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BARM, BAP OR MUFFIN?

THE ADVANTAGES OF WORKING LOCAL

My slightly odd obsession of recording localisms started when I moved from Bristol to Manchester with work. After a mutually confusing conversation took place in a sandwich shop just around the corner from my office, I realized that whilst we are all after the same thing, we have distinctly different approaches to getting it.  Barm, bap or muffin, let’s face it, they are all simply a roll!

ARE THESE REGIONAL DIFFERENCES REFLECTED IN OUR APPROACH TO WORK?

In our opinion, yes.  As a co-working space, we welcome visitors from all over the place.   Providing us with a perfect opportunity to observe the dichotomy between city and regional preferences when it comes to how we work.

Interestingly businesses who operate locally tend to communicate with us by telephone, email or face to face, where-as those who have been used to working in key cities such as London and Manchester, rely on our member portal allowing them to manage their time fully independently.  The point is, whether our visitors are local or national, they want to be able to ‘roll with us’ (sorry) in a way that is familiar to them.  As a service provider, we have an obligation to invest in the operational infrastructure to make sure this can happen.

BRINGING OUR REGIONS UP TO SPEED

In a recent Corspace article INVESTMENT FOR GROWTH, we asked what changes to future operational plans local businesses will need to consider, for them to stay current in a changing space.

Our cities have always been central to our economy, with many companies choosing to make their investment in them.  This has resulted in wider service provision and initiatives to support the people who work and live there. This investment has enabled individuals and companies alike to do things differently, often creating a new ‘norm’ in the process.  Our regions haven’t necessarily enjoyed the same level of investment and innovation needed to compete effectively with the convenience and choice found in our cities. We risk being left behind the curve.

Homeworking has played a definite role in reigniting our interest in our local community.  We have been able to better utilise local resources and work closer with local businesses.  For our towns and smaller cities to benefit from this shift in use and continue to thrive, they now need to demonstrate they have the resources and infrastructure to enable people to continue to work locally.  High on the list is availability of good quality flexible offices for staff to meet, collaborate or work in when needed.

MAKING COMMUNITY COUNT

A few years ago I visited the POW camps in Poland.  Our guide explained that the average survival rate of a prisoner was three months. Part of the incarceration process included stripping prisoners of every connection. From family to belongings, everything was separated away from them, leaving them dis-placed, isolated and discombobulated.  Those prisoners with by far the highest survival rate were the local people who had for example, been imprisoned as part of the construction of the camps on their lands.  They were still in known territory.  Despite being separated from those closest to them, their familial ties were wide-reaching.  It was much harder to isolate them from their connections.  The strength within that community was key to their survival.

BENEFIT OF LIVING AND WORKING LOCALLY

There are major benefits to living and working in the community.  Personally it reduces our cost of living, cuts down our carbon footprint, improves mental health, gives us back precious time and allows us to connect with and support each other.  Economically and environmentally it helps employers work towards net zero, reduces operational cost, demonstrates a commitment to employee health and well-being, reduces carbon emissions, improves air quality, provides confidence for investment, allows local businesses to develop and flourish, informs and drives infrastructure and enhances available resources.

ACHIEVING THE WORK/LIFE MIX

Those of us who have transitioned into homeworking over the past two years have been on a sharp learning curve. We are able to evidence the considerable benefits of homeworking and recognise some of the challenges.  During a visit to Corspace recently, CRM specialist, Veronica Kitten made the following comment:

“I’ll be totally honest it is tough working from home without a team to bounce things off, a colleague to stop and chat to on the way to my office first thing in the morning or a friendly face whilst making a brew.

I’ve noticed this isn’t good for mind, body and soul, so I made moves to stay plugged in the world outside.

So I jumped on the chance to try out Corspace in Crewe. (They) offer a free day to try before you buy. Great idea!

I have to say for someone like me who:

👩‍💻doesn’t want to invest in a permanent office space
😊likes to smile and make conversation with people over a brew
⭐️needs to feel the freedom of moving location around the diary.

Then this is for you.

Give it a go if you feel the same ☺️☺️” – Veronica Kitten on Corspace.  LinkedIn 28/09/21

Veronica penned a pretty good summary of how most of us feel at some point when working from home.  Even for those of us who are established home-workers, suddenly having to share our space (if we have it), with other family members as they adjust to the home office or having to manage the isolation a reduction in physical meet ups bring, isn’t always easy.

HOW CAN YOUR LOCAL AREA HELP?

Corspace commissioned a research project back in 2018 to establish future demand for flexible workspace in regional towns, with the initial focus on Crewe.  The report highlighted that very little investment was being made in professional, flexible serviced office space that could compete happily with our major cities. Local workers were often expected to operate in sub-standard, dated office space.

The business model for the investment in our Crewe co-working site was based on the need to provide high quality services and resources the business community would be proud to use.  It incorporated seamless technology to drive back office and day to day membership operations, refreshingly modern and professional design and a sustainable conscience to help reduce our impact on the environment.

MEETING DEMAND FOR THE FUTURE

Early this decade, when co-working first emerged, an estimated 21,000 people were using the facility world-wide.  By 2018 this figure had risen to an incredible 1,690,000 with cities such as London, New York and Chicago leading the trend with 20% growth year on year. Global cities have seen the largest investment in co-working facilities to meet increasing demand generated by a range of users, including:

  • Freelancers
  • SME’s
  • Sole Traders
  • Start-ups
  • Students
  • Self Employed
  • Remote Workers

London is the second largest provider of co-working space and much of the activity around promoting co-working as an option has previously been centered around the city.  However, the pandemic has driven this need out to regional towns and cities, placing pressure on local communities to provide modern, plug in and go work-spaces to support an increasing number of local workers and the growing demand for a professional space to supplement private work from home set ups.  As Veronica wisely points out, it’s not just the actual space that is needed but the opportunity to feed our social side with chances to interact, connect and collaborate.

If you are now working in or have staff working from regional towns or cities and you are struggling to find suitable space to use as a local business hub or the shop front for your company, please let us know.  We want to help make this requirement a priority and provide future choice for those that can work locally to do so efficiently, professionally and without compromise.

 

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| 12th October 2021