“Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds”

Ever since we were young, we were told that hard work is the price of success. Our parents told us that nothing good comes easy. Our teachers reiterated the same thing, study hard and earn good grades. Though there’s no denying the legitimacy of what hard work can bring, none of us can dismiss the fact that work is predominantly taking over humanity, leaving no room for other things that matter to a happy and healthy life.

An overworked labor force is an epidemic happening all around the world. From countries like Mexico, Costa Rica to Korea. Another major culprit is United States, with an average workweek of 46.7 hours, meaning that a person who leaves their home at 8 a.m., won’t leave their office until 6 p.m., a whole entire day dedicated to work and sleep, nothing else. And it seems that overworked employees from the Philippines have also reached epidemic proportions.

The Philippine Statistics Association (PSA) reported a 41% increase in the number of overworked employees since the year 1995. By the year 2015, almost 8.1 million people are now working for more than 48 hours in a week. The aforementioned report also noted that having more than the usual hours of work can interfere with the balance of personal life and work. It can also increase injury hazard risks, signal inadequate pay and can pose a long term threat to a worker’s mental health.

A Harvard Business Review article on how long working day hours can actually backfire discussed whether overworking actually works or not. In a study conducted by a Boston University Business Professor, managers could not differentiate the output of those who actually worked 80 hours a week and those who only pretended to do so. The professor found no significant evidence to prove whether overworked employees accomplished more and employees who only pretended to work accomplished less.

The aforementioned article also discussed that overworking results affects the company as well. Numerous studies around the world have reported various health issues due to stress, usually involving impaired sleep and memory, diabetes, depression and even heart disease. These health issues are already bad alone but it’s also appalling to the company with the rising health insurance costs. In foresight, overwork is terrible for both parties.

In summary, overwork diminishes our capability to progressively work on tasks that matter.

Last March, Senator Grace Poe filed Senate Resolution No. 316 asking to propose legislative measure to the rising number of overworked Filipinos.

The senator cited the aforementioned PSA report, further elaborating on the matter by citing that during the year 2015, around 8.845 million employed Filipinos are working excessive hours per week – with an overall 4.5 percent increase from the 8.467 million count from the year 2005. She then proposed a review of company policies that require employees to work long hours, an examination of labor laws and passage of legislative acts that can ensure humane work conditions for Filipinos.

The working day call for help have become a global phenomenon as well. All over the world, professionals are asking for flexible work hours that allows them to have more control over their time. More and more young entrepreneurs and startups are opting remote working, revoking traditional ideologies of the 9-to-5 work day. Flexible workspaces have also emerged like coworking spaces to give workers freedom to dedicate their time to more important matters like family and loved ones.

Would anyone believe you if you say that there are invisible monsters hidden behind success? No, not the kind of monsters that are hungry for wealth or market shares. But the one that has an unending appetite for destroying everything you’ve worked hard on anytime it pleases. The kind of monsters that feed off of a person’s self-esteem and sanity.

How can we believe in something we can’t see? How do you fight something you can’t touch? Just imagine, a hero fighting an invisible war against an intangible monster.

It’s the reality some entrepreneurs have to face. Conquering war after war of isolation and emptiness, telling their selves to live for another day – to breathe and breathe until the violence in their heads have subsided. If they’re lucky, they reach success without suffering mind wars. If not, every step they take towards their goal, is one step closer to darkness.

We know entrepreneurs to be brilliant individuals, they create new jobs and prosperity, introduce services and products that improve our daily lives and even help economies grow. And it only makes sense that most of us assume that all of them are living the dream. Yet unbeknownst to us is a dark side startups have – one that they are most likely familiar with.

In a 2015 study conducted by UCSF clinical professor Dr. Michael Freeman, he linked high rates of mental issues to entrepreneurship. Surveying 242 entrepreneurs, 49% of them reported having a mental-health condition. Depression was present in 30% of all the participants and is also the number one reported condition, shortly followed by ADHD and anxiety problems. Another study suggests that authority can be linked to depression, and that entrepreneurs or CEOs may be depressed more than double the rate of the general masses. Popular articles have also claimed that success comes with numerous strings to them and can possibly pull a person down.

The quiet war between startups and depression have been going around for so long that they’ve already lost several members of their community. It’s a war that no one sees or no one talk about.

The problem isn’t new, according to experts. It was something that successful people struggle with for most of their adult life. Yet at the same time, it is something they continue to fail to talk about. Afraid that it will be taken as a sign of their weakness, entrepreneurs hide their pain away – only for things to go for the worse in the long run. Running a business itself can be quite a stressor to a person’s emotional well-being. The risk of failure is too high to ignore. Moreover, Harvard Business School lecturer Shikhar Ghosh have said in a study that three out of four startups fail. Hence, they are exposed to traumatic events along the way. And with habits such as eating too much or too little as well as lack of sleep and physical exercise, it’s not much of a surprise that entrepreneurs are more susceptible to anxiety and despair than most people.

Research have also said that the innate character traits many entrepreneurs share make them vulnerable to strong emotional states. And though psychological makeup differs from one person to another, significant setbacks in the business can knock anyone to the ground. Numerous successful people in history have gone through a silent battle against the incapacitating depression in their heads. Throughout this unending war, there are some who have won and sadly, there are those who lost.

At the same time, there are still those who continue to fight on a daily basis. They inhabit their own little ways of keeping their selves in check. They make more time for themselves and their loved ones by acquiring Coworking Spaces membership. Instead of staying in one dull office, they move around these communal areas to interact and for creativity to flow. More importantly, they try to admit their vulnerability to those around them. Though it may be hard, they strive to be more emotionally honest and connect deeply with their family and friends. In addition to this is gathering up the courage to ask for help.

These invisible monsters lurking in the day do not pick their victims by wealth or social status. That being said, all around us are hundreds of unsung heroes going through their own battles silently asking for help.

Give them a hand and be a little nicer to everyone. Any amount of kindness can lead to someone’s happiness.

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.