must be prepared to deal with such situations in an objective manner. In case you don’t feel confident in your problem-solving skills in such instances, be prepared to work on it. Take an online seminar or educate yourself in a different manner on how to act in such an instance. Don’t forget: Mitigation is key.

Create a healthy competition between your workers

Since you will be working from a coworking office facility, like it or not, some things will be more transparent. This is not necessarily a disadvantage. When managing your employees, use this to your advantage. Share data and project accomplishments with employees. It can even be done between different sectors, departments, and teams. Share performance reviews to motivate your employees and give credit where credit is due publicly. It will motivate those that are praised even more, and it will light a fire under those that aren’t being acknowledged.

Don’t overshare

You will be working in an open space. Naturally, things will be more transparent than before. Transparency can promote a positive attitude and a sense of belonging. Nevertheless, when managing your employees, be careful about what is shared. As nice as transparency sounds, some data or plans shouldn’t be shared with everybody. For instance, employee salaries and bonuses shouldn’t be shared and known by everybody. Think twice before you make the information available. Make sure it doesn’t backfire on you.

Make counseling available for your employees

While some employees are social butterflies that will love working in a coworking space, some are the opposite. Introverted individuals might struggle in a place that is loud and very dynamic. For such and other problems, it would be great to have counseling available for your employees. This can be done by hiring a professional counselor if you don’t have in-house personnel that deal with such issues. Additionally, as a manager, you can also be involved. One way to be there for your employees is to have an open-door policy.

In the end…

Managing your employees can be done by using various techniques and tactics. Yet, in the end, it is all about reading people. The bottom line is that happy and satisfied employees are productive in the workplace. If this is not the case, it truly doesn’t matter which office type you work from. Make sure that your employees have a sense of belonging to your company. If they feel valued and appreciated, they will in return be loyal. As a manager, do your best to be objective and to treat people the way you would like to be treated if you were an employee. Nothing motivates people like appreciation and a kind word.

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