Happy@Homeworking, Guest-blogger Jane Anderson of Radio Wellbeing

Jane Anderson, Radio Wellbeing

Thank you to Jane Anderson of Radio Wellbeing for providing our first guest blog.  Jane is a consultant and writer in environmental wellness; she helps organisations to create happier and healthier working environments to improve their productivity.


In this guest blog Jane explores the home office space as a working environment as part of a series of writings on the theme of Happy@Homeworking.  You can also read Jane's recent article '15 ways to make your home-office a happy workplace' if you want to find out more!


Workspace is changing
Power-napping, hot-desking, brand rooms, humour policy, office concierge, duvet days. No longer viewed as cranky or even cutting edge these concepts and many more like them are increasingly becoming accepted and adopted by businesses interested in attracting and retaining people who want, and need, more than financial inducement to work effectively.

Right now with resources and capacity stretched to capacity, everyone needs to work harder and smarter. In order to gain that extra ‘discretionary energy’ from their workforce, employers must think differently about the conditions they offer around ‘The Job’ itself. Many of the improvements they are making are environmental and are as relevant and advantageous - if not more so - to people based at home as to those in the traditional workplace.

People work better when they feel happy and comfortable in their surroundings

Home, lone, remote or agile workers, be they entrepreneurs or out-based employees, often work out of cramped and cluttered spaces inappropriate to their needs. This supports neither personal health nor business acuity but they need to look out for their own wellbeing because, frankly, no one else will.

In terms of workspace design, many people working from home are often grateful simply for a dedicated desk and a clear view of the door. Sometimes this restrictive scenario is self-imposed with people not allowing themselves time to reflect on how to make best use of space and time in their workspace. More usually physical circumstances determine how we will work in our home work space and it may not be as fit for purpose as one would prefer.

Whatever the home-based working situation, many of the ‘added-value’ ideas incorporated by larger organisations to make life at work more attractive to employees can easily be adapted to the home setting regardless of the individual limitations involved.

The trend in offices and administration centres, particularly creative design studios, has been for doing away with ‘claimed’ work space, or the individually ‘owned’ desk, in favour of mobility: lockers for personal bits and pieces and interchangeable laptop sites that enable workers to sit down virtually anywhere and pick up where they left off.

Much of the rationale behind this is to encourage increased flexibility in terms of thinking, communication and production. It allows workers to chose the space most apt to their specific need at any given point during the day – be it a touch-down area for impromptu discussion or a chill-out room for a few minute’s peace. It creates an opportunity for new perspective and keeps people fresh and on the ball which in the still-active business war for creativity is crucial. This design policy has been implemented less for altruistic motives than as sound business strategy. People work better when they feel happy and comfortable in their surroundings. It therefore it makes sense to provide an environment that fosters such a response.

The paperless home-office?

These days with aid of technology your office can be pretty much anywhere you want it to be. Homeworkers need not be tied to the home but can and should up-sticks and get out to pubs, cafes, park benches etc not just to meet people or co-work, but also to work in alone, in solitude in varied and inspiring surroundings. We can do it; thousands can’t, so make the most of this aspect of your work.

Back home however, which is where most homeworkers tend to gravitate to take stock, the setting is frequently less than inspiring; perhaps a desk or table with the usual accoutrements including a toy, coffee mug (dirty?) and post-it notes to complete the panorama. 

Even more mundane is the fact that the vast majority of people still do not operate from a paperless office. The homeworker in particular seems prone to paper hoarding, despite the fact that they probably couldn’t work from home in the first place without the use of a computer which was theoretically mean to assuage this problem years ago. This doubling up of virtual storage and paper causes clutter overload and unnecessary stress in many home work spaces.   

Happy@Homeworking - don't sell yourself short

Remember to enjoy your environmental freedom. Relish the fact that your homework space estranges you from regimented time constrictions, strict dress codes and décor dictats. You are the architect of your own workspace. Don’t sell yourself short by skimping on the place where you spend the bulk of your day. Ultimately, your working environment should support, rather than deplete you. 

You can also read Jane's recent article '15 ways to make your home-office a happy workplace' if you want to find out more about being Happy@Homeworking.

SpoTLight on Northumberland

Here at Space on Tap we're excited about the great spaces in Northumberland that we've been discovering, and we have big plans to feature plenty more great places in our Perfect Places Directory over the next few months.  We want to make sure our Registered Users who need meeting, work and storage spaces around the County have their pick of the crop!

Where's your perfect place in Northumberland?
Do you already know somewhere in Northumberland that you use, either free or for hire, when you need space on tap?  We'd love to hear about it - just leave a comment below or email us details at help@spaceontap.com

A selection of the Perfect Places in Northumberland we're featuring at www.spaceontap.com 

Blyth CEC is a great venue by the Quayside in Blyth and minutes from the A189 Spine Rd.  Open Mon to Sat, spaces include a great office/small meeting room for 1 to 4 people for hire for £10 an hour, and a bright training/conference room for up to 50 people for only £95 per day.  Both spaces are fully wifi enabled, have a great view of the River, and the team here couldn't be more helpful.

There are various spaces for hire at Shepherds Dene in Ridings Mill nr Corbridge, from formal 'round the table' settings to more relaxed spaces like The Garden Room - a great place to get away from it all for team meetings, focus group sessions, or training courses.  Wifi is available on tap and the surrounding gardens include a labyrinth and woodland trail.

Staying on the theme of spaces to think, this wonderful place in Simonburn, located half way between Hexham and Bellingham, has space for hire by the day.  This really is an idyllic spot if you need somewhere inspiring to write, to hide away to get a project started or finished, or simply to relax and think.  With great WIFI and access to the tearoom for a cream tea, this could easily be described as the perfect place!

And finally for somewhere completely different!  Useful Productions in Cramlington are keen to make their storage, warehouse and office space available to anyone who needs space on tap.  Whether you need short term storage for stock, equipment or documents, or just a vast space for anything from a photography shoot to a training event, this 7 metre tall space in Cramlington could be ideal.

More Northumberland spaces coming soon
We're already talking to venues in Ashington, Rothbury, Hexham and Amble, and have plenty of other spaces on our extensive database - if you'd like us to check that out for you to see if we can help you to find your perfect place just register free at www.spaceontap.com/register and complete our online user survey, then we'll be in touch!

Space on Tap's Culture for Success

We've been getting some great feedback from our customers - businesses that have space (that we're helping people to find through www.spaceontap.com), as well as homeworkers, freelancers and people who are looking for their perfect places across the region.  

Prompted by our customers, Space on Tap recently entered the Culture for Success Awards 2011, and we're delighted that we've now been shortlisted!  We're looking forward to finding out how we've done in the final countdown this Thursday 7th April at a ceremony taking place at Northern Stage in Newcastle.

Here's a quote from Dr Anne Allen, on behalf of Barnard Castle Vision, who was kind enough to support our application with her feedback on the service we've provided to NeST in Barnard Castle. 

The Vision Delivery Team have asked me to convey our thanks for the time you have taken to support the new studios and Digital Hub at NeST. We have been impressed by the Space on Tap service (in particular the website service and your use of social media and e-newsletters) and also by your enthusiasm to understand and support the project. The help you’ve shown [the manager] – in giving her ideas about hosting coworking days and promoting the benefit of networking, laptop clinics etc has gone beyond what we expected.

As you know NeST is one of several ‘Digital City’ satellites. A £6 million new HUB for digital and creative businesses is now under construction at Redcar. Space on Tap is at the forefront of the thinking and promotion of these new ‘work hubs’ – and office services – virtual office, hotdesking, co-working, shared offices and studios. I value your guidance and references to relevant research and case studies for these flexible workspaces for microbusinesses, homeworkers and companies that permit homeshoring.

Many new and young businesses struggle to understand the benefits of working in a shared office

environment. The Colleagues on Tap days are a brilliant introduction to the benefits of co-working and the advantages of having access to a number of workplaces for people who work across the region.

We have examples already at NeST of businesses who are now working together and others that have won new contracts as a result of the hotdesking membership and workshop activities that have been promoted through Space on Tap.

We wish you every success with the venture and look forward to continuing to work with you.

Dr Anne Allen

What classifies as 'Space on Tap'?

When we came up with the concept of Space on Tap, it was in direct response to people telling us that they needed to hire meeting space on an occasional basis, not for a month or a week, just on the day they needed it, maybe just for a few hours.  They also needed to find space that was available outside of the usual Monday to Friday 9 to 5.  Private space over a weekend or during the evening has been difficult to find, so we resort to the same hotel lobbies and cafes even though they don't really do the job.

Since we launched last year, Space on Tap's discovered literally hundreds of spaces that are available for hire across the region, from public spaces with wifi where the venue's really happy for you to drop in and use your laptop (as long as you buy a coffee!) and private places that are either free (again in exchange for the price of refreshments) or that are really affordable because you just pay for the time you need.  Some of our spaces can be hired for 90 minutes plus, and for £8.50 + vat - affordable, accessible, available on tap - that's what we're about.

We aren't leaving it there either.  We're spending time helping the venues across the region to realise that if they make their space available for shorter term bookings they'll get more business from people who choose to work from home, but who need access to external space on an occasional basis.  If that sounds like you, register free with space on tap and keep in touch with the amazing and versatile spaces we're discovering across the North East.

Homeworkers can kick-start 2011 with colleagues on tap co-working days

There's no doubt that homeworking really comes into its own during the Winter months!  Like most, the Space on Tap team hasn't ventured out much, preferring to stay cosy in our home offices and taking advantage of technology to keep in touch with each other and our customers and suppliers.
But now the Festive season's just about over and the snow's just about melted we're really looking forward to getting  back to 'business as usual'.  We're planning new developments for 2011, and are looking forward to bouncing around ideas within the team over the next few weeks.
When you work for yourself, or from home, you can really miss those casual off-the-cuff chats with colleagues that can spark new ideas or help you to think through the way forward.   This is exactly why we introduced Colleagues on Tap.  In a 'pop-up office' that we create for a day we bring together a bunch of people to co-work for the day. With an option to 'do your own thing' while you benefit from a change of scene, or take advantage of chats with new colleagues in a friendly and informal atmosphere, everyone gains something from Colleagues on Tap.
Why not kick-start 2011 by experiencing co-working at a Colleagues on Tap day?  On 12th January we'll be at the wonderful Morritt Hotel just South of Durham (log fires and wonderful food are likely to be on the menu!) and on 19th January you can join us in Newcastle City Centre at the City Library.
CLICK HERE to find out more about Colleagues on Tap or to book your place or email us at enquiries@spaceontap.com for more info.
Happy New Year!
Jayne

Camaraderie, clouds (& yet more cupcakes!)

What a great day we had yesterday at another Colleagues on Tap co-working day. 

Space on Tap's 'Pop up office' in Cobalt BX auditorium

Most of the 11 co-workers arrived 'at the office' at the Cobalt Business Exchange between 8 and 10.30 am, and with laptops out, heads were soon down and our colleagues set to their tasks for the day.  The clatter of keyboards and chat from the occasional phone call combined nicely with office banter across the 'pop-up office' - a welcome change for homeworkers who usually work alone.


The morning raced away, helped along by plenty of coffee, and after a quick photo call with the North Tyneside Guardian we collected in The Cobalt's on-site Cafe Meo for a snack and the opportunity to meet some new faces.  What a great group of people, all amazing business people either running their businesses from home or, in one case, a homeworker who works for a global IT solutions company.  The mix was eclectic to say the least!  For those who like lists, our colleagues for the day included:   an accountant, a marketing expert, a wellbeing coach, a business development manager, a web retailer of local experiences, a personal development coach, a management consultant, a virtual PA, an IT adviser ... plus Joanne (Space on Tap ops manager and Colleagues on Tap organiser extraordinaire) and me (space promoter and, in another life, strategic adviser).


Amid the diversity of our companies we had a lot in common.  First, and most obviously, we normally work from home, and all welcomed the opportunity to step into an office environment for a change (we don't want to work in an office every day, you understand, but just now and again's great for a change of scene).  But it goes beyond that.  We all have something to give, in the form of information, knowledge or advice, and  everyone involved willingly offered something to their temporary colleagues during the course of the day.  Advice on WordPress, Cloud Computing (what is it, and how can we take advantage?), contacts for training grants, suggestions on guest blogging, exchange of website links to improve SEO, suggestions for future Colleagues on Tap co-working days, customer leads, diary dates to meet again, and loads of positive input and encouragement.  


The day exuded true camaraderie: giving, without any expectation of something in return.


The SpoT chat 'on the sofas' after lunch (helped along by homemade cupcakes a la Space on Tap) has become a regular feature of our co-working days, and this time provided a great opportunity for an informal exchange of knowledge about how to store and access files, data and software without being tied to your PC or laptop.  The conversation started on ways to collaborate online and share files and data through using tools like DropBox and Microsoft Groove, and evolved to a discussion about Cloud Computing which switched on a few lightbulbs and got us all thinking about new opportunities enabled by powerful software that's now available 'in the cloud' for only £5 or £6 a month. The conclusion after an hour was that there was a lot more to learn but the fog had started to lift - and the lists of 'must do' had become that little bit longer!


Co-workers started to drift off to do school-runs and the like from mid-afternoon, and the pop-up office closed just before 5.  A great day of camaraderie and clouds, confirmed through great feedback from co-workers via Twitter:


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@BigLittleFish Would like to say thanks to @SpaceonTap for arranging yesterday and hello to @dawsonVAservs@ExpNorthCountry @VickiStonebiz@wbs_accountants
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@tmsuddick @SpaceonTap Thank you ladies for such another awesome co-workers day! Lovely to catch-up with colleagues, meet new ones and share ideas :-)
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@DawsonVAServs @SpaceonTap @ExpNorthCountry@BigLittleFish @VickiStonebiz@tmsuddick @wbs_accountants@mike_bell @dazglanville@AbsolutelyGrn thx 4 fab day
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@AbsolutelyGrn @wbs_accountants @dazglanville@VickiStonebiz @dawsonVAservs@SpaceonTap lovely to meet you all there - great idea, fab day
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@VickiStonebiz Newcastle Business Mums @SpaceonTapGood day today @ Cobalt, despite problems with car this morning!
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@ExpNorthCountry @SpaceOnTap co-workers day going GREAT! Lovely to have lunch with a nice group of fellow biz people & share ideas around cloud computing!
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@YourITA @SpaceonTap Sorry for missed your co-working day yesterday! Must be another good chance meeting new people and work at the same time! :)
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@ExpNorthCountry @SpaceonTap thanks again - LOVED it! @dawsonVAservs @BigLittleFish@VickiStonebiz @tmsuddick@wbs_accountants @mike_bell@dazglanville

The pop-up office & co-working with Space on Tap

The pop up culture is taking hold.  We're transforming all types of spaces for temporary use across the globe, and the North East region is no exception.  Art galleries become shops, community centres transform into restaurants and unused buildings become artists' collectives.
Read our article 'Pop-up culture stimulates innovation' 

The pop-up office and co-working with Space on Tap


Space on Tap's Colleagues on Tap network is now transforming some of the region's spaces into pop-up offices to provide the perfect place for homeworkers, and people who normally work alone or in small teams, to work together for the day.  


Co-working is a new innovation in networking and takes various forms.  Co-working hubs have been springing up around the country providing permanent bases for freelancers, particularly in the digital and creative sectors, to work alongside each other, although their businesses operate independently.  Useful, value-added collaborations have emerged, as well as the obvious - new contacts and informal business mentors.  


Hubs have also taken a more fluid form as occasional workspace, available whenever you need it, sometimes involving a membership programme which provides a minimum number of desk days in a given period.  NeST in Barnard Castle is a great example of this in action, where artists and digital creatives across the Teesdale area are starting to congregate in the cafe and workspace areas, resulting in new collaborations within and through NeST. 

Our 'before' space at the North East BIC in Sunderland

Then there's Colleagues on Tap, a co-working initiative introduced into the North East by Space on Tap, essentially setting up a pop-up office for the day in a range of spaces, to form a venue for co-working on an occasional basis.  


So far we've majored on business centres, including the Keel Suite at the North East Business & Innovation Centre that was  transformed  from a meeting space to a workspace over night.

Pop-up office ideal for Colleagues on Tap co-working

The pop up office is designed to provide a level of privacy for co-workers while they settle into their day, but also to encourage interaction as people find their feet.  We make sure there are ample electricity points, refreshments and wifi - all you need to bring is your laptop, if you'll be using one on the day.

A morning working session is usually followed by lunch in an alternative space, stimulating new conversations and connections, and this is built on further through our SpoT chat sessions after lunch, where one of our co-workers in attendance offers to facilitate a discussion on a topic of mutual interest to the group - Twitter, facebook, networking, home working and so on.

Colleagues on Tap is now branching out beyond Business Centres to demonstrate the versatility of some of the region's other great spaces.  The next few months will see us set up office at The Morritt, a beautiful 17th Century country house hotel that started its life as a coaching house (full wifi access is also guaranteed!), Newcastle City Library which is a modern space with fabulous views of the city centre from its upper floors, and The Workplace, a vocational learning centre in Newton Aycliffe literally 2 minutes from the A1.

CLICK HERE to find out more about Space on Tap's co-working events, or to book your space to join us at work for a day in the future.