Why do I need to socialize to be productive?
1. Social acceptance keeps you healthy.
2. Socializing with new co-workers molds a good work environment.
3. It is an avenue to share distracting feelings so you could focus on the work at hand.
4. Having friends at work can make you feel like you are not just at a job.
5. You work better with people you are comfortable with.
With the growing abundance of co-working spaces in the Philippines, it would often lead one to wonder why people would invest in such a space. Don’t they get the same amenities and service by working on their start up business at home? While this is true, the one thing that people don’t get from working at home is ample social interactions. Although many companies see chit chat as unproductive, it actually does the exact opposite. Here are the reasons why:
1. Chit Chat is Healthy
When someone is working in a lonely environment, it will eventually affect his well-being. While working at home does mean one will be near family, seeing the same people every day could be tiresome; especially those one has known his whole life.
It is good to see and meet new people for the sake of health. The reason why is because an important health factor is social acceptance. When one feels that he is not being supported, he also has a raised risk of mortality; true for both but especially for women.
On the other side of the spectrum, social acceptance can do wonders to lift the spirit of any worker and make him motivated to work.
2. New Comers Feel More Welcome
The power of socializing cannot be underestimated when it comes to calling a certain space a home for business. This is because the first few weeks of rental is a make or break time. Within this period, if the tenant feels like he is not socially accepted by his fellow tenants, then he may not stay. However, if he is made to feel welcome, then he would only stay loyal and happy with the space but he would also look forward to coming to work. The same cannot be said for a home environment where the mundane surroundings could make one uninspired and lazy. With peer support and encouragement, a tenant could definitely find the strength he needs to accomplish the tasks for the day.
3. Feelings Affect Performance
No matter how professional anyone aims to be, emotions, personalities, and moods affect the overall performance of a person. An unstable set of feelings could lead to inefficiency, faulty decision making, low flow of creativity, and even physical exhaustion.
By being social in the workplace, co-workers have an avenue to share both positive and negative emotions to someone. Doing so may get negative energy out of a person’s system enough for him to work properly. While building up such a relationship with a cotenant may take time, it will be worth it when the tenant can work through any emotional crisis.
4. Better Friends = Better Mood
Building good relationships with cotenants is a great way to add a positive environment to the co-working space. It keeps everyone happy with each other and feel like they aren’t just working on their jobs; it will make them feel like they are working to achieve. By having a feel-good informal connection with cotenants, this driven workforce can be made. If the co-workers are employees of the same start-up, then they will make a better team when they have a good friendship.
For this reason, managers of co-working spaces should introduce a new co-worker to the rest of the space. By doing so, this will definitely pave the way for interaction during breaks.
5. A Sense of Comfort
Here is a simple concept to understand: the more comfortable people are, the more they enjoy doing what they are doing. It doesn’t matter what – either at play or at work – there are fewer inhibitions to act when the situation is comfortable. When it comes to a work situation where the social environment is familiar, the employees will be encouraged to take actions.
Meanwhile, in a home, the environment may be comfortable but the lack of reassurance and/or feedback from like-minded people may be toxic.
Key Takeaway
Investing in a co-working space is not just about finding the best amenities, but the best cotenants as well. The friendship that these like-minded entrepreneurs share could make for encouraging conversations that could be the drive they need to reach their goals.