7 things to Consider During a Coworking Trial Day
Coworking spaces, business centres, coffices; shared offices are everywhere. So, when you are looking for your next spot, what should you check before joining? On the coworking webpage, you will find plenty of nice and helpful information. You can look at the coworking memberships, some photos, the prices and amenities. However, the one thing you will never get online is the feel of the space.
Here are the reasons why you should always try out the spaces and, more importantly, what to consider before choosing a coworking space.
Check location and accessibility.
When searching for a coworking space, the first natural thing you will do is to find one near home or strategically located in the city centre. And, you will undoubtedly find several potential workspaces in your area. However, how could you decide which one to join without trying them first? You will most likely test 4 or 5 coworking spaces and, spending more than 100€ on day passes does not seem very fair.
Tips: Here are the questions you need to ask yourself:
- First of all, is the space located near public transports?
- Is it easily accessible for me and/or my team?
- How active is the neighbourhood? Bars, restaurants, shops.
- Finally, is the area safe?
Test amenities and infrastructures
Then, you will have access to different kinds of amenities in every coworking, depending on the spaces and the memberships. And, the trial day will allow you to test them and see if they fit your needs as a remote worker, entrepreneur, or student.
First, check and ask what do the memberships include?
- Tea, coffee, water
- Phone booths
- Screens
- Meeting rooms
- Lockers
- Package reception
- 24/7 access
Also, what type of spaces can you use depending on the coworking memberships?
If you’d like to know more about the hybrid-work model and the flex spaces, you should read this article: Hybrid Work, The Rise of a New Tribe.
- Hot/ fixed desks, and what do they look like?
- Comfy chairs
- Standing desks
- Chill Areas
- Private offices
Finally, do you like the design of the space?
- Indoor plants
- Furniture
- Natural light
- Outdoor space
- Nice decoration (more info here)
Last but not least, does the coworking have AC? Barcelona is a warm and humid city in Summer, and winter is still winter. Make sure that the coworking space has a good AC and heating.
Tips: Advice from a coworking manager to potential coworkers. On a trial day, don’t be shy. Feel free to try everything, different rooms and workstations, to get a real taste of the space. More importantly, ask questions. You have the right, and it is no bother!
What about Noise?
The trial day is the perfect way to see if the space is made for you and see the dynamic inside the workspaces. Indeed, some people prefer to work in complete silence—others with background sound and music. For example, you will need a space to talk and collaborate easily if you have a team. If you need silence to work, ask if the coworking has dedicated quiet areas or private rooms.
Tips: Check out if the kitchen is in a separate area to avoid coffee machine noise and smell at lunchtime. We all know this guy bringing seafood for lunch at the office.
Try out the Wifi connection.
Wifi connection is synonymous with life in a coworking space. You can eventually work without coffee but not without the Internet. The free trial day allows you to check the quality of the connection. Depending on your sector of activity, you will have different needs concerning the power of the network. However, the connection needs to be stable in any case. But, if you need to have long online meetings or use heavy software for editions and downloads, you need to make sure that the wifi connection can support it.
Tips: You can test the Internet speed with pages such as Fast.com. Also, if you need to take calls and that the reception is bad inside the coworking, you should try to use the Wifi Calling on your phone. You should be able to manage that in your phone settings.
Do they have an active community? (is it a real Community?)
A coworking space is more than just an office. It is a place of socialisation where you can connect with other entrepreneurs and remote workers. It is a place where you can work and grow your business. You will have the opportunity to network and connect with like-minded people. Avoid isolation and achieve a better work-life balance. Indeed, the Community aspect is an essential point that marks the real difference between a coworking space and a business centre, for example.
An active community:
- What kind of activities do they organise?
- How often do they organise activities for their coworkers?
- Do the coworking memberships include these activities?
- Do they only have business-related activities or also social events?
A real community means:
- Support
- Social Bounds
- Collaborations
- Sense of belonging
Tips: Join the events! It is the best way to connect with other coworkers genuinely! Then, know that the best spot where it is easy to socialise is definitely the coffee machine area.
Staff Members: Are they present? Friendly?
Communities are not born by themselves. It takes time and dedication to build one, and the coworking staff has a crucial role to play. In fact, according to our experience, there are 3 key positions to ensure a friendly and fully functional coworking space.
1 – Administration and reception
The onboarding should be simple and quick. Having a person at the reception all day is a significant advantage. As a matter of fact, you will appreciate having someone help you and your team in the office resolve daily problems and doubts.
2 – Community Manager.
As mentioned before, a community needs to be pampered. The community manager will generally be the person of reference in the space. They manage activities and the communication between the space and the members. The all-knowing being of the coworking space. They can help you connect with the right people at the right moment and help you integrate the community, and make you feel at home.
3 – Office Manager.
The person that will make sure the space is outstanding. An essential position when you share a flexible office with more than 50-100 people every day depending on the space. To ensure that everything is working, tidy and clean. They manage all the technical management in the coworking daily.
Here the questions you need to ask:
- Is the staff present all day long? Are there specific attention hours?
- Is the staff friendly? And, is it easy to get in contact with them?
- How flexible is the space concerning rules? Know that the bigger the office, the stricter the rules are concerning the use of the spaces and activities, which is normal. However, it is essential to consider it when your objective is to find a space to fit your ideal coworking experience.
Tips: During the trial day, have a chat with the coworking staff members. They can help you connect with people, and they can surely tell you lovely stories about space!
Is the space clean?
Last but not least, the cleanliness of the space. A significant factor when choosing a coworking. And, it is not something you can verify on a photo or during a simple tour. This is why you should be able to try out the coworking space. In addition to the professional cleaning, you should be able to find disinfectant spray to clean your workstation before and after using a shared desk.
Tips: Check the taps of the trash bins. They are excellent indicators.
As we always say to people visiting us. We want you to feel at home at la vaca. That’s why we are really convinced that a free day trial in a Coworking space is fundamental. Get the taste of the space and the area. Do you like it? Do you feel comfortable? The perfect coworking doesn’t exist, but lucky you, you have many options to find the place that fits you! Now, if you end up in Barcelona looking for a coworking membership, feel free to shoot us an email and mention this article! See you soon at La Vaca!
