A traditional workplace would usually have small cubicles, plain office desks, conference rooms as well as a pantry. Though functional, it is often perceived as soul-draining, stale boxes that corporations use to house their operations.

As pessimistic as it sounds, this negative connotation towards desks and cubicles have been around for as long as society can remember. Even movies and TV shows depicted the bad reputations of offices and have made fun of how it seems to be void of inspiration whatsoever. However, despite all that, enterprises and in certain cases, even startups, opt for these dull boxes.

That is, until the industry felt the change brought to us by the upsurge of Millennials in today’s workforce.

With a generation that values purpose in their work, it comes as no surprise that these young professionals are searching for workplaces that foster creativity. Moreover, these types of offices bring so much more to the table other than attracting the best in today’s diverse talent pool.

Creativity comes with a price, it takes risk and courage to face the unknown. And traditional office life provides no room for trying new things and failure. What most corporations doesn’t understand is that it allows for more meaningful results. Moreover, creativity is not just pretty presentations. Instead, it’s all about out-of-the box concepts and coming up with unique ways to solve problems.

Creative thinking and the courage to be daring shells out new ideas. These “thinkers” are valued in the workplace for their ability to create great results in mundane circumstances. Innovative problem solving comes into play when individuals are able to see all sides of an issue – coming up with solutions that are outright new and interesting, this surely takes the company to a whole new direction instead of going through the same beaten path.

According to experts, disengaged employees cost organizations $450 to $550 billion, annually. Uninspired employees have the tendency to feel sluggish with their work and would often rely on the same concepts and solutions. And in order to avoid your team from going static, it’s important to implement changes that will cultivate creativity within the walls of your office. Not just by adding Ping Pong tables or nap rooms, but by actually embedding a culture that keeps individuals engaged and that provides importance and respect to other people’s ideas and thoughts.

Encourage individualism and teamwork. Allow your team to bring their whole self to work and give them the ability to inspire diversity and non-conformity. In addition to this, give positive feedback rather than negative ones. Rewarding them for being brave enough to take risks can motivate them to come up with unique ways to improve your services and even your workplace.

Fostering creativity at work can also be attained by actually moving into an office space that strongly encourages it. Startups and even large corporations can give Coworking a try. These well-known shared spaces take pride in the creative flow it allows within its vicinity. Moreover, with such a diverse community, self-expression is highly encouraged.

Being creative means taking risks and remaining fearless in the face of failure. Though it is often frowned upon, it invites and demands innovation.

Face your fears, see success in failure and join the community of the brave.

The upsurge of remote working, startups and digital nomads opened a market space for affordable office space with short term leases. Hence, the rise of flexible office solutions like seat leasing and coworking spaces came as no surprise.

Seat leasing solutions itself have been around for a while now and continues on helping startups have their first office and large corporations open up a brand new site. All the while, the boom of coworking spaces have been observed recently.

According to the latest survey, there is an estimated 13,800 active spaces worldwide. An additional 2,500 will be added and by the end of the year, more than a million people will have worked in one.

Its rise to stardom wasn’t only because of the demands for short term office spaces. Coworking spaces brought benefits to the table that were simply just too good to resist for freelancers and young professionals – stable internet connection, creative private and shared desks as well as conference rooms and free coffee.

As more and more communal areas open up around the world, it makes choosing the right space harder. In the sea of aesthetically pleasing spaces, here are a few things to remember in finding the perfect workspace.

“Want is different from Need”

Before making any decision, evaluate the current resources that you have and what you will be needing. How many are you in the team? Will you be needing a general seat membership or just dedicated desks? It’s also important to know how long your team will be renting the space. Make sure to check the terms and contracts of your initial choices.

Moreover, assess how coworking spaces can help you and your business. How will it help you reach your goals? Make sure that you don’t confuse your needs from your wants.

Take note of what you need to prioritize and use it choose potential spaces. Evaluate each one and pick what fits most closely with to both your needs and wants.

Location is a principal factor to consider when searching for the right workspace. Will it be easily accessible to everyone? From your team to your clients. Make sure that the commute will be pleasant – or at the very least, decent – for those visiting the office.

Create a list of ideal locations you’d like to have and find coworking spaces within the said area. Check out spaces located within central cities like Mandaluyong, Makati and Ortigas which have easy access points to different modes of transportation.

For things to work well, you have to be compatible.

High-end facilities, aesthetically pleasing interior and great ambiance; those will all be for nothing if you and your team feel out of place amongst the sea of busy bees.

With community and network as one of its greatest strength, it is important that the culture of your startup is compatible with the present community in your chosen space. Different surveys have that work relationships and culture on a professionals overall quality of life.

Search for coworking spaces that fit the culture of your startup perfectly. Visit the facility yourself and ask around members to get a better idea on how things run within the community and see if it fits you.

Picture your business 5 months later, will coworking still be enough for your needs?

It’s important to understand that what matters most today, might not matter tomorrow. Consider what you’ll be needing 2-3 months later and ensure flexible terms within the contract. Imagine how exasperating it could be to be stuck in a space that is too small for your team. Assess your future plans and integrate it with your current needs today.

Finding the perfect place to serve as home for your business can be perplexing – every minutiae of your needs must be regarded in all the decisions you have to make. But these desks and meeting rooms will bear witness to the success you are about to make.

Come and see what makes coworking spaces, actually work.

The rise and success of coworking spaces wasn’t groundless. It wasn’t unprecedented. If not, it seemed inevitable.

Since its inception, it had brought so much to the industry, from aesthetically pleasing workspaces to communities that foster passion, creativity and collaboration – something that most office space solutions don’t really have. Not to mention the numerous benefits it claims to offer to both enterprise and workers.

At the same time, its claims aren’t just empty promises. There are statistics, surveys and studies to prove that its advantages are very real. Still, how effective coworking spaces are to you and your enterprise depends on how you utilize it.

Here are some things that you can do to make the most out of coworking spaces:

Coworking Spaces take pride in the community it fosters within its communal areas. And a community of a hundred people starts with an introduction.

While walking up to a stranger and striking up a conversation can be difficult to some of us, it’s the very first contribution you can make as a new member of the community. You can try introducing yourself to those situated near you without interrupting them.

Don’t shy away from your coworkers, tell them about yourself and what you do. You never know what partnerships and business opportunities are hiding behind small talks

Don’t bore yourself out by sitting all by yourself in your desk. Allot time to be spent on community spaces and join them.

These areas generally emit a contagious energy from individuals chatting and laughing – all the good stuff social beings like us need. Not to mention that some of the best interactions and most significant connections unexpectedly take place in the lobby, the couches and even in the kitchen.

Coworking spaces would usually hold series of events which allow its diverse members to learn from one another. From presentations, workshops, networking events and even happy hours, all of these activities are conceptualized as an avenue for co-workers to freely socialize and celebrate at the same time.

Take advantage of the said gatherings so that you can get an overall feel of your culture. Bask in the energy and socialize with more members of the community. In addition to this, you can decompress and talk within your peers.

These events serve as platform for the supportive and collaborative feeling of the space.

Normally, there would be more than one kind of work area available in your space. So instead of gluing yourself to one desk for six months, try the different areas your coworking space offers. Try something new every day and change up where you sit. Move around a bit until you find your favorite place. Moreover, this allows you to get to know your space, giving you a sense of belonging instead of feeling alienated by unfamiliar space

As you get more familiar with the community and culture of your space, collaborations and partnerships can be foreseen.

Having such a diverse talent pool, there is a never ending flow of creativity within the room. You can develop ideas and projects with designers, developers, writers and so much more. These passionate and talented individuals can inspire you create and produce better output. Moreover, members can generously offer help with almost anything you need.

Endless opportunities can be found if we make the most out of everything. So why not open your door to so much possibilities with us!

In the recent years, the industry have seen numerous changes in the work culture. Labor force slowly getting dominated by the Millennials, traditional 9-to-5 shift slowly diminishing and even office spaces themselves are changing. Economic developments and other social change caused businesses to adapt to new demands and challenges arising. This, then of course, opened new opportunities and market

Since the rise of flexible working we’ve seen the numbers of freelancers increase. Communities of Digital Nomads – freelancers who literally bring their work with them as they travel the world – have formed and continues to have steady growth. Some experts even say that they are no longer just a passing trend.

Though it first started sporadically, there’s a concrete justification why more and more members of the workforce are turning away from the traditional work culture.

Location Independence is the term often used to define the freedom and mobility the lifestyle gives. Selcouth as it sounds, “Location Independence” allows you to have the freedom to live life on your own terms and the ability to work wherever you want to.

It implies not being tied to a single geographic location for certain reasons, meaning that a person’s job would not require them to be physically present in the office and allows individuals to travel whenever, wherever they want and for how long they want. Location Independence empowers them to control their life with their own hands. It allows them to take full responsibility of their own future and ultimate happiness. Though the path it leads can differ from one person or another, it offers everyone the same thing; freedom. The freedom to pursue what your heart desires and the freedom to create the life you’ve been dreaming of.

Remote working have been existing for a while now but only in the recent years did the industry consider this arrangement. With a rising demand on a better work-life balance, employers and employees took a few step backs and studied how mobility can improve today’s work culture.

Last year, 53% of India’s workforce have said that they prefer working from home. In the same year, 38% of workers from the United States say that they work from home at least once a week. Surveys say that remote work increases worker productivity and employee efficiency. Other studies have also mentioned several advantages of remote working; lowers stress and boosts morale, reduces employee turnover and often leads to greater employee engagement. In a recent report by World Economic Forum, work flexibility is tagged as one of the biggest drivers of transformation in the workplace which caused several companies to report significant decrease in real estate costs.

The decrease of operation costs can be traced to the emergence of numerous flexible workspaces, one of them being; coworking spaces. This emerging trend involves a shared working environment. Unlike typical offices, members of coworking spaces come from different organizations and industries.

Coworking Spaces provides its members with reliable internet, work environment, coworkers to interact with and other local benefits. Numerous workspaces can now be found around the world making it easier for location independent workers to travel without worrying about strong internet connections, desks and other office services.

Being location independent sounds like a dream come true but it takes more than just packing your bags and your laptop with you. People might sugarcoat it with aesthetically pleasing photos in Instagram but the truth is, location independence is hard work. Living in a foreign country sure is fun but it can be hard, just imagine simultaneously working and travelling from one country to another. Yet it allows you to access more life lessons than your office desk can ever offer.

Sounds like the life you’ve always wanted? Let us know if you want to give location independence a try and we might just save you a seat in the office.