Building a Sense of Community in the Workplace
By Bruntwood
With the workplace as we know constantly changing, it’s now more important than ever to create a culture that will keep your team motivated. However, achieving this goes far beyond just designing a space that accommodates your employees’ needs. Instead, it’s all about building a sense of community in the workplace and creating a cultural, vibrant environment in which colleagues can thrive.
The benefits of the right workplace community are countless, from increasing communication to promoting a sense of togetherness and improving levels of creativity and productivity. At Bruntwood, we’ve always recognised this, creating workspaces of the future to cater for the changing environment of the officescape.
Why is Community Important at Work?
When it comes to building a sense of community in the workplace, there are a number of different benefits for both employers and employees. In fact, research has found that having a close friend at work significantly improves job satisfaction and motivation, so it’s hardly surprising people are seeking out roles in sociable, fun, and supportive environments.
Strong workplace communities can help to:
Attract and retain talent
Create a sense of belonging
Increase morale and reduce stress in the workplace
Reduce feelings of isolation
Improve productivity
Grow stronger teams
Increase collaboration
Build company culture
So now you know why it’s so important to build a community, let’s take a look at how to go about implementing it in your workplace.
How to Build Community in Coworking Spaces
It can be more tricky to build a workplace community in coworking spaces than a private office, as you’ve got so many different people and businesses to contend with. However, there are a number of ways to make changes to create a vibrant, collaborative environment.
One of the best ways to build a strong sense of community in a coworking space is through regular networking events. Not only do they provide a good opportunity to build business connections, but they also allow coworkers to get together and meet some friendly faces. This can be especially useful for freelancers who might not have other colleagues.
Building a Freelance Community with Hot Desking
Just like remote working, freelancing can often be lonely, with long hours working by yourself. Depending on the nature of their work, freelancers often don’t have any colleagues to speak to, which can really exacerbate those feelings of isolation. A 2021 survey of over 1,500 people, found that over 64% of freelancers felt lonely on a daily basis, compared to just 29% of office workers.
One of the best ways to combat these feelings is to find somewhere to work where you can be around other people. Whilst lots of people choose coffee shops, this can end up being a very expensive way of working. Instead, many turn to alternatives like coworking spaces.
Whether you’re renting a dedicated desk, or simply using a pay as you go option, it’s a great way to build a network of fellow freelancers - especially if the coworking space offers networking events and business support options. That’s why we’re taking active steps to prioritise networking across our sites, especially in areas such as Liverpool, where we’ve previously partnered with Stride to emphasise health and wellbeing. There are also several key locations across Manchester where we offer hot desking amenities, from sites in the suburbs like Foundation, Alderley Park and Booths Park. Alternatively, those based in the city can do so from Blackfriars House, while businesses in Birmingham can take advantage of coworking space available at Innovation Birmingham.
Building a Community in the Virtual Workplace
If you’ve got a virtual office base with a team of remote workers, it’s still possible to build a community and create a positive working environment. Some of the best ways to do this include:
Regular virtual team-building experiences
Weekly team meetings
In-person social events if the team is local
Celebrate business wins and employees’ achievements, just as you would in an office
Create collaborative projects to encourage colleagues to work together
Although it can be slightly more difficult, building a strong remote team is possible, it simply takes a little more planning, organisation, and online platforms to make it work.
Renting a conference room on a semi-regular basis can also be a good way to get remote workers in the same room for a day. Whether it’s an ideation and planning session, or a more informal team bonding or training day, this face-to-face time can be invaluable.
Location is key when hiring a space for your remote colleagues - you want to make it as accessible as possible. Spots like Centre City hold a lot of appeal. Right next door to Birmingham New Street station, and currently undergoing a major £4.5m redevelopment, this location is perfect for businesses that have colleagues across the Midlands and in major cities like Manchester and London. With meeting and conference rooms, and plans for new fitness, wellness and co-working facilities, it’s an attractive offering for a range of business sizes.
Bruntwood’s Role in Building Community in the Workplace
At Bruntwood we incorporate plenty of informal shared office spaces in our developments. We also add amenities that improve our customers’ day-to-day experience – whether that’s inside a building, through shared high-quality retail or food and drink provision, or in the spaces that connect our buildings. Our customers can now not only take advantage of the amenities and communities in their own buildings, but also those based in our neighbouring buildings as part of a business cluster.
Positive workspaces should comprise lots of places where people can shift down a gear for a while and relax together - at Booths Park in Knutsford, for example, we’ve created a luxurious space set across 220 acres, where employees can enjoy a Peloton wellbeing hub, participate in community events, or enjoy a coffee at our on-site café, Tatton Perk.
Events and regular get-togethers can also help create bonds within the team and boost colleague morale. Our dedicated community engagement managers across our buildings organise regular social, cultural, wellbeing, and business support events within our spaces to help nurture communal spirit and create strong business networks. One example is at Cotton Exchange in Liverpool, where we’ve brought people together through events ranging from theatre trips to summer BBQs. The important thing is to organise activities that offer genuine enjoyment and act as natural ice-breakers (we discussed how you can avoid “forced fun” and stereotypical alcohol-focused socials on our blog).
Community in the Workplace & Beyond
To really enhance employee engagement, it’s also a good idea to get your staff involved in the local area. Supporting community projects can be a great way to bring your workforce together and give back to the local community. At Bruntwood, our staff spend over 1,500 hours volunteering through our Bruntwood Cares scheme every year, from helping school leavers with practice job interviews to working as a team to renovate community health centres.
Belonging to a community has benefits for everyone and more and more companies are discovering how bringing people together contributes to success. Our role now is to create the places and spaces to help business communities and the people within them thrive.
Discover our spaces and services today to see how we could help your business to grow.