4 Reasons Why Relocating Businesses Need Ad-Hoc Meeting Rooms

Date: Thu May 12 Author: Chelliah Nakeeran

Pivoting to the hybrid model seems to be the latest buzzword or business trend. But businesses that are renovating or relocating to new offices also face the challenges involved with remote working.

A distributed workforce during office renovations and relocations can be difficult to manage. Although the workplace is on hold, work is not. Managers and staff still need to hold meetings, engage in discussions, brainstorm and pep talks.

Hiring external meeting rooms on an ad-hoc basis can help you to move your business forward efficiently. It gives you valuable space to be creative, productive and inspired.

Moreover, with BluDesks pay-as-you-go model, renting meeting rooms is affordable, easy to manage and convenient. We also have flexible short-term offices which you can book as and when you need it, for one week, one month, three hours or three months. You choose when you need space and only pay for the time you book the space for.

Here are four reasons ad-hoc meeting rooms benefit a business that temporarily does not have access to office space.

Increase Productivity

A 2017 Stanford study confirmed that individuals are more productive when they work collectively. Even the perception of working as part of a team can improve performance levels.

Whilst technology can help bring a remote workforce together, individuals that are not accustomed to remote working need reminding they are part of a physical team.

Productivity can be enhanced when your team also know they have a limited window of time to reach a goal. Time-sensitive ad-hoc meeting rooms can help to supercharge productivity by increasing concentration levels whilst giving team members an ideal space to collaborate.

Meet With Clients and Partners

Coffee shops and restaurants are not always the best places to meet with clients to discuss serious business. Large firms trying to broker a deal with an important client or develop a project with a partner need a quiet space where you can hold a meeting in private.

Fully-Equipped Meeting Rooms

Meeting rooms can be used for several different reasons. Maybe you need space to give a presentation or a training session. A team of collaborators may need a whiteboard or overhead projectors to help share their vision with other team members.

BluDesks have a wide selection of fully-equipped ad hoc meeting rooms to choose from. With co-working spaces all over the city, you have the option to choose meeting rooms of various sizes that have the equipment you require such as AV facilities, wide-screen TVs, a variety of plug sockets and Wi-Fi.

Saves Time

The BluDesks model is designed for your convenience. We host a large number of co-working spaces on our website so that you can find the most suitable meeting room for your needs.

With a single login, you have access to ad hoc meeting rooms all over the city in which you live – and in multiple locations around the world. With this many meeting rooms at your fingertips, you won’t waste so much time skipping from one coworking space provider to the next.

To take advantage of the benefits are pay-as-you-go meeting rooms offer, sign up for a BluDesks Membership today.

Pivoting To A Hybrid Model? Here’s What You Need

Date: Tue May 3 Author: Chelliah Nakeeran

As employees return to the office, many companies expect requests for more flexible work options. According to McKinsey, 68% of organisations do not have a plan or a vision for pivoting to a hybrid model.

On the one hand, employees want more flexibility and autonomy. On the other, they want to spend time around their work friends and collaborate in person with teammates.

Hybrid models ticks both boxes. However, the hybrid workplace complicates matters for personnel and office managers. Fortunately, there are existing solutions that make the transition to a hybrid model smoother.

The key is to encourage a culture that fosters the benefits of working from home with working in the office. Not everyone will want the same thing all of the time.

According to Gartner, companies need to accommodate four different work models.

Working together in collaborative teams in a shared space
Working apart as a member of a collaborative team
Working in a team but with an individual workload
Working remotely with an individual workload

The three solutions below facilitate all four working conditions.

Co-Working Spaces

A key benefit to a hybrid model is the capacity for businesses to reduce the amount of office space they need – and the overheads that come with it. For some companies, the potential cost savings of a hybrid model are huge.

However, you will probably still need a fully-working office to serve as a base and provide access to a variety of facilities employees need to perform their job to the best of their ability.

Whilst you could downsize and continue to rent a smaller office, co-working space is also an option. With BluDesks, you can rent office desks, private offices and meeting rooms by the hour.

A pay-as-you-go model typically turns out to be more cost-effective than renting office space and covering utility payments and maintenance costs.

BluDesks also gives you more options to find appropriate office space. With a single pass and login, we provide access to multiple co-working spaces that meet your needs and are in the most convenient locations.

Our business model is particularly useful for hiring meeting rooms. Let’s say, the meeting rooms in your office are fully booked, but there is a room free in an office around the corner.

There are also benefits for remote workers. Two colleagues that need to meet and live on the same side of town may find it more convenient to work together in a co-working space closer to their homes.

Cloud-Based Tools

Before the pandemic, cloud adoption was relatively slow. However, when world governments ordered lockdowns, cloud providers saw a 32% increase. Cloud computing was the only adoption and is an indispensable solution for companies that intend to pivot to a hybrid workplace.

The hybrid model relies on digital tools that can be accessed from remote locations and at the same time provide effective cybersecurity measures. Cloud-based tools are specifically designed to improve the interaction between co-workers in remote places.

Cloud-based tools facilitate collaboration through file-sharing, enhanced communication and more flexibility. Collaborative teams can work on the same document in real-time or separately.

Any changes that are made to co-working documents are highlighted with the editor’s name next to them. Everyone granted access to the document can make edits or comments on the document. Or you can set read-only options.

Communication tools foster instant messaging and virtual meetings. These channels are great for asking quick questions and even brainstorming.

If team members need a longer meeting that will be too intense for a video conference, they can either organise it when they’re all in the office or rent a meeting room for the afternoon in a co-working space that is most convenient for everybody.

Employees can also access a document stored in the cloud from anywhere and on any device. This gives your employees the option to work from anywhere and access cloud-based tools at convenient times. For example, catching up with emails during a commute.

Employees that prefer to be around people can also work in remote locations such as a coffee shop or hot desk in a co-working space.

Cybersecurity Plan

The move to remote working models has highlighted a need for effective cybersecurity measures to be put in place. Employees working from home are considered an easier target for hackers because home wi-fi networks, mobile phones and text messages are easier to penetrate.

Having said that, the threat of hackers can be dramatically minimised with the right cybersecurity plan. Whilst cloud tools and anti-malware programs give you some protection, additional layers of protection should be added.

The first place to start is to train your employees about cybersecurity risks. They should be aware of the various cybersecurity threats hackers use, how to identify phishing emails and how to avoid downloading infected documents.

Patch management should also be a priority. The software you use, at some point, will develop a security issue. These vulnerabilities can be exploited by hackers. This is why software companies consistently release software updates that include security patches.

Other gateways hackers look to exploit are home wi-fi networks and mobile devices. Digital technologies such as virtual desktops and mobile device management build a safety net around remote devices too.

IT experts claim that virtual desktops are the answer to the hybrid security conundrum. Because virtual desktops operate on cloud servers rather than on-premise servers, they provide higher levels of cybersecurity.

Crucially, virtual desktops mimic your business network without actually providing direct access to it. Therefore, if an employee’s device is hacked, malicious actors would not be able to access your live data anyway thus preventing a possible ransomware attack.

The actions an employee performs throughout a normal working day are saved on the cloud but not backed up to your network until someone authorises a backup.

In addition, remote monitoring tools help IT personnel identify potential threats and block potential gateways at the source. For example, if a phone location and registered device do not match authorised personnel, whoever is trying to access your network is shut out.

How Coworking Space Improves Productivity

Date: Tue Apr 12 Author: Chelliah Nakeeran

Today’s project managers and heads of sales face challenges pulling a distributed workforce together for collaborative projects. Communication and ideas suffer, staff, become demotivated and there is a disparity between cross-functional teams.

The goal for project managers is to focus on the profitability of a project and foster the well-being of your team. A fully-functioning team is more productive which translates into more profit.

In the past year, studies have shown that managers are struggling to meet project goals with remote working teams. There has been a number of reasons for failure, but three of the key factors have been breakdowns in communication, a lack of motivation and incoherence.

On the flip side, a decade of research focusing on the correlation between happiness and success has shown that a happy workforce can increase productivity by 31% and sales by 37%.

Whilst remote working gives enterprises the scope to downsize and cut overheads to invest in other areas of the business, productivity and profits are increased when team members sit together on collaborative projects.

Improve communication

Communication is the glue that holds a project together. Seamless communication is pivotal to promoting creative ideas that tackle complex problems.

More ideas breed more discussions, and ultimately more solutions. When collaborative experiences are coherent and efficient, the team is better equipped to achieve goals and boost productivity.

Brainstorming and exploring ideas are clearly more effective in an office environment. Moreover, a team is more effective when the members are sitting with one another.

Improve co-ordination

Sharing the same office space also makes it easier for project managers to coordinate the project in its entirety. It also saves time having to shoot off emails when you can simply turn to the person next to you and ask a quick question – “how are you getting on with that…” etc.

Projects between cross-functional teams often fail in multi-departmental companies because the team members are confined to their relevant departments and are thus separated.

Companies typically create silos in which IT teams sit in the IT section, sales personnel sit in the sales sections and so on. This is usually due to a lack of space in the office.

With more companies downsizing to smaller offices or dispensing with office premises altogether, renting co-working space is an affordable solution that fosters the well-being of your team members, and the collaborative process and ultimately increases productivity.

Motivate staff

Remote workers report feeling disconnected and lonely working from home. Demotivated team members have a negative impact on productivity levels and can be damaging to mental health.

During the Covid lockdowns, managers were trying to overcome this issue by motivating staff with virtual lunches and virtual coffee breaks. It is clear that the solution is bringing the team together.

Renting co-working space and meeting rooms is a cost-effective way for companies to get the best out of a collaborative project. At BluDesks, we make it managing your projects even easier by giving you access to multiple offices in your area with one pass. What’s more, the hourly rate pay-as-you-go solution means you have complete control over your budget.

Why Are Coworking Spaces So Important For Us Today?

Date: Tue Oct 5 Author: Chelliah Nakeeran

There’s no doubt that the last year and a half has been pretty tough for everyone. The shakeup of the working world has been a test for people who are used to the hustle and bustle of office life. Plenty of people have been forced to adapt to working from home, which has taken a toll on those that thrive on human interaction.

Now that people have been gradually returning to the office to work after so long, coworking spaces have become more popular and important to business owners and freelancers. Working from home has shown employers and business owners that it can be difficult for people to control their own productivity and motivation. This means that having a dedicated space where people can work remotely can be really important and beneficial.

What Are Coworking Spaces?

Coworking spaces are flexible alternatives to a traditional office environment. These innovative spaces are shared workspaces where people can work amongst other similar professionals and have access to various office essentials at a reasonable cost.

Flexible office space in London and other major cities worldwide is low-cost compared to office buildings. Instead of being tied down to a long-term contract, you can sign up for a membership with no commitments instead, and you only pay as and when you need the coworking space. Included in that price is everything you need to get some work done, such as printers, wi-fi access, scanners and projectors.

Advantages Of Coworking

To understand why private office space in London is so important today, it’s a good idea to explore the benefits of using coworking spaces. There are several advantages to take note of:

Buzzing Atmosphere

You get an excellent, positive vibe from using coworking spaces. People tend to be stimulated and encouraged when working in the company of others who are in similar circumstances. Your mood will also be lifted by the available facilities, such as a comfortable chair, furniture, office supplies and in some cases there’s unlimited tea and coffee.

Boosts Business

If you’re a solo entrepreneur, freelancer or small business owner, private office space rentals are perfect for helping you gain a reputation within your business. It’s a professional and great way to collaborate with partners, set up meetings with clients and network with other business owners in a setting that has a positive, community feel to it. Not only that but you will find that you are able to organise and plan your day better which will make you work more efficiently.

Facilities And Benefits

The extra perks you get included in the price of renting coworking space exceeds expectations. Not only do you have a desk and chair, but you also have access to fast internet, all the office supplies you need, food and drink (available in some places) and the ability to book a coworking space in many locations all over the world. You won’t have to worry about spending extra on printing costs, utilities, maintenance or any other costs that come with managing an office.

Low Cost And Flexible

When you think about a traditional office, you need to sign a long-term lease or rental agreement that ties you down for the length of time stated. This can be stressful if circumstances change within that time and you get burdened with financial worries. With coworking spaces, you get the flexibility of choosing where you work and how long you pay for your space. There are no contracts or hidden fees to worry about, and you just sign up for a membership and pay-as-you-go when you work. Not to mention the facilities you get included in the price mentioned earlier. It’s worth every penny!

Chances To Network

Flexible office space in London is an excellent way to network with fellow business owners and entrepreneurs. You will get inspired with new ideas from having conversations with people who have different experiences to share, or you might even find a new partnership that helps boost your business. You just never know who you might meet each day and how it can positively affect your work.

Increases Productivity

There’s no doubt that people are more productive when surrounded by like-minded, encouraging and energised people. The community spirit found in coworking spaces helps you feel motivated to get some good work done. Much better than working from home, where you can get easily distracted and feel isolated. It’s much harder for some people to get themselves motivated when working alone. Also, having a bigger space to keep things organised will definitely help you be more productive.

Better Work-Life Balance

Working in the same space that you live in has its disadvantages. You can get easily distracted by things that might need doing around the home or by members of your family that might be there while you’re trying to work. It’s much harder to get work done and can leave you feeling like you don’t get any respite. You’ll be much more productive working in a dedicated workspace where you can focus your attention solely on the jobs you need to get done.

People Thrive In Coworking Spaces

With all of those benefits mentioned, it’s no wonder that people flourish in their work when renting private office space in London and other locations. Here are a few ways people feel they thrive in coworking spaces:

Feel Part Of A Community

The experience and vibes you get from these workspaces certainly have that sense of community spirit. The connections you make from socialising with others, and the energetic atmosphere are a big reason people pay to use these spaces. Even when focusing on work and you don’t want to interact as much, you still feel like you’re part of a “team”.

Have More Control

Choosing private office space rental is so flexible that you get more control over how you work than you would in a traditional office setting. If you have a big project that needs great concentration, you can choose to work longer days in a quieter location. If you are struggling in getting stimulated, you can choose a coworking space that is directly in the midst of a buzzing environment where you can get motivated by connecting with other people. The way you work is entirely in your control and is a wonderful advantage to coworking.

Work Feels Meaningful

Many people feel like they’re part of a social movement rather than just being someone who turns up to work. Coworking makes people feel more valued knowing that it’s sustainable, you’re always learning, there are opportunities for collaboration and being part of a community. Also, working with people who do different kinds of work can make you stand out more and feel like you have more of an identity.

As you can see, there are many parts of renting private office space in London or elsewhere that are important for people wanting to work remotely without the corporate feel. If you feel that coworking is right for you, why not browse our website to find out more. You never know where your work might take you and what inspiration you might find.

Are You A Creative Professional? Here’s Why You Need a Coworking Space

Date: Tue Oct 5 Author: Chelliah Nakeeran

If you’re someone who has been making a name for yourself over the years in the creative industry or a graduate with a dream and passion for the future, you will need to find somewhere to work that will help your creative juices flow. Having a dedicated workspace will help boost productivity and keep everything organised in one specific area, which will make your life much easier.

You may assume that working from home would be the best choice for you, and for some people, it is. However, working from home can come with some disadvantages:

Lack of motivation
Distractions
Poor timekeeping
Decrease in productivity
Can be lonely
Risk of burnout

Your workspace should be somewhere you can surround yourself with other like-minded creative professionals to get encouragement from and network with. You should also have a space to plan things out effectively and keep everything organised and together. What if I told you that there is a way to achieve this without the huge cost of renting an office building? We have the perfect solution!

A coworking space is a shared office space that you can rent and work remotely among other professionals and business owners. It’s a great way to get out working remotely and get inspired by others who may be in a similar position to yourself. At BluDesks, our coworking office spaces come fully equipped with all the everyday essentials that you would find in a traditional office. You can have peace of mind that you can turn up knowing that you will have everything available to you that you need to get work done.

Why Do You Need A Coworking Space?

There are many great reasons why a coworking space for rent is perfect for creative professionals.

Different Coworking Space Options

Here at BluDesks, we offer a variety of different spaces to rent to suit different needs and purposes:

Customised Workspace and Dedicated Desks – Having a customised workspace has been shown to improve efficiency and positively impact performance, productivity, and concentration. This is because people feel more comfortable in a space that’s specifically suited to them. People handle distractions easier and get more of a sense of control when they have a personalised desk.

A dedicated desk gives people comfort with having their own personal desk in a shared office space and helps them feel free from distractions. What’s more, you get all the necessities you need to get your work done.

Fixed Desks – This coworking space for rent is perfect for anyone who has a short-term project because they work on a pay as you go basis. This enables professionals to only pay for the space that they use and the hours that they book. Fixed desks space help to improve productivity, help retain focus and bring peace of mind.

Meeting Rooms – If you have clients to entertain or team meetings to hold, many meeting rooms are available for rent. Hiring a private meeting room in a contemporary and fully-functioning office builds a positive appearance. Also, it will be much cheaper than hiring a meeting room in a hotel or similar setting.

Private Offices – It can be costly and time-consuming travelling to work. Private office space enables you to save money by paying on an hourly basis and reducing travel costs. With all the standard office equipment you need, you’ll be able to focus on your work with all the right tools.

Shared Office and Workspaces – These coworking office spaces create fantastic networking opportunities and a possible chance of acquiring new business without the costs of marketing. With several spaces to choose from worldwide, the possibilities are endless!

Networking Opportunities

Coworking spaces create the perfect opportunity to network with other like-minded professionals. It’s a great way to explore potential new business approaches or collaborations when meeting people who do different things to you and can also make you feel like part of a community.

Working from home can get lonely and cause you to lack motivation as it’s entirely up to you to get driven and encouraged to focus on working. Going out to work surrounded by others in these environments helps boost your ambition and drive to succeed. You could also end up with some great advice and tips from the people you meet.

Cost-Effective and Flexible

Coworking office space provides a convenient, cost-effective and straightforward alternative to working from home or leasing out an office space. Here at BluDesks, we offer flexible pay as you go memberships that have no ongoing commitments. This means that you only pay for the time you use the space without contracts tying you down wherever you decide to work.

Our mobile app makes booking coworking spaces very easy, saves time and is conveniently flexible. You can book spaces for as little as an hour and pay from only £2 per hour, with access to thousands of global workspaces. Your booking gets stored within the app, and you can save time by rebooking your favourite places in your booking history so you won’t have to search for them over and over again constantly.

Better Work-Life Balance

Sometimes people get stressed and worried when burnout sets in from having so much to do in a set time frame within a traditional office environment. Sometimes people working from home have difficulty separating work and home life with the various possible distractions, such as noticing housework needs doing while you still have many emails to answer.

Coworking space gives you the perfect opportunity to improve your work-life balance with a dedicated workspace. It allows you to become more productive, better organise, and plan a schedule to get more work done efficiently. If you’re a social person, you will tackle loneliness by working remotely with other people around you who have similar experiences.

Increases Productivity

As a creative professional, you will definitely notice increased productivity when choosing coworking space for rent. You can get your creative juices flowing with motivation, knowledge and inspiration from other professionals around you. The excitement and community feel you get with these workspaces are very beneficial to boost your morale and productivity.

The facilities provided by coworking spaces are also helpful towards being productive. With comfortable chairs and desks provided and access to wi-fi, printers, photocopiers and much more, you will feel motivated to achieve more and work harder. Seeing other people working hard around you helps too. It’s a psychological truth that we adapt to our environment, so you will be encouraged to work hard if your surroundings usually are like that.

As a creative professional, it’s essential to have a dedicated workspace to focus on your passion. Using a coworking space with other professionals nearby will keep you stimulated and help with new ideas. The flexibility and the work-life balance you get is beneficial in improving your mood and motivation, along with the inexpensive costs.

If you’re looking for a workspace that’s convenient, commitment-free, cost-efficient and simplistic, don’t hesitate to have a look around our website. Let your creative ambitions and goals thrive in a successful environment.