Through the years, we have grown accustomed to working in groups, meeting new people at work, and learning to coexist. At a co shared office space, there is always an opportunity to meet different types of people, working alone or for a company, and all of them could mean an opportunity for you to progress.
Whether you can get useful advice that can help you when you are stuck, whether it is someone influential that can offer you a job, you can always be sure that you will meet someone that will have an impact on your job or life in some way or another.
In order to “survive” the communal work space, it is important to understand its common demographics and the type of people that usually inhabit the space. One type you can benefit from, the other is probably best to avoid.
1) Freelancers
Keeping in mind that coworking companies have originally been made to cater for the needs of freelancers, you are sure to find at least a couple of them wandering around. You can recognize them quite easily, really. They are the laid back ones, putting their feet up in an open space, doing their thing.
You will notice that they are not attached to one place consistently, but instead go around, trying to find a place that motivates them the most at the given moment.
They like to get up often, have a walk, or just talk to their fellow coworkers in order to rest or just get their ideas flowing. It is always good to have them around because they are an untapped source of creative ideas and advice.
Follow their advice if you come across a tough spot – they know what they are talking about.
2) Small Business Owners
These types of entrepreneurs usually start at home, basically leading their firm from there until they hire their first employee. From that point on, they strive to find a more professional place of work, so that their employee(s) can be in a proper work environment.
A co shared office space is, therefore, perfect for them because they can have the flexibility they need in terms of leases and office space. Namely, they can manage the staff without having to plan way ahead, and they can pay leases that are shorter and more affordable, than, for example, big office spaces.
The equipment they have at their disposal at a coworking office space is usually far more advanced than something they could use when working from home.
Being near these groups of people will give you the opportunity to see how a small business grows, learn from their mistakes and successes, and they might see you as someone that will fit right into their group. They usually work really hard, because they have the desire to grow, so the atmosphere they are creating is certainly a positive one.
3) Start-up Employees
These people are usually the most interesting to be around. They are often very driven and self-motivated because they want to make their company big, and their ideas a huge success. They can always be found talking amongst themselves, brainstorming, working arduously at their computers. They will even come in at the weekend, because they have to succeed, their idea has to be put into motion and become a reality.
More often than not, they are very keen on talking about what their company is planning and doing, and they will not miss a chance to share that with anybody who is eager to listen.
It is advisable for everybody not to miss out on this type of opportunity, because you can learn a lot from them. Then, maybe, just maybe, you might get inspired to start something new on your own. No two days are alike for them, so it can be quite eventful and motivating just to hang out around them, hearing them talk and seeing them in action.
In a coworking office space, motivation is everything, especially if you come alone, so finding a group of people that you can absorb that “positive working vibe” from is sometimes essential for you and your work.
4) Professionals
The ones you admire, the ones you aspire to be. Always dresses professionally, always on the phone, having a high-profile client on the other side, doing something important, for sure.
At least they look like it.
They need their privacy, so when they are looking for an office space and an office table at a coworking company, they are usually in need for a secluded place, separated from all the commotion. They prefer coworking spaces, though, because most of them have reception services that can save them a lot of money, which only means earning more profit.
You are unlikely to meet them at the communal areas, and if you do, they are, as we said, usually on the phone, not paying attention to anybody else. They probably went out from their sanctuary to grab a cup of well-deserved coffee after hours of looking at their papers and computer, meeting their client’s needs.
You can see they are only interested in getting things done, and it is obvious they don’t waste any time, hanging around, having small talk. Their time is everything, and they will not waste a minute of it. They mostly serve as an inspiration, rather than a source of ideas, because if you want to talk to them, you need to follow them around, which is not easy.
5) Corporates
As opposed to small business owners, start-ups and freelancers, the people working in big corporations are relatively new to the coworking world. The big corporations have only recently realized the potential of their employees working in smaller communities, networking and sharing ideas.
Many big corporations have moved their entire teams to co shared office spaces because they realize their employees need a bit of inspiration idea-sharing among groups that have different areas of work. Especially now, in the time of Cov-19 pandemic, when most of their staff works from home, it is essential to cut all the unnecessary costs, high office leases being among the biggest ones.
It is always useful meeting someone from this group, because, apart from seeing the way in which a big company works, you have an opportunity to show your knowledge and expertise and maybe land a job. One of the reasons big companies have moved some of their work to coworking spaces is to fish for new talent, people that can bring new energy to their team and really make a contribution.
These are all the basic types of people working in a coworking office space. However, in order to truly see who is a good fit for you, who you can learn from or make friends with, it is important to get to know their personal “quirks.” These quirks are something that can have an enormous impact, not only on you as an individual, but on the whole community as well.
6) Networkers
Whether they are in a startup, a big company or freelancers, these people are always good to be around. They know everything and everybody around, and they can be a reliable source of a lot of much needed information. They are the people you should befriend, because through them, you can be connected to literally anybody.
If you need programming advice, they will direct you to the right person, if you are in need of legal aid, then, they are your person. Whatever your heart desires, they will make it happen, just in the course of one conversation.
That is why you need to pay attention to the way the coworking community breathes, making sure you never, ever, ever, offend a networker. They are the heart of the given community and they can help you with your future prospects, or they can make your job, and, therefore, your life, a lot more difficult.
7) Busy-Bees
As opposed to networkers, this group of people couldn’t care less about socializing, making contacts or doing other socializing activities. You can always find them at their work station, working arduously to finish their work on time.
You will not be able to make closer contact by inviting them for a cup of coffee, because they consider every sort of non-working activity a complete waste of time. However, if you want to find a source of inspiration for working, just sit next to them and wait for their energy to be passed on to you.
8) Late Shift Workers
You can never find them in the morning, or doing a day shift. If they decide to arrive “early,” according to their standards, it is not going to be before 3 pm. They almost always pull an all-nighter because nighttime is when they find their inspiration the most.
Coworking spaces are ideal for them because they have 24/7 service, so they can come whenever they want and use all the equipment at their disposal, and drink as much coffee as they want. And they truly need a lot of it. You will probably find them in a corner somewhere, surrounded by several empty coffee cups, waiting for the sun to go down, so they can get their inspiration.
They are usually lone wolves, which is the reason they usually come in the evening. They will never be available to go with you for an after work drink, because their work finishes late at night, and you will never be invited for a get-together for the same reason. So, in order to make acquaintance with a lone wolf, you actually need to be one. But if you are, it is always useful to get to know them, because when they get in their “work mode,” after the 5th cup of coffee, they are an excellent source of most wonderful and cutting-edge ideas.
On the other hand, it’s not all community members that you can benefit from, so it is also incredibly important to recognize the ones that will most probably have a negative influence on you and perhaps you need to distance yourself from those. However, maybe you will find yourself in the description, which will be a good enough warning to stop with the negativity and change your ways.
9) Distractors
In every community, there are people that don’t respect the organization or a group they belong to. The distractors are usually people that don’t read their “social cues” well. For example, they are the ones that will usually engage with you in a potentially long and unnecessary conversation right when you have an important deadline.
They are the ones that will start playing loud music right next to you, without noticing they are disturbing their fellow coworkers. They are also the ones that will take long breaks and complain about the amount of work they have.
Although almost every coworking company has a no noise policy, sometimes they need to be reminded of it. However, it is best to distance yourself from these types of people because they will just waste your energy and time, and we all know that time is money.
10) Lazybones
Every single one of us is bound to have a day that just isn’t working for us. The day during which we just can’t seem to manage to finish anything. We drag ourselves around just waiting for the day to be over.
However, the problem arises when that one day becomes your everyday mantra. You are likely to find at least one example of this group in almost every coworking community. Their every day is a day full of, well, not working! Endless coffee drinking, dragging themselves around, sending off most non-motivational vibes, to say the least. You can often find them scrolling down their phones, endlessly watching TikTok or YouTube videos.
It is important not to succumb to their energy, and get distracted. You have to stay focused on what you are doing and disregard the comments coming from around you. You can ask them a question or two about their work, and, maybe try to get them on the right path.
However, if you see that your efforts are not working, as always, it is best to distance yourself from them. We need to choose our work environment well, and it is up to us whether we are going to succeed or not.