And it’s easy to see why. The flexibility and networking benefits they offer are typically not available in a traditional office. No wonder companies like Uber, Instagram and Hootsuite made it so big, operating out of a coworking office.

But before you too can achieve coworking success, you need to find a perfect coworking place – a place that suits your personality, brings the best out of your team, and offers ample networking opportunity.

With hundreds of NYC coworking options out there, however, finding the right space for your team is no slam dunk.

But don’t worry! There are ways to make your search easier and faster. Whether you are a busy solopreneur, a fledgling startup or a team of 50+, here are some tips to get you started.

Decide on the desk type

Most shared offices in New York offer mainly two types of desks. You can either book a fixed desk or a flexible desk space, AKA a hot desk. Each type has its pros and cons. For instance, hot-desking allows you the flexibility to swap desks as and when required, but you’ve to pack your bag at the end of each day. As you can imagine, lugging around your laptop and essentials is no fun.

On the other hand, a fixed desk limits your networking opportunities to some extent, as you don’t get to sit somewhere new and talk to new neighbors every day. When choosing between a hot desk and a fixed desk, also consider that the former is usually cheaper than the latter. That brings us to the next point.

Consider cost

While you should not make decisions based on price alone, it’s always a good idea to stay within a budget. Membership fees can vary widely depending on the location, ambiance and facilities available in a coworking office. So make sure you know what you are paying for. When setting your budget, consider that you may have to spend extra on certain amenities, such as, printing and bike parking. The good news is you might get 100% tax deductions on your coworking membership fee. So take that into account as well.

Choose the location well

When choosing the location of your New York City coworking space, definitely consider the commute time. If you commute an additional 20 minutes per day, you might feel as awful as receiving a 19% pay cut, says a recent study. So find a location close to your residence. 10 to 15 minutes of commute is fine. Anything more is a red flag.

You may also want a strategic location, for instance, an area where most of your industry experts and potential clients reside.

Make a list of facilities you need

Most membership plans would include basic amenities like WiFi, conference rooms, free phone calls, daily cleaning, and onsite staff. But often, many other facilities are available at an additional cost. For instance, some companies offer screening rooms and noise-canceling headphones for their premium members. Since the facilities available are so wide-ranging, it would be a good idea to make your own list of essentials and look for a plan that includes most of those.

Assess the ergonomics

Make sure the office furniture meets your ergonomic needs. At the very least, you need a comfortable, height-adjustable chair, a clean desk and enough space to stretch your legs while working long hours behind your desk. Poor office ergonomics is definitely a deal breaker.

Look for cultural fit

Material comforts and all are great, but your coworking success often depends on who you share the space with. Ideally, look for like-minded professionals and a great cultural fit.

For instance, if you belong to the travel industry, joining Voyager HQ in NYC would be a great way to up your networking game. It’s the go-to coworking destination for travel startups and investors. Galvanize, on the other hand, is a perfect coworking hub for tech giants and wantrepreneurs.

Even if the workplace doesn’t cater to any particular niche, you should still choose your neighbors well for networking benefits. For instance, collaboration between a freelance writer and an SEO expert could still be a win-win for both. 

To test the waters, visit the place with your team and have a look around. Talk with your would-be neighbors to get a sense of their work culture, communication styles, etc.   

Try before you buy

Nothing helps to evaluate a workspace better than actually working there for a day or two. Thankfully, most NYC coworking companies offer a free pass for at least one day. Some even allow you a free trial for a whole week. If visiting multiple days isn’t possible, then consider trying out the space on a busy day to see how the vibe feels and if it matches your personality.

Finding a NYC coworking space is easy, finding the right space isn’t. With the help of the above tips, you should be able to land a suitable deal for your exact needs. 

There are many many factors that go into maintaining a successful business, but one thing is certain. If you get the workspace right, you’ve greatly increased your odds of building and maintaining employee morale. It’s much easier for employees to justify all the time they spend at the office when the office doesn’t make them wish they were somewhere else.

But what happens when you’ve done all the work of making your office a business utopia and growth or other factors require an office move? How can you maintain employee happiness when you have to uproot them and create a whole new office environment somewhere else?

Here are some things to consider when moving your employees to a new business home:

Look at it as an opportunity

Before even beginning to address specific needs and employee preferences and best practices, the first thing to examine when facing an office move is your attitude. It’s easy to look at an office move as a problem to be disposed of rather than an opportunity to be embraced, but the fact is, no matter how idyllic your current space may be, there’s always room for improvement. Whether it’s having enough space for an employee fitness room or getting a foosball table into that break room, some things just aren’t possible with the space you’ve got. Instead of just sticking with the status quo, look at this move as your chance to make a change for the better.

Communicate

Communication is something that’s going to happen whether you’re driving the train or not. If you don’t provide full and transparent communication about progress and expectations, that information vacuum will inevitably be filled with rumors, and that’s a great way to end up with disgruntled employees.

Talk to them. Keep them up to date on progress and timelines and floorplans. Give them ample opportunity to ask questions. But don’t just tell them what is happening. Tell them why. Why did you choose this location? What’s your overall strategy for managing the move and building the new space? Why these amenities? Why not these?

Simple communication is the best way to help your employees see change as something they’re participating in as opposed to something that’s being done to them.

But don’t just talk

Listen to them as well. The office is where your employees spend a huge percentage of their lives. Nothing sows discord more quickly than making them feel like they have no control over a space that they’re required to come to every morning.

Solicit their input. Ask for suggestions. Let them tell you what they need.

Not only will it give them a comforting sense of control, but it could keep you from investing big money in features or amenities that no one cares about in the first place.

Let them tinker

When it comes time to finally move in, don’t miss the opportunity to let your employees make the space their own. Let them add those little touches that give them ownership. Plants, photos, nick-nacks, artwork, it all makes the office feel a little more like home.

Comfortable workers are happy workers. And happy workers are productive workers

Explore the terrain

Few things can be more disorienting and frustrating than being unceremoniously dropped into a new location with no information about the lay of the land. If your new office is significantly removed in location from the old office, you’ll need to devote time and resources toward easing the transition for your employees.

Who will have longer commutes? What will the scheduling and economic consequences of that commute be? You might need to explore more flexible hours or the option to work from home. Where are the local restaurants? Drugstores? Dry cleaners? You might work with local businesses to put together an employee welcome package that provides discounts and other special offers.

The more effort you put into acclimating your employees to their new surroundings and dealing with the consequences of their move, the easier their transition will be.

Give them time

People get set in their ways. We get comfortable in our routines, and in general, we don’t welcome significant changes to the way we like to get work done. Even if you do everything else right, from communicating to listening to accommodating, it’s going to take people time to settle in. Some people more than others.

Before you make your move, remind yourself that there will most likely be a short-term hit on productivity. There will be complaints to field as unforeseen problems come to light. Check in with your employees. Listen to their concerns. Most importantly, give them time to adjust. You’ll all be happier once the dust has settled.

Working from home is the siren song of the modern worker. As freelancing and flex hours and telecommuting, and who knows what else continue to become the new way of the business world, more and more of us have set up shop at the kitchen table. Or the back porch. Or the couch. Or on a beanbag by the fireplace.

As wonderful as it is, though, to sleep in a bit late, enjoy some coffee, and skip the commute before digging into work, for some of us, the distractions of home can prove to be a productivity killer.

There’s cleaning and laundry to do. The lawn really needs to be mowed. The dishwasher isn’t going to unload itself. And the television is RIGHT THERE just waiting to be binge-watched.

Whatever your Achilles’ heel of distraction may be, the fact is that sometimes it’s just better to have a place to go where work is the only thing to be done.

Fortunately, there are many options these days, with coworking spaces popping up everywhere. You just need to determine what type of space you need, what types of amenities you need, do you need a private office or just a desk where you can spread things out and really dig into the job at hand? And if you just need a desk, do you want a fixed desk or a hot desk?

The Hot Desk/Flex Desk

Hot desking, put simply, is the concept of working in an office in which desk space is not permanently assigned. Each day you show up, there’s a room full of desks, you take your pick, and you get to work. This is in contrast to a dedicated desk environment in which a specific desk is designated as yours and yours alone.

And hot vs. fixed desking isn’t just a freelance thing. Many businesses are choosing to switch from a fixed to a hot desk model for their employees. But why? What are the benefits of hot desking for you or for your business?

Let’s examine the pros and cons.

Cost

If you’re a freelancer looking at the cost of renting a hot desk vs. a fixed desk, the cheaper alternative is always going to be a hot desk. It just makes sense. Each fixed desk in a coworking space represents a chunk of real estate that can’t be used by anyone else. You’re going to pay for access 7 days a week, even if you only use it Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And that translates to less money in your pocket.

As a business owner, you’re looking for the most efficient use of space and resources. If you’re working from a fixed desk model, you’re invariably going to be left with a significant amount of unused space a significant amount of the time – especially if your employees are offered flexible schedules or sometimes work from home. With fixed desks, you need to have more space available, not only for your current staff but also for any new hires that may arrive as you continue to grow. 

Switching to a hot desk environment allows you to more efficiently utilize a smaller space. With hot desks, you only need space for those who are on-site right now. That’s less space sitting around unused, fewer resources thrown away, and more money for your bottom line.

For cost efficiency, hot desks win.

Stuff

Work is more than just a place to sit. Depending on what you do, you’re going to need a variety of things to help you get it done. Whether that’s specialized computer equipment or just space to keep your files, if you have to cart it all around with you and set it up at a new desk every day, your productivity is going to take a hit.

If your work or that of your employees requires specialized equipment or supplies that aren’t easily transported, fixed desks are probably the way to go.

Creativity/Collaboration

Views and personal preferences differ here. Some say the opportunity afforded by hot desks to meet and interact with new people every day makes for increased creative collaboration. Others talk about the benefits of building stable working relationships with fixed desk neighbors leads to greater productivity.

Some people thrive on the variety of a changing work atmosphere and interpersonal dynamics, while others just find it distracting and a deterrent to focus and concentration.

This is an area in which pros and cons are going to differ depending on the worker in question. Consider carefully. One man’s utopia of stimulation is another man’s nightmare of distraction.

Territoriality/Stress/Conflict

If there’s one thing that can be said about humans in general, it’s that we’re creatures of habit – and we love to claim our territory.

As we get out of bed and prepare for our workday, the last thing we want or need is an additional reason to be anxious. When there’s the possibility of arriving at the office to find “the good desks” taken, we find ourselves dealing with added stress that simply wouldn’t be present if we knew that our familiar fixed desk (with its cozy chair perfectly adjusted to our body) was safely waiting for us.

For worker peace of mind and one less thing to worry about, the fixed chair would seem to be best.

In Conclusion…

Examine your own needs (or those of your employees) carefully before blindly jumping on the hot desk bandwagon. There are significant advantages and disadvantages to both approaches, and only you can decide which choice is best for you. If you want to talk through your situation, please reach out to someone at PivotDesk; we’d love to hear from you. 

Businesses choose to sublease office space for a number of reasons, the most common of which include:

• They bit off more than they can chew and can no longer afford their rent
• They find themselves paying for more space than they need
• They have outgrown a space more quickly than they anticipated

If you’re considering subleasing some or all of your office space in NYC for these or any other reasons but aren’t confident it’s the right choice, we’re here to help. First, take stock of these four questions before you dive into the world of subleasing office space so you can know for sure that you’re making a smart business move.

1. Will it make you money?

Some businesses may be surprised to learn that they can actually turn a profit by subleasing their unneeded space. This is particularly true if your office space is in an up and coming neighborhood and the office size is more than you can occupy; most commercial leases last for several years at a time, so an area that was less expensive two years ago could be undergoing a period of revitalization now. Of course, you can also make money through subleasing if another business is in particular need of a space on short notice.

Do your due diligence before settling on subleasing your space. Check on what similar spaces are renting for in your area, and contrast that potential income with what you’re losing in rent each month. You can also do some research on whether office space in your area seems to be in high demand. If the math works out, it’s probably a good idea to dive into subleasing. Finances are always a tough line to tow, so if giving up some extra valuable NYC office size makes them a little less tight, why not go for it?

2. Do you have a sublessee in mind?

The process of subleasing is made much easier if you already have a sublessee that you trust on the hook. In a subleasing situation, you will usually still be responsible for any damages to the space since it is still your name on the original lease. Although you technically aren’t occupying it, you’re the only one that the landlord can hold legally accountable should anything happen to the office.

Consider whether or not you already have concrete interest in your extra space from someone or some group that you trust. If not, you don’t need to count yourself out of the subleasing game just yet. Since you’re subleasing a commercial space, tenants are generally more careful with the way that they treat it, and you always have the option of including a section about sublessee accountability for damages in the sublease agreement. It’s pretty unlikely that you’ll run into a situation where a business doesn’t take care of the office space they sublease from you, so while having a tenant in mind makes subleasing easier, it’s certainly not absolutely necessary.

3. What is your relationship with your landlord like?

Landlord-tenant relationships aren’t quite as tricky as they’re made out to be, particularly in the commercial arena. Most of the time, as long as you pay your rent and respect your lease, landlords will be willing to work with you if you decide subleasing is a good move for your business. Just take note that landlords have more legal recourse than you might realize, built into a lease, so if your relationship with your landlord is less than stellar, they might be able to stand in the way of your subleasing efforts.

The reality is that most landlords who own office space in NYC are too busy to nit-pick over you making a small profit off of a sublease, particularly if you’ve always been a good tenant. All of this is to say that if you and your landlord maintain a positive working relationship, have no reservations taking on a sublessee!

4. Will you still be occupying part of the space?

Assuming that you will just be subleasing some of your unused space and not moving out of the office entirely, consider the logistics of another company moving in alongside yours. Questions about common areas, parking spaces, and even office culture should be things you address prior to finalizing the sublease. So long as you find a sublessee with whom you find common ground, you may actually find that you enjoy the change of pace working near another team.

Subleasing Step-By-Step

Once you decide that subleasing is a shrewd move for your business, you can get down to the nitty gritty of subleasing office space. This process will include a number of steps. Each deal is unique, but the following are the most common elements:

1. Consult both your lease and your landlord to make sure subleasing is allowed
2. Search for suitable tenants and developing a screening process
3. Establish what you want to charge
4. Create an agreement that covers the details like utility payments and rent due dates, then having that agreement checked by a legal professional

Each of these steps is crucial, as they protect you from winding up in an uncomfortable or costly situation. After you’ve taken the time to conscientiously walk through the process, you’ll be ready to sign the agreement and kiss your unused space goodbye.

Boost Income and Eliminate Excess With a Sublease

Subleasing can be an ideal situation for maximizing profits or simply cutting down on wasted space. There’s no reason to let all of that extra room just sit and collect dust—set yourself on the path of subleasing your office space. Just make sure you take a little time to consider the logistics first.

Luckily, you have a friends at PivotDesk who are willing and able to help at each step of the way. Feel free to reach out and we’ll help guide you in subleasing your office space.

Few things can have a more immediate impact on employee performance and satisfaction than the way people are actually arranged in the workplace.

Long gone are the days when new hires got the cubes and everyone kept a covetous eye on the prize of the corner office. Today’s preference is open floor plans and collaborative environments, but is that always the best way to go?

Here are six things to consider when cobbling together your own office seating plan.

1 – Workflow

There are some employees who work together daily and some never cross paths. It may seem obvious, but it bears mentioning here. Figure out who needs to communicate most frequently and seat them together. It’s easy to discount the time it takes to pick up the phone or tap out an email, but it’s much more efficient to just turn your head or take a short stroll for an immediate answer. Over time, that translates to significantly more time spent working and less time spent checking out Facebook while waiting for replies.

Oh, and don’t make the mistake of seating people next to those they report to. While that may seem to make sense, it’s far more valuable to place people next to those with whom they most often collaborate. Streamlining collaboration is the most effective way to maximize workflow. In fact, a study by Sunkee Lee at Carnegie Mellon University found that an office seating plan can help increase creativity and productivity and can save companies of over 10,000 employees as much as $1MM.

2 – That means execs too

That last point means you might also want to rethink where you place your execs. It may seem natural to place them in the trenches with their direct reports, but too often execs get overly focused on their own small piece of the business jigsaw, losing sight of the bigger picture. Company priorities can easily become misaligned if execs aren’t actively collaborating to maintain a consistent overall vision. Senior leadership is also a team. Keeping them together makes it much more likely that they’ll follow the same playbook.

3 – Why can’t we be friends

It’s a fact of life. Sometimes people just don’t get along. 

Sure, company get-togethers and team-building exercises can help, but the truth is some people just aren’t going to work well together, and it’s counterproductive to spend time trying to enforce camaraderie.

Identify your employees’ personality types. Observe interactions. Placing an extreme extrovert next to an entrenched introvert is just going to frustrate the former and annoy the latter. Some people thrive on interaction, cooperation, and a constant give and take. Others just want a quiet place to get things done. Take the time to identify these differences. Your employees (and your bottom line) will thank you.

4 – Striking a balance

It’s true that an open floor plan and the proper placement of collaborating groups and compatible personalities can positively influence productivity. But there comes a point of diminishing returns. Even those who thrive on the group dynamic eventually have to sit down and focus on the task at hand. If you’ve opted for the open floor plan, make sure you also provide access to quiet workspaces where folks can get away from it all and meet that deadline.

5 – But what do they think?

Ultimately, happy employees are productive employees. There are a lot of ways to make your employees happier, but ultimately the easiest is just to listen to them. Yes, there are many factors that go into building the ideal seating plan for your company, but don’t get so caught up in everything we just talked about that you turn yourself into some sort of office space dictator. Ask your employees what they think. Ask your employees what they need. A bigger desk. An L-shaped desk. An ergonomic chair. Cooler. Warmer. Someone they don’t get along with.

Ask them.

Of course, you can’t accommodate every request. But the ones that you can accommodate will significantly impact both employee satisfaction and productivity. And ultimately they’ll appreciate the fact that you went to the trouble of asking. That’s what the cool bosses do.

Look at you. You’re one of the cool bosses.

6 – Don’t stagnate

You’ve established a winner of an office seating plan. Everyone’s happy and productive. Well done! Mission complete!

Not so fast.

Unfortunately, finding the right seating plan for the moment isn’t the end of the story. Of course, there’s the obvious fact that employees come and go. Your workforce evolves. And seating plans must evolve along with them.

As stated above, studies have shown that periodically rotating seating plans is directly associated with increased creativity and productivity. It seems that exposure to new people encourages the sharing of new information. New information and new perspectives combine with our own, and the result is often creative new solutions to familiar problems.

Summing things up

Basically, you owe it to yourself to do everything in your power to supercharge your workforce. And the fact is, where people sit makes a difference. Take the time to be smart about your seating plan and everyone will benefit.

By keeping your employee’s thoughts and feelings in mind, you’ll have the best chance of having an easy and calm transition in which everyone is happily onboard with the move.

Here are some key tips on how to make your employees feel good about an imminent office move.

1. Involve Your Employees in The Planning Process
   It is always a good idea to ask your employees for their input when it comes to ideas about the new office layout, as they probably know their working environment better than you do. Schedule a meeting well in advance of the moving date and pose questions such as: ‘how do you envisage your ideal working space? and ‘what do you like/dislike about the current layout?’ This will make them feel empowered and appreciated.
2. Make Sure Your Team Knows What Is Going On
   Staff don’t appreciate it when they feel they don’t have a clue what is happening in the business. Therefore, regular communication is crucial. Keep your employees up to date with the progress of the office move. They have a right to know what’s going on, and it will help motivate them about their new environment.
3. Acknowledge Their Commute
   Anytime you’re moving offices, your employees’ commute is going to be impacted. For some, the move may be closer to their homes, but for others, it may mean a longer drive or a different bus route or that they are no longer in walking distance.You may not be able to change your planned move based on this, but you can take the opportunity to engage employees around potential solutions. Maybe you can offer reimbursement for public transportation, or can solicit their feedback on plans for parking.
4. Ease the Transition
   It may take longer for some staff members to adapt to their new work environment, so once you have completed the move in and settled down, you may want to review how everyone is dealing with the change of address. Alternatively, you can arrange for someone to check for any snagging issues regarding the new seating arrangement or each workstation. A new address means a new commute, so a little flexibility on initial work schedules will go a long way towards making your employees comfortable with the change. Give them time to adjust to the new routes, work environment and traffic patterns, and play around with the schedule if the usual 9 to 5 lands them in perpetual gridlock on the road. This is also a good time to inform them of any company policies (dress codes, teleworking opportunities, mandatory weekly meetings, etc.) that need to change because of the new location.

An office move doesn’t have to be as difficult as you may believe, and with a little bit of effort on your side, it can be easy enough to keep your employees happy. Any type of change can be scary for employees, but by staying communicative and taking the steps mentioned above, you’ll minimize employee headaches and reduce any anxiety they may be experiencing in anticipation of the change.

Have you recently moved? Do you have any other tips to keeping everyone happy and excited through the process? Leave a note below, and share your words of wisdom!

Did you just finish posting your listing, or has it been up for a while? Either way, you probably want to make sure that you’ve done everything possible to make your offering stand out. Well, we’re here to help with three tips to increase your chances of finding your ideal suitor more efficiently and more effectively. If you haven’t already reviewed our guide to creating a posting, we really recommend you take a look.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

We’ve found that listings with at least four well-taken photos that showcase the office space are twice as likely to get a click-through. So what makes a great photo? You can find more details in this blog post, but here is a quick teaser:

• Turn on grid lines on your smartphone. Use those grid lines to align to desks, walls, pretty much anything that’s straight. It’ll give your photos a clean and framed look. Simply Google, “how to turn on grid lines on [your device model]” for more detailed instructions.
• Take photos at chest level. This balances the amount of ceiling and floor in your photos, which makes your office look more spacious. Take out your phone and try moving the camera to your eye and then to your hip. Does the camera capture more of the floor at eye level and more of the ceiling at hip height? If you’ve turned on those grid lines, you’ll see a world of difference.
• Pick a sunny day and shoot as close to the window as possible. Lighting often makes or breaks a picture, and fluorescent light at night will give your office a drab and boring feel.
• Tidy up. You want your prospective tenant to focus on your beautiful space, not on all the random papers, coffee cups, and unwashed dishes lying around. You could take this opportunity to do some spring cleaning, or just move things into a big box out of the frame.
• Show all the spaces. Your space is so much more than just the desks. The entryway, conference rooms, rooftop, kitchen, break-out space, and more are all highly desired features of your office. And don’t forget the details of your fixtures, furniture, and art — they’ll let your personality shine through.

All Good in the Neighborhood

An office is a hub for everyone from employees to clients and even board members. So to ensure people love visiting the office, it’s great to showcase some of the great events happening and venues that live nearby. The more you can highlight the amazingness of your neighborhood, the more attractive it will be for your prospective guests. Take a look through our office attractions and see if you’ve actually been sitting on a neighborhood gold mine without even noticing.

• Mind the Commute. Everyone is going to be commuting to your office at some point, so the more public transportation options, the better. Don’t assume others know the area with simply an address; it’ll be much easier for your guest if you list out all the subway, bus, train, ferry, bike share docks, and even heliport options near you.
• Out of Office Meeting Places. Breakfast meeting? Coffee? Lunch gathering? After-work drinks? Board dinner, then drinks? It’s nice to connect socially during and after work, and smart office managers will be looking for a variety of coffee, restaurant, and bar options close to the office (brownie points if one of these options has a Giant Jenga).
• Sweat It Out. They say sitting is the new smoking. But aside from employees missing work for doctors’ appointments, it actually helps companies increase productivity through improved engagement, focus, and overall happiness. Employees are now looking to squeeze in some gym time during lunch breaks or in the afternoons, so this will be helpful for employers. Highlight all the gyms and fitness classes nearby and check with your team – your company may be able to offer a discount to affiliates.
• Chop the Chores. Employees are people, too, which means they often need to handle mundane things for their home. People’s ability to perform basic chores and errands like picking up medication, groceries, dry cleaning are all impacted by when they arrive and leave the office. Explore how your current employees are using the nearby stores to make their home life easier. We’ve heard positive feedback for spaces near popular grocery chains Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Fairway, and Gristedes in New York City.

Remember to Be Yourself

Office sharing is an amazing opportunity to surround yourself with another team who has similar values, but is working on a different problem. Your space reflects your team’s personality, and vice versa! Here are just a few examples of ways to really showcase your unique company:

• Why You Do What You Do. Changing the world is hard work, and you want as many allies as you can find to aid in your pursuit of greatness. Let others know the problem you’re trying to solve, and why you’re passionate about that problem. You may just find the next partner to 10x your business.
• Office Fun. Teams bond in many different ways, and activities or games are always a fun excuse to stick together after work. Happy hours and game nights are very popular. We’ve seen teams host weekly Dungeons and Dragons nights, and others with more light hearted, Cards Against Humanity, or our new favorite, Joking Hazard.
• Extend an Invitation. It may be obvious that anyone interested in your space should inquire, but we’ve found that some friendly language in your listing actually encourages people to click that tour button and reach out to you. So don’t forget to thank them for checking you out, and invite them to connect!

What do you think? Do you have any tips that we missed? Agree with us? Disagree with us? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you!

Remain Flexible

As you explore office décor ideas, flexibility will provide more options, especially for a growing business. The kind of office you choose and how its managed can make all the difference. By remaining adaptable, you’ll more than likely end up saving since you’re making informed decisions and are open to new ideas. This should also play a role if you haven’t yet scored a spot as you should be open to different kinds of lease agreements and terms as your company grows.

Find a Balance

Increase morale by creating conversational and activity-based areas. Optimize the space to everyone’s benefit and keep everyone engaged with each other in a more conducive environment. And while open space layouts are great for collaborative moments, they can create times where there’s too much communal noise to distract. So if you have an open plan, do devise clever ways to allow for privacy. Glass partitions are great for this and will keep the space feeling light and airy. Plus, everyone will remain focused and social when needed. The key is to strike a balance between privacy and openness. Designated activity-based zones will then come in handy when collaboration is key.

Be Deliberate

When it comes to decorative trends, they have no place in an office. Instead, inform office-related décor by a more strategic goal. Here’s where intentionality remains key as you should want to maximize the value of every office décor decision you make. This way you’ll get the best value you can without having to spend a small fortune. Think about how you would feel working for someone else in the same space based on its tone and energy. Would you enjoy coming here every day? Would there be anything that would hinder your productivity?

To make sure that everyone enjoys coming in, consider these cues:

Comfort Comes First

The more time you spend in your office, the more comforting its look and feel should be. To create a cozy feel, consider mimicking the feel of a luxurious living room with conversational seating areas, and plush, sumptuous fabrications.

Smart Storage Solutions

Smart storage solutions are essential when it comes to storing files, electronic equipment, and just about anything that you don’t need out in the open regularly. Concealed storage will also help you retrieve and put away what you do need, leading to a cleaner, more comforting environment.

Plants are a Must

In any space, plants offer plenty of benefits besides being an affordable way to bring in texture and a sense of the organic. In fact, studies have shown that they can work to help dramatically reduce stress levels while boosting productivity. And since they can effectively clean the air from pollutants around them, you’ll have happier and healthier employees to boot.

Layer Texture

Spartan offices often evoke dull, lifeless energy, while layers of texture and color boast a mood-enhancing feel. To create a balanced, layered look, mix and match decorative elements and bring in extra texture via patterned rugs, throws, and pillows. And to avoid a sloppy, unorganized spirit, stick to only a handful of extras to avoid a heavy-handed feel.

Inject Color

Cold and austere neutral color schemes should be left for institutional environments as they do nothing when it comes to sparking creativity. Avoid a clinical feel by embracing warn, richer colors. Just be sure that you opt for ones that you won’t tire of soon.

Utilize Variety

Decorative accessories are certain to help you create a unique, and layered, well-judged look. These intriguing contrasts will also help to keep the eye moving which is great for keeping the senses stimulated.

Play with Patterns

Long gone are the days of confetti printed industrial carpets as today’s office decor trends call for visually striking plays on geometric patterns. Whether you opt for a bold color combination or something more subtle, refreshing geometric patterns are certain to boost the energy in any environment.

When in Doubt, Go Minimal

If you’ve got a small and challenging office space to work with, take a cue from the slim, sleek, and methodical feel of a fine art gallery as you plan to decorate your workspace. By going for a well-judged minimal take, you’ll ensure that your office space remains timeless in feel without any bulky elements in the way. Even better if you’re able to build a workstation along a wall from the ground up to take as little of valuable floor space as possible.

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Here’s some additional insight on how corporate events inspire employee bonding, and how they can benefit your business.

They turn co-workers into friends

Never discount the importance of workplace companionship. You probably know from personal experience that being close with your co-workers makes the day go by faster, but there is data that backs this up. According to the Gallup State of the American Workplace survey, having friends at work makes work more enjoyable and worthwhile, with workplace friendship boosting employee satisfaction by 50 percent. What’s more, people who have a “best friend” at work are seven times more likely to engage fully at work. Corporate social events, which encourage employees to socialize outside the typical workplace, can promote more genuine friendships within the workplace.

They foster company loyalty

When your employees want to wear their company logo T-shirts outside the office, you know you’ve done an excellent job. Loyalty matters, and not just because it makes leadership feel good. Long-term employees are vital to the success of a business because they offer the company stability, knowledge and cost savings over time.

They encourage dialogue

When you know someone better, you’re much more likely to open up to them about things that affect you throughout the day or in your life outside of work. Putting your team in a scenario where they’re encouraged to communicate (see below for some great ideas) is a fantastic way to inspire bonding and boost the strength of your workplace culture. Make sure that you focus on opening up the communication channels between all departments and titles. For example, be sure that your latest entry-level employees are encouraged to work face-to-face with the top members of your C-suite at fun corporate events.

They teach problem-solving skills

When you to work together with someone to achieve a clear-cut objective—say, to get yourself out of an escape room or to beat the competition in a friendly game of softball—then you’re much more likely to forge real bonds. Working with others in these kinds of scenarios also helps employees polish up their problem-solving skills for the workplace, allowing them to better communicate their wants, needs, and frustrations at any given moment.

They lower the pressure

Indeed, one of the best parts about getting to “hang out” with your co-workers and employees outside of the workplace is that you can be yourself since there are much fewer pressures and stressors. When you feel like there are fewer rules and you’re away from your e-mail, to-do list or that ever-growing stack of paperwork on your desk, you’re much more likely to associate your co-workers, and the work itself, with enjoyable experiences and positivity rather than stress and worry. Employees also feel relaxed enough to share their personalities.

Planning a successful corporate event based on goals

To plan a successful company outing, you need to have a game plan going in so that you can tailor the event to your unique goals. Here are some great corporate event ideas that help encourage bonding while also helping you achieve specific high-level workplace goals:

To make employees happy—If your game plan is to promote more comfortable, more connected employees, then don’t overthink things. Any activity that has to do with pure fun will help employees associate happiness and joy with their work and co-workers. Here are some awesomely fun employee activity ideas.

• Go-carts
• Theme parks
• Mini golf
• Concerts
• Professional sports games
• Festivals
• Karaoke
• Bowling

To improve loyalty—Having a problem with turnover in your workplace? To boost loyalty, create some friendly competition between departments or entities so that workers feel loyal to the team they work with every day. And make sure you provide all of the event-goers with company promotional items they can wear at corporate events and outside of work.

• Employee sports leagues
• Team trivia
• Competitive fundraisers or food drives
• Volunteer days
• Marathons or relay teams
• Team exercise classes

To improve communication—If your corporate event goal is to enhance communication and dialogue among your team: Don’t send employees to a movie, a concert or a play! Instead, make sure they’re someplace where they can talk to one another in a comfortable, open environment. You might also think about coordinating a more formal, planned event complete with ice-breakers.

• Happy hours
• Working lunches
• Team dinners
• Weekday brunches

To improve problem-solving—One excellent way to boost interpersonal engagement within your organization is to present groups of employees with a specific challenge. If they find that they all have one shared goal—even if only temporarily, to win a competition or complete a task—they will simultaneously build close bonds and strengthen their individual and team problem-solving skills.

• Escape rooms
• Scavenger hunts
• Cooking classes
• Murder mystery events
• Mazes

Making the most of your corporate events

Setting time aside for more focused group development and changing the scenery for employees separates the event from the everyday work environment. When done correctly, a good company outing allows people to be involved in the activities without the worry of the typical job responsibilities and deadlines. This encourages people to socialize and cooperate more without feeling pressured, which is good for the long-term success of your company. Always remember: a little bit of fun goes a long way!

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PivotDesk’s office sharing marketplace will continue to run independently, with the support and resources of SquareFoot, the country’s largest tech-enabled brokerage. SquareFoot will help hosts get their spaces filled quicker, and help guests and hosts find traditional leasing options when office sharing or coworking don’t make sense.

You can read the full press release here, or SquareFoot CEO Jonathan Wasserstrum’s summary of the acquisition and how it will make it easier for businesses to find the right office for their needs.

SquareFoot x PivotDesk Enables:

1. SquareFoot to be the one-stop shop for all your office space needs — from your first desk to corporate HQ, our proprietary technology and team of brokers has you covered.

2. Tenants to make money on space they don’t yet need — the ability to grow into a larger space minimizes the headache of continuously finding and moving into new offices. In addition to the marketplace platform, PivotDesk spaces can be shown to SquareFoot’s brokerage clients, meaning your available desks can get filled even faster.

3. Businesses to choose from a variety of flexible office space options — this is also why we recently launched FLEX by SquareFoot, a product that lets businesses lease any space in NYC for 2-3 years instead of the traditional 5-10.

In the meantime, SquareFoot is looking to hire a GM (here’s the job description) to own growing the PivotDesk platform — if you or someone in your network seems like a great fit, give us a shout at [email protected]

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