How to be a good member at a coworking space

If you’ve never been to a coworking space, or you are new to one, you might be wondering what it takes to be a good member of a coworking community. Or maybe you’re wondering if the environment will be well suited to your personality.  

These are valid questions, but it’s actually pretty easy to be a good coworker and any personality type can do it. Whether you’re introverted, extraverted, or somewhere in between, being a good member at a coworking space comes down to being a considerate human being. It’s really that simple.

Here are some guidelines to help you be your best at any coworking space.

Be a good neighbor

You don’t have to go above and beyond or participate in every member event in order to be a good coworker. All it takes is being courteous toward other people in the space.

Don’t disrupt people while they are working, respect people’s personal boundaries, and be mindful of your voice volume and your surroundings.

We’re all about building relationships. It’s our favorite when members engage in meaningful conversations about their work and lives. But if you notice lots of folks working around you, it’s best to keep those conversations short and quiet so as not to disrupt others. 

At the end of the day, people come here to get work done and we want to make sure the space is conducive to deep focused work. So be sure to keep your voice down and be courteous to your fellow coworkers.

Always use Headphones 

As we’ve discussed in past blogs, the surest way to be an annoying coworker is to take your calls and zoom meetings in the flex space without headphones. This is a big coworking no-no for several reasons. It’s distracting, disruptive, and pretty rude to the people around you.

You are welcome to take calls in a coworking space, but there are some important guidelines to follow. You can check out this blog for the do’s and don’ts of taking calls in a coworking space. The main take-away is that a good coworker practices volume control and always uses headphones when they are in the flex space. 

If you don’t love using headphones, we have phone booths and meeting rooms that are great for extra privacy, especially for longer conversations. 

Clean up after yourself

We don’t expect you to scrub the floors or take out the trash. Cleaning up after yourself in a coworking space means leaving things the way you found them. If you make a spill, clean it up. If you dirty a dish, put it in the dishwasher. 

Pretty obvious, right? We think so too. But here are more specifics examples of what we mean by “clean up after yourself”

• If you use dishes, load them into the dishwasher (if it’s empty) or leave them in the sink. 
• Throw your trash away and label any food you store in the fridge.
• Take all your belongings with you when you leave (unless of course you’re a dedicated desk or office member, then you are welcome to leave your stuff in your space)
• Break down yourself recycling and bring it to the recycling bins 
• If you use a meeting room: remove your food waste, wipe crumbs off the tables, erase the whiteboard, and move the tables and chairs back to where you found them.

Leaving the space as you found it ensures that the next person who visits will have a positive and productive experience, which makes you a really great coworker!

Adhere to Signage

Signs are posted all over Groundwork to help new members and visitors navigate the space. Folks who have been here a while might not think twice about these signs. Hopefully that’s because it’s become a habit to heed them. 

A good coworker is considerate of signage since any posted sign is put there for the benefit of the space and its members.

Here’s a rundown of some of the more important signs to consider:

• Keep doors closed and locked when we are unstaffed. This ensures the security and safety of the space and its members.
• Shut the lights off if you are the last to leave 
• Don’t adjust the thermostats without staff approval
• Don’t forget your phone/Brivo. We’d hate for you to get locked out during unstaffed hours!
• Dedicated desk name tags means someone has ownership of that desk so be sure not to sit there

Always book your meeting rooms

Our meeting rooms are shared by members and non-members alike. Therefore, it’s essential to book your meeting room and respect your booking time. 

Our online portal makes it easy to book rooms but our Community Coordinators are always here to help if you find yourself with a last-minute need. 

If you’re curious about how shared meeting rooms work at a coworking space, you can check out this blog to learn more. 

Respect diverse personalities

We don’t expect everyone to become best friends just because they work in a shared space. There are a lot of different personalities in the coworking space and some of them might not mesh as well as others. But this diversity is our strength.

In an age when many people are trapped in their echo chambers, coworking spaces give us the opportunity to meet people from different walks of life and engage in meaningful discourse with those who might not think the same way we do. 

This seems to be an undervalued skill these days, making it all the more important to step out of our familiar social circles and embrace disagreement. Doing so teaches us how to share our own ideas and strengthens our sense of self. And if we can approach these disagreements with an open mind and heart, we become more compassionate, tolerant, and understanding of others.

At the end of the day, we all want the same thing: to be respected and valued for who we are. Being a good coworker means assuming the people around you are good even if they aren’t like you. 

Share your concerns

Respecting people and their differences does not mean tolerating poor behavior. As a coworking space, we don’t have an HR department. Instead, we rely on our shared values and the agreement laid out in our manifesto. This document truly reflects the essence of our community-driven values. Just consider how it came to fruition: 

It started off as a collection of “norms,” or guidelines. It was circulated through the community as a google doc and a hard copy on the kitchen counter, and now thanks to member input it is evolving into a manifesto.

Sarah Athanas

Essentially, we believe that every person who comes into Groundwork is an empowered individual with agency and personal responsibility. We trust our members to maturely address personal conflicts if they arise. But we are also here to support our community and encourage members to bring their concerns to our attention so we can intervene if the situation requires mediation.

Thankfully conflicts don’t seem to happen too often. But if they do, our manifesto and values are a great guide for navigating potentially awkward situations.

Be caring, curious, present, and accountable. These values go a long way both in and outside of the coworking space.

Are you a good coworker?

If you read through this and thought “duh” then congratulations, you are an exceptional member at your coworking space! All it takes is to be considerate and mindful of the people around you and respectful of the shared space where you work. Abiding by these simple guidelines will ensure that you’ll fit right in at any coworking space.

Curious about coworking? Book a tour to check out the space for yourself!