A sense of choice and control in the workplace leads to all kinds of benefits in terms of health, performance and overall well-being. But for choice to be meaningful, rather than a management façade or form of words, the options on offer must have the power to make real differences to workers’ lives.
A Diversity of Membership Options
The range of different choices available in a coworking space, and in WabiSabi, starts before you walk through the doors.
- WabiSabi will offer variety in terms of memberships options to suit all needs, whether you want a few days here and there, a permanent desk of your own, or even a room for your team, your event, or your training course. For all of these, a variety of office environments are available.
Diversity in Industries
Variety in terms of coworkers is also important. In fact, a diversity of people is more central than a diversity of spaces, since coworking is about a community of people more than the building or business. That is why coworking membership is curated – chosen and crafted from a variety of alternatives – just as the space is designed. This blend is what makes the networking, the sharing contacts and ideas within a coworking space so valuable and effective.
WabiSabi offers a rich variety of colleagues in three ways:
- Members and visitors will come from different businesses and different industries within the private sector, and indeed, different sectors, particularly the voluntary and community sector, including social entrepreneurship.
- Second, coworkers enjoy all sorts of different experience levels in business, from start-ups to well established businesses. Finally, although coworking might seem to appeal to freelancers and microbusiness owners, different sizes of SMEs use coworking spaces on a rotating basis.
Diversity in Ages
Beyond this, WabiSabi also believes in three other sorts of coworking diversity, and they are key to our vision of what Dawn and I want for WabiSabi.
- Diversity of age range – It’s an easy mistake to imagine that coworking is for young, Millennial hipster types only, or mainly. It is neither. According to the Global Coworking Survey,
“Coworking fits all generations. The average age of a coworker is 34 years, but most coworking spaces are melting pots of individuals from all ages.”
Diversity in Nationalities
Diversity of nationality – We’re lucky to have a nice sprinkling of Americans, Italians, and non-Western cultures represented in our community. In a globalised economy, even in Northern Ireland, it’s never been more important to appreciate international business etiquette or make business connections beyond our small borders.
Diversity in Personality
Diversity in personality type – As two self-confessed introverts in a business world of what seems like extreme extroverts, it’s important for us to create a space where everyone can feel comfortable and energised, in their own way. Dawn in particular has written on how introverts can excel at coworking.
I like my coworking as I like my food: diverse, healthy (for the most part), shared with interesting people, and with more than a hint of spice.
If you can think of ways in which we can tap into these diverse types of people and industries, please get in touch.
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