Five Ways to Thrive in a Coworking Space
Five Ways to Thrive in a Coworking Space
The more popular coworking spaces become, the more important it is to learn how to build community, help your business, and thrive in these spaces. Shared workspaces are different from a regular office in the sense that you don’t necessarily know your neighbors or their practice- this may sound ostracizing but, if approached the right way, this is actually a great way to build your business and find community.
Now, it is important to be selective about the communities you join- the problem with being an attorney in a regular coworking space is you can’t know the level of professionalism your neighbor is going to have. So, finding an office space geared towards your practice and firm is best. Once you get into the space the question becomes: how do I make these connections? Below are five ways to utilize a shared workspace to its fullest as an attorney.
1. Introduce Yourself
Get to know your neighbors! What’s their dogs name? Are they married? What kind of law do they practice? Have real conversations with your officemates about work and their life outside of it. By getting to know the people who office around you, you provide yourself the opportunity to make your workday a little more pleasant. This also opens up the possibility of a working relationship and the chance for referrals.
2. Be Nice to the Staff
The staffing in a coworking space, from janitorial to administrative, helps maintain and manage the office by checking the mail, restocking snacks, or taking out the trash. These are the people to be kind to because they can make your life so much easier with small kindnesses such as stocking snacks for your dietary restrictions, emailing you when a check you’ve been waiting for arrives, or taking down those empty Amazon boxes that have started to pile up.
3. Go to Office Events
If small talk in the breakroom isn’t what you’re best at, try attending events. Office events are easy networking opportunities in a shared space. It is a great excuse to talk about your practice with the people around you and let it be known that you are open to referrals. Besides, if your office is like Engage, the events are catered to attorneys with CLEs and panel discussions. You could network and gain CLE credit at the same time.
4. Knock, Knock…Who’s There?
You’ve worked so hard to make these connections around your office, now here is an important tip to keeping them: always respect they’re space- whether it’s knocking before entering into their office, not eavesdropping if their working in a public space, or not eating their lunch in the fridge. This may sound obvious to some, but it’s still worth saying that it’s important to respect your neighbor’s boundaries.
5. Refer Work to Your Fellow Attorneys
One of the best ways to get referral work is to give it- You’ve met your neighbors, been to several events with them, now refer them work. Added bonus, it reflects positively on you when you are able to introduce a colleague to a reputable attorney that can help them or their business.
There are definitely more than five ways to create the office culture of your dreams, but we thought this was a good place to start. As attorneys, especially solos, finding ways to create a positive and fruitful office environment is essential to your practice and mental health. At Engage, we aim to take some of the work out of it by providing a professional community for you to plug into.
Engage Workspace for Lawyers is an office space for lawyers built by lawyers. Unlike other coworking spaces, Engage charges a flat monthly rate for access to a full suite of resources and limits membership to a community of lawyers. If you are looking for law office space where you can focus on your practice and be surrounded by great colleagues, please contact us or book a tour.
© Elysium Consulting LLC dba Engage Workspace for Lawyers. 2018-2023. Represented by intellectual property law firm, Klemchuk PLLC.