office space for rent paranaque Archives

How to Retain Employees During COVID

What are some ways employers can retain employees during COVID?

Create a safe and comfortable working environment
Be flexible whenever possible
Encourage new connections between employees
Make employee wellness a priority

Managing employees has always been tricky for employers, but as the pandemic drags on, it is apparent that one of the most prominent problems for companies everywhere now is how to retain their employees despite the COVID unemployment crisis. Adding onto that, the workforce now has new demands and expectations when it comes to their working environment.

Luckily, with many companies shifting their priorities towards flexibility, technology, safety, and transparency, there are many new ways for employers to overcome this problem. Below are 4 practices you can integrate into your office’s day-to-day in order to boost employee retention – all while keeping your employees safe from COVID and working remotely at home.

Create A Safe And Comfortable Working Environment

An employer should consider the safety of their employees beyond the usual physical safety protocols. Even while working at home, creating a safe and comfortable online working environment for everyone is important. In fact, one can say that it is of greater importance nowadays to make sure your employees don’t feel isolated in their work. Instead, they should be able to feel that they are part of a healthy and supportive environment, where they feel that they can work to the fullest.

This may be difficult as working remotely may make your employees feel disconnected from the working environment. So it is important to emphasize communication and transparency between teams and management. Open communication helps cultivate the feeling of a safe and comfortable working environment even during a crisis, where employees don’t have to worry about their job security, or other issues such as gossiping, secrecy, or cyberbullying.

When this type of working environment is created, employees tend to feel more secure in their roles and are less likely to consider other employment options.

Be Flexible Whenever Possible

While ‘flexibility’ in the workplace became a hot topic at the beginning of the pandemic, it is more complicated than just merely shifting to remote work. Flexibility in work may look different for everyone and depends on the expectations of the employees and the capabilities of the employers.

Flexibility for some employees may mean changing their work times in order to accommodate other responsibilities to home and family, while another employee may consider flexibility to be what apps they are allowed to use when communicating with their teammates.

Since there are many ways that employees can consider flexibility in their schedules, responsibilities, and procedures, it is important for employers to communicate with them in order to establish boundaries, guidelines, and rules around flexibility in order to keep everyone on the same page. This also allows employers to take into account new ways to ease workflows between employees, as well as increase productivity and overall happiness.

Encourage New Connections Between Employees

Like with most things about working in an office, the pandemic has restricted the social interactions that employees used to experience on a daily basis. If your team is working remotely, it may be hard for them to socialize, particularly with new hires. Nowadays, many social connections have to be done with more intention and planning than before. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but employers should make sure to encourage these connections

It’s important to reintroduce the social aspect of work virtually. This can be done by incorporating activities such as online games, icebreakers, and even planned company meals over ZOOM during workdays in order to help your employees bond, give them a sense of belonging, and allow them to destress after work.

Make Employee Wellness A Priority

While working remotely allows many companies to ensure that their employees are staying physically well, employees’ mental wellness is something that was negatively affected, which was particularly apparent at the beginning of the pandemic. When considering employee wellness, employers should also pay attention to their mental state and how their employees are dealing with remote work.

Regular check-ins with employees and teams are one way that employers can check on their employee’s personal situations. A simple “How are you doing?” is an underrated way of showing your employees that they have a support system they can rely on when they are struggling. Following this question up with sincere acknowledgements, empathy, and sympathy are great ways to further enforce their trust in that support system.

Other than that, making sure that your employees are given enough time to destress and recharge before their next day of work is a simple way of helping them maintain that mental wellness. Encouraging your employees to take rest when needed with things like paid time off helps them prioritize and take care of their wellbeing without worrying about the consequences.

Key Takeaway

The pandemic has highlighted many previous problems for employers and has pushed many to reconsider the ways that they communicate with their employees. Learning how to retain employees during COVID, in particular, is something that has concerned many companies well into the pandemic.

Employers should not overlook their abilities to innovate and improve employee engagement. In order to retain employees, employers should pay extra attention to the needs of their employees while keeping them engaged and happy with their roles in the company. When employees’ needs are met, retention becomes less of an issue.

How Meal Prep Improves Your Working Experience

How does meal prep improve your working experience?

Your stress level lowers
You will feel less sick
It raises your energy level

“What should I eat for lunch?” has become an everyday struggle for the working adult, including you. Most of us can’t find time anymore to pack our own lunch ahead of time. Buying your afternoon meal from restaurants near your office space for rent in Paranaque has become second nature. While it is definitely the easiest solution, it is not the most efficient.

Why is it not efficient? Simply, because take-out is not as advantageous as meals prepared at home. Take-out orders are on average, less healthy, more expensive, and dirtier than the food you cook at home. Additionally, they can lower our work productivity. Because of these reasons, it would only make sense to commit to meal prepping on an everyday basis.Meal prep is the act of cooking a large meal before your work week starts, and then dividing it so you have packed lunch every day. It is not difficult or time-consuming. Plus, you have the freedom to add as many healthy food items as you desire, like lean meats and vegetables.

If you need further proof as to why you should meal prep, then these are preparing your lunch beforehand will improve your working experience:

Your stress level lowers

Most people assume that the only stress restaurant meals give us is a financial stress. After all, they aren’t cheap and eating them on a regular basis can blow a hole in your wallet. But, it goes deeper than that.

Certain foods can make us feel more anxious at work than others because they tend to have too much salt and one of the saltiest foods employees commonly run to are fast food meals. First, salt can starve the body of potassium which our brain needs to process our emotions and thoughts. Second, we feel more dehydrated and a dehydrated person is a very moody person.

It can be heart-wrenching to finish outputs at a co-working space in Manila because of the deadlines. You wouldn’t want to eat food that makes you feel even worse about yourself.

You will feel less sick

When you are finishing deliverables at your co-working space in Manila during a stressful week, the last thing you want is diarrhea or food poising because of your lunch. You will have to take a sick leave and time that could be spent at the office disappears.

Sadly, eating take-out can give you more prone to these stomach illnesses. Eating food cooked by other people will always be risky to your stomach because you are never sure if they followed the cleanliness protocols while they made your meal. When they don’t follow these protocols, your meal becomes a breeding ground for bacteria like Bacillus Cereus and Salmonellosis

At least with your packed lunch, you are secure in knowing you properly cleaned all your vegetables.

It raises your energy level

You can focus better at work after eating your prepared meal because it has more energy-boosting nutrients than the usual restaurant fare. Meals served in restaurant lack the nutrients our body needs to function well, and instead, are full of energy sucking fats and processed sugars, since those are the type of food customers are drawn to.

Fatty foods, such as fried chicken, can drain your energy because they are low in fiber. When you have a low amount of fiber on your body, your digestion becomes slow and energy- boosting nutrients take a longer time to enter the body.

Processed sugars in pizza and pasta can make you drowsy after lunch because they quickly spike up your blood sugar too quickly. This is because the white flour in pizza and pasta contains grains with their bran layer removed. This layer had fiber which is responsible for making sure your body digest the grains slowly, so you don’t become groggy so quickly.

Key Takeaway

Preparing your meals before the workweek starts will change your 9-5 life at your office space for rent in Paranaque every day for the better. Eating restaurant take-out may be easier, but they only give your body fats, sugars, and salts which can make you feel more stressed and tired in the afternoon.

Additionally, you are never sure about how clean your food really is. With your meal prep items, you have the security of knowing that you are doing your body a service because they have a lot of nutrients and little to no disease-causing bacteria.

Office Space for Rent Paranaque: 2019 Office Design Trends

What are popular design trends for office spaces in 2019?

Urban nature
More relaxation spaces
Smart technology

Office spaces for rent in Paranaque were designed in 2018 to be collaborative. There were no work cubicles and rooms allowed for several people to work together in a single space. In 2019, they will continue to have designs geared towards collaboration, with a few changes. These are the popular design trends which will change the way work spaces look next year:

Urban Nature

Businesses will be adding more greenery to their office work space in 2019 through these different means:

Placing a small cactus plant on a desk
Planting a vertical garden inside with plants that can survive in an office environment (ex. English ivy, Jade plant, Spider plant)
Placing artificial moss on the walls as decoration

According to numerous studies, people naturally love having greenery in their jobs surroundings because it brings about these numerous benefits:

Plants can reduce stress – A study from the New University of Technology Sydney focused on the effects of indoor plants on the negative mood of office employees over 3 months. At the end of the period, employees who worked in a space with the plants admitted to feeling 30 to 60 % less stress, while those without plants felt their stress increased by 20 to 40% over 3 months.

Plants can reduce sick leaves – 7600 workers in 16 countries became participants for a Human Spaces report in 2015. ⅓ of these participants were the only ones with houseplants inside their office spaces, and they reported a 15% higher score in terms of well-being compared to the ⅔ of the participants with no plants whatsoever. Additionally, introducing plants to one office in the 1990s led to a 25% decrease in illness symptoms.

This greenery trend can be easily implemented in any type of office, including co-working spaces in Manila.

More Relaxation Spaces

These spaces will serve as areas for employees to relax and recharge before they go back to work. With office spaces becoming more open to adding leisure in their design, it makes sense that companies like Google would also be open to investing in relaxation rooms for their people.

These spaces were meant to be a solution to the lack of work-life balance among office staff.

For 2019, these are different types of relaxation rooms that can easily be created in any office space for rent in Paranaque:

Meditation room

Just 5 minutes of mindfulness can greatly improve your workplace focus. Companies can make a room for meditation by just supplying yoga mats for their employees to use and have relaxing music playing in the background.

Nap room

Providing employees with the means to sleep is one of the most efficient ways of caring for their well-being. Working adults sleep less than 7 or 8 hours on average and it has caused offices to lose money because their staff’s productivity is low as well.

You can easily make a nap room by placing bean bags, hammocks, or even a few couches in one area.

“No electronics” room

Here, employees will not be allowed to bring their laptops and smartphones inside. People are allowed to fully rest without checking on social media and texts. Using electronics has been shown to make us more tired than energized to work.

Another relaxation space that will become more popular is a pantry. While this is not exactly a room, pantries have become sacred spaces for employees.

Smart Technology

More technological advancements will be placed in 2019 office spaces to fulfill specific purposes. These advancements include:

Shared screens

Office spaces will dedicate meeting rooms to video teleconferences. Companies frequently deal with planning challenges when it comes to meeting conferences. Since everyone needs to be present in one, just one sudden absence can cancel it and these leads to wasted time for all parties involved. This is the same for meetings with several teams involved.

To remedy this, offices in 2019 will link screens in of each team’s room together. Here, teams can have a shared conference, even in separate places, because their screens will allow them to talk to other people through video.

Electronic Trackers

With technological advancements, it will become easier for HR to track which staff members are coming on time and who are not. Trackers, thanks to technology, have become more accurate in capturing late and absent employees than ever before.

Electronic trackers for employees which will become more popular are:

Fingerprint scans
Voice recognition tools

Multi-Faceted Security

Good office security should be so subtle that no one knows they are being watched. Security will expand to other facades, besides the usual video camera in the wall. Other forms of security that will appear more in 2019 include:

Facial recognition
Fingerprint recognition
Doors that open to employee’s IDs

Key Takeaway

Office spaces in 2018 were designed to be collaborative. While this trend will continue well into 2019, there will be new design structures that will shake up the way work spaces look. These trends include more nature, relaxation spaces, and smart technology.

Virtual Office in the Philippines: Why do Milllennials Prefer Working in Shared Spaces

Why do millennials prefer working in shared spaces?

The choice to work alone or with others
Harnessing more motivation
Autonomy and security

Millennials require more flexibility in the workplace compared to previous generations, according to the Deloitte Millennial Survey 2017. Flexibility is positively correlated to organizational performance and employee satisfaction. Furthermore, companies can easily implement this more to improve performance by moving work to virtual offices in the Philippines. These are the reasons why renting a shared space can benefit your employees, and in turn, benefit your company:

They can easily choose to work alone or with others

Contrary to popular belief, shared spaces do not mean collaboration 100% of the time. Most of these offices have been also been built or ordained with structural arrangements to give employees peace and quiet. Also, technology has made it easier for them to inform other coworkers or leaders of updates, without the need for face-to-face interaction.

An office space for rent in Las Pinas is not only adorned with rooms that are usually occupied each by a different business, but also with a central area is fully-equipped with couches and chairs for people who want to work alone.

They feel more motivated

The design of a workspace reflects the culture and attitudes of a company. When the office is blandly designed to be a bleak set of cubicles with one computer, it can easily make an employee feel like he or she is in a very constricted in a cold and sterile environment. Its tight and personal interaction is kept to a minimum. Over time, the employee may find the company too inflexible and isolating to work in and resign.

People are more motivated when they also can also relate with others easily. Humans are more motivated to work with people who they consider part of their community. Because of this, a positive office environment is also directly related to the quality of relationships among co-workers.

High-quality relationships are built first by effective communication. Co-workers and team leaders practice this by listening to each other and offering advice and criteria for improvement. Lastly, trust is established at work when people can trust you to deliver responsibilities. In an office space for rent in Las Pinas, your colleagues can easily see if someone worth trusting and talking to because everyone sits next to each other.

They can have both autonomy and security

Millennials are more loyal to companies now because of the many political and social problems that have occurred recently and desire to have an office that makes them feel secure. Additionally, this loyalty is increased when employees are given a lot of responsibility from the office as a whole.

A virtual office in the Philippines inspires a lot of autonomy because they give staff options that they ensure higher-ups, not to abuse. In a 2017 survey about millennials, 33 percent of people who are working in a flexible environment, see themselves staying there above five years, while only 22 percent said the same in an inflexible environment,

Key Takeaway

With each passing day, millennials are constantly changing the face of business and professional innovation. Employees are a company’s most important resource. Flexible spaces are a good investment for companies because it benefits their staff and ultimately, them.

Economic Benefits of Using an Office Space for Lease in Paranaque

What are the economic advantages of leasing an office space?

Cost-effectiveness
A multitude of options
Growth in the industry

Startups and small businesses have to think wisely about the office space they are going to use. When you have an office space, you also have to think about future expenses such as utilities, cleaning, etc. Because of these costs, it might be more financially smart to use office space for lease in Paranaque or other cities where you may want to work in. These are the reasons why you should consider renting office space:

A more cost-effective and strategic initial investment

A property is worth buying if it will be used and developed for at least a decade. Usually, businesses and companies that have been experiencing positive growth for at least seven years are the only ones who can afford to purchase a property.

If you are a start-up business, it may be less costly to get office space for lease in Paranaque. First, utilities and furniture will all be maintained by the landlord. Second, you can avoid debt or prevent getting more debt. Most businesses in their first year are basically bleeding money and it seems unnecessary to spend on a permanent place because it can’t give back income anyway. The fewer expenses you have, the better.

Your business will have more options

More and more people are working in places other than the main office. Moreover, all working spaces are not made equally and it is hard to assume that one it will not burden you later on at first inspection. Maybe, your new neighbors became too overbearing for you after seven months. Maybe, you finally found a loyal customer base after one year, but your office is too far away.

Because of these scenarios, it might be better for small business to rent office space from a business that allows monthly or six month rents. Workplays, an events space in BF Paranaque, allows a startup to rent a private room for 38,000 pesos a month. It’s not very expensive to move here or move out. Of course, if you plan to stay for here for the long-term, a six-month lock-in and one-year lock-in options are also available.

The office rental industry is growing

Whenever a business is looking for an office space, the decision makers should also take into account the local economy. In the Philippines, global business locators and traditional Filipino businesses have been making the relatively young office market experience growth. Office space owners have been managing their leasing rates to stay exceptionally competitive. Additionally, 1.4 million square meters of office space was expected to be added in 2018. Prime office rents increased by 3.4 percent in the second quarter of 2017.

Because of our current economy’s data, it can be assumed that events spaces in BF Paranaque, as well as other villages and cities, will be easier to find and buy.

Key Takeaway

Acquiring an office space does not call for an impulse decision. You have to consider several factors before thinking of buying or renting one. At the end of the day, many businesses benefit more from renting.

Office Spaces for Lease in Paranaque: 2 Common Signs to Notice if Your Current Office Space Isn’t Working

What are the common signs to notice if your current office space isn’t working?

When the facilities are not up to par
When the work environment is not positive

Office spaces for lease in Paranaque and other areas around the Metro can take on any form you want. All in all, an office space for lease can be one of the best opportunities for startups everywhere! Not only that, it can be one of the best building blocks for any corporation on the rise.

That being said, it’s always good to consider office spaces for lease in Paranaque for your business. However, like most things about workspaces, there are some things to consider, or signs to notice rather if your current office space isn’t really doing much for you. After all, when working in an office space, it’s important that the area is coherent to the work environment you’re looking for. Here are some of the common signs to notice if your current office space isn’t working out for you:

When the Facilities Are Not Up to Par

Modern office spaces for lease in Paranaque and other areas in Metro Manila usually come equipped with the latest amenities for their employees to enjoy and be comfortable while at work. This can also be a good indicator of a good working space for numerous employees in every industry they work in. However, if you somehow notice that the facilities within your office aren’t exactly comfortable, standard, or at least great, then it can be a sign that your current office space isn’t working out.

This is especially applicable to those who are looking for office spaces on lease for their own respective startups. In any case, if you are indeed looking for a good office space to start your business in, make sure to examine the space very thoroughly and plan out the facilities you plan to include. That way, you can make the office space work not only for yourself but also for your employees and teammates!

When the Work Environment is Not Exactly Positive

While many don’t take this into consideration, a positive work environment between co-workers is a great indicator that the office space is working out. When the work environment is not exactly positive, then staying in that office might not work out for the long run, which makes it another clear sign to notice if your current office space isn’t working for you.

When it comes to this, don’t be hesitant to get along with your co-workers! Sure, they can be a bit complicated, what with all the different personalities you encounter every day—but with the friendships you hold with them, there is nothing you can’t get through!

Key Takeaway

These 2 signs may not be much, but the impact they can have on you and your business can be very worthwhile! An office space is every employee’s temple of productivity, as well as every startup business owner’s first steps—and with both of these signs to consider, you’ll be able to have a lot of thought for the future of your business!

All in all, at the end of the day, it’ll be up to you to decide whether the space you’re working in is working out or not. After all, all the decisions regarding the office space will be on you.

4 Renovation Ideas for an Office Space for Lease in Paranaque

What are the best renovation ideas for an office space for lease in Paranaque?

Painting
Mixing in outdoor aesthetics with the indoors
Adding in game rooms
Developing a library

Offices spaces for lease in Paranaque are all around the city nowadays! This, in turn, gives numerous startup companies the chance to start and set-up camp for their headquarters and/or overall business!

This is even more apparent in the iconic locations of Paranaque such as BF Homes, where there are literally numerous establishments set around the subdivision, you’d have so many options to choose to set up a property of your own!

Of course, many of these Paranaque office spaces for lease are open for renovation, whether it be minor or a full-scale one. If you happen to be one of those business owners who wish to renovate their office space, here are 4 of some of the best ideas for you to try:

Painting

While this renovation idea may be a bit too common, painting can actually bring out a more creative side in you, one that mixes in with the professional aspect of your work! Office spaces can surely use a touch of color on their walls—so, why not add some?

This renovation idea can take on numerous forms: from merely painting the walls with lively colors according to your choice of mood; to adding a few works of art to the canvas that is your blank office wall! The inspiration that this idea can bring is endless!

Mixing in Outdoor Aesthetic with the Indoors

While your office is usually situated indoors, there is nothing that says “inviting to nature” than mixing the aesthetics with the outdoors! Modern work spaces enable their tenants to venture outside and work outside, which is great for workers who like to work with fresh air.

In fact, you can even keep it simple by adding some plants to your office’s interior decorating plan. If you wish to keep it easy to handle, make sure to get plants that are easy to maintain, meaning they won’t die as soon as you touch them.

Game Rooms

Of course, when it comes to any office around, there will be instances where relaxation is craved by many employees of the office! This idea is great for various offices around the country, especially those who work in co-working spaces, as it allows them to just unwind after a particularly stressful day and just play whatever games are there to play!

This can also be handled in any way you want! If you’re looking for a touch of the techy, why not add some game consoles to the room? If you’re looking for old-school game aesthetic, then board games and the occasional pool table are your best bets!

Developing a Library

There’s nothing being able to unwind with a good book in your hand, as well as a good cup of coffee on your other hand! With that being said, why not add a library in your office space? Add in some of the best books to the mix as well, all for the bookworm employees under your wind!

Key Takeaway

There are more ideas for you to explore—and the more you explore, the more your office space for lease in Paranaque will be as captivating as your own company!

5 Steps for Finding the Perfect Office Space for Rent in Paranaque

What are the 5 steps for finding the perfect office space for rent in Paranaque?

Set your preferences
Devise a budget
Assess the location and the community
Determine the work environment
Find the right amenities

It doesn’t matter whether you are an owner of a startup or a freelancer looking for the perfect office space for rent in Paranaque, you deserve the best there is. The right co-working space is the key to uninterrupted productivity and output production so this is one of the most important elements of maintaining a business.

There are crucial steps to finding the perfect office space for rent in Paranaque and you should take note of these before signing that lease. There are many spaces that have potential but you should make sure that you are renting the place in the most suitable location. Read about the steps on how to find a great office space for you:

Set your Preferences

In order to find the perfect office space, you have to define what the term “perfect” means to you. There are a number of considerations that you have to think about when finding a space for your business. You have to at least come up with a checklist with an estimate of the things you would be needing and in what quantity. Make your plan as concrete as possible.

You might be drawn to idealizing the elements of the office space in terms of its appearance but you may tend to forget about functionality or become too caught up in creating an innovative working environment that you forget the overall aesthetic quality. The key here is to balance out everything and the only way you can achieve that is to stick to your preferences of what your office should be.

Devise a Budget

A solid step in finding the perfect office space is to create a budget that will coincide with your plans. Before you tour around the area and choose an office space, you should know how your budget fits into the equation first. Now, the budget doesn’t just cover the lease of the space, you should also consider moving expenses, utilities, communication expenses, insurance, and maintenance costs.

Clearly, it would be a whirlwind process, but an organized budget is very important for this task. Research about the costs and the strategies you can do in order to reduce it to accommodate your budget. This step will help you narrow down your options based on your resources and prior requirements for an office space. This way, you can find effective solutions to stick to your plan without compromising your budget.

Assess the Location and the Community

Selecting an area for your office space is also one of the most vital steps. For those who live in the South area of Metro Manila, Paranaque is a suitable candidate for the location of an office space because it is a prime city for most businesses and startups alike.

The assessment of the location should include considerations for its accessibility to public transport, commute times for employees, rent costs, local amenities and establishments near the space, and even IT/mobile coverage.

These are primary foundations in operating a business in a new office space. Consider three factors in selecting your location – your employees, your clients, and the price of the space in that area. Make sure that you provide customer convenience by finding a location that is easy to find.

Determine the Work Environment

Are you gunning for an office environment that is collaborative or a quiet one? Do your employees thrive in a loud environment or in a cozy one? These are the questions that you should ask when choosing an office space for lease.

Coworking spaces are your best bet in establishing a community among employees and clients. Also, everything relies on the comfortability of your people to work for a period of time and the welcoming atmosphere that clients will feel in the space. In order to determine if an office space has a suitable work environment, you should visit the space first to get the feel and mood of it.

Find the Right Amenities

Aside from the work environment that will spell a big difference in the productivity of people, it is also important that you find an office space that will help in improving the work experience.

These amenities will come in handy whenever someone has a use for it. The significant example of these would be a reliable internet connection, access to computers or laptops, conference rooms for meetings, etc. Amenities can either help you or be a hindrance in the office space.

You also have to keep in mind that these amenities are only as good as space allows them to be so you should find a roomy space for everything. You can also look into amenities that can provide the work/life balance by incorporating fun into your office too. This will be a great stress-reliever for hardworking employees.

Key Takeaway

There is more that can be said in finding the perfect office space but for now, these are the basics. Once you have taken all of these elements into proper consideration, you will be rewarded with a great space for your business needs.

Workplays is equipped with all of the things you will need in an office space and it can deliver an unparalleled working environment for you as well. Interested to work with us? Leave a reply here and you will be one step closer to finding the perfect office space in Paranaque!

3 Mistakes Startups Make When Renting Office Space in Parañaque

What are the mistakes startups make when leasing office space in Parañaque?

Failing to establish current and long-term plans
Not allocating enough time for the process
Price as the number one factor

As the owner of a startup, part of your duty as a leader is to know when it is time to move your operations as your business grows larger. However, it is quite common for many entrepreneurs and small business owners that are looking for an office space for rent in Parañaque and in other cities to go about things in a foolish and often backward way.

It is up to you as the owner and the primary decision maker in your company to avoid making these several key mistakes. During the early stages of your business, even a small mishap can end up costing you significantly down the line and can even cripple your growth rate.

Office rent is usually the second highest expense that majority of startups and companies incur, so doing things the wrong way even before you sign the dotted line can be disastrous. Here are three mistakes startups often make when renting office space:

Failing to Establish Current and Long-Term Plans

When looking for an office space for rent, one of the most significant mistakes a startup can make is neglecting to establish their current and long-term plans.

Before you choose your office space, what you need to do first is to sit down, take a deep breath, and write out what you believe is going to be important to you and your company.

Not Allocating Enough Time for the Process

Perhaps the one mistake that many startup decision makers seem to make over and over again is never giving themselves enough time to fully understand and go through the process of renting an office.

This means that they haven’t allocated the time to explore the office market and find any comparable alternatives nor have they used those alternatives as a leverage against their current landlord. Experts often argue about when a startup should start exploring the office market; some say you should do it two years before your current lease expires while others say one year or even three months.

The real answer is that it depends on the size, goals, and future growth needs of your company. Try and allow three to six months when preparing for a move.

Price as the Number One Factor

Because of the current economic situation, more and more companies are basing their decision to rent an office space solely on price. Price should not be the only factor that you should base your office space decision upon.

It is important for you to also understand the other factors that should go into the decision on the location of your business. More often than not, if the price is the only factor you base this decision on, it will come back to bite you.

Key Takeaway

Finding the right office space for rent in Parañaque is one of the biggest decisions you are going to have to make as the owner of a startup. Understanding how the process works as well as all of your options not only makes you a prospective tenant but an informed consumer as well.

Taking the right first steps in the process ensures that you won’t get burned later on.

5 Tips for Authentic Networking in a Co-Working Space

What authentic networking practices can you employ in a co-working space?

Strike up a conversation
Suggest a fair work trade
Share your knowledge
Use your supplies for promotion
Show passion for your work

Co-working spaces have sprung up in different places because of the shift in our work practices and the overall economy. The growing popularity of project-based and freelance work has caused a lot of office space for rent in Parañaque to be turned into co-working spaces, and people are using them now more than ever. Slowly but surely they are competing with coffee shops, which are favorite places of work among freelancers.

Workers gain many benefits from working at co-working spaces. They can just go in, hunker down, put their headphones on, and zone in on their work. It’s definitely a great way to be productive as there are little to no distractions. Co-working spaces also open a lot of opportunities for individuals to grow their business. It’s the ideal place to spread awareness of your business since space is shared by professionals from different fields and walks of life.

However, doing this isn’t an easy task. You can’t just walk up to these people who are busy with their work and pitch your business/service. Authenticity is the most important aspect of networking, so individuals must learn the following practices that bank on this trait if they want to successfully expand their network.

Strike Up a Conversation

Start by a simple “Hello” accompanied with a warm and inviting smile. Ask people how they’re day is going. Inquire about their lives, their hobbies, their likes, and dislikes. You can even invite them to lunch. Put simply, treat them like how you would someone you want to be friends with. Taking a genuine interest in their lives is the simplest and easiest way to build rapport and establish a relationship.

These simple conversations will slowly turn into sales conversations and business talks, and you just have to wait for it to naturally happen. During this process, you should be able to make a lifelong friend and a business acquaintance.

Suggest A Fair Work Trade

There may come a point where someone offers you something you need may it be in form of a favor, product or service. When this comes, try to pay them back with something of equal value preferably with your own service or product.

This equal trade produces many benefits sometimes in the form of referral. If your colleague likes what you offered, he/she may spread the word. Such words will reach the ears of other people in the co-working space and even outside of it.

Share Your Knowledge

Business is about the constant acquisition of knowledge and continuous learning and a co-working space is the best place to achieve all this. As said before, the people sharing the office with you are experts in their own professions, which means they have useful knowledge that you don’t and vice versa. Sharing this knowledge will lead to immeasurable gains for both parties, so try to be generous with information.

Rest assured that there’s no need to divulge trade secrets. You can simply let them in on an amazing software that has stayed under the radar or share contact details of useful individuals/organizations like accountants or legal services.

Use Your Supplies for Promotion

One subtle way of promoting your business is plastering promotion material on your office supplies. Pens, staplers, punchers, erasers, and similar things are routinely needed in these spaces. People will constantly borrow these things from you, so might as well use it as an opportunity to promote your business.

You can label these items with something similar to but less straightforward than a business card. Something like a piece of paper with your business’ name and URL should suffice. You can then leave these things in your desk and encourage people to use it if they need or leave it in the break or conference room for good.

Show Passion for Your Work

Ever had an unenthusiastic salesman talk you into buying a product or at the very least recommend it to your friends and family? Never, right? No one wants to buy something from someone who clearly has no passion or confidence in their product and the same can be said for your business. No matter how hard you try to flower your words, if your passion doesn’t show through your actions, then no one will be interested.

On the other hand, if you display a passion for what you do, people will be drawn to you due to curiosity. They’d be asking what it is you do and how you remain so in love with your work. Doing this allows you to build relationships which can then lead to opportunities. Even if they have no need for your products or services, they may be willing to recommend you to others.

Key Takeaway

Co-working spaces are so much more than just places where you can quietly do your work. They are also places where you can expand your network and build professional relationships in. The next time you’re in an office space for rent in Parañaque, why not try out these 5 tips for authentic networking. Surely, these will get you what you want which are strong relationships and dozens of business opportunities.