Whilst more and more employers are beginning to recognise the multitude of benefits that go hand in hand with flexible office space and flexible working arrangements, there is always going to be a few flexible working sceptics.
Read More about How to Sell flexible office space to a Sceptic
The UK has become more flexible in the way that it works. People are no longer tied to the office all week Read More about How Co-working can boost motivation in the workplace
It was another spectacular event last night. everyone enjoyed themselves and the rain even slowed down for us!
We caught up with Angela Dunigan of the NHS Supply Chain, who are based here at Carrwood Park, to have a chat about how they find our meeting room service. This is what she had to say: Read More about Interview with Angela Dunigan from the NHS Supply Chain – Meeting Room
We all want to be more productive in the workplace, whatever our job title, level on the company hierarchy, or employment status. Put simply, if you increase productivity at work, chances of promotions edge closer, you can enjoy a more rewarding and fruitful working day, and you can ultimately earn more money. So how can you increase productivity at work?
We met up for a chat with Sarah Wiles from Snap Print Management who have been based at Carrwood for 2 and a half years now.
Read More about Sarah Wiles Carrwood Testimonial – Serviced Office and Co-working
Nobody wants to be an April Fool, especially not in business. From making an IT blunder during an important presentation to getting the director’s name wrong at a company you’re trying to go into a partnership with, being left red-faced and cringing with embarrassment is an inherent part of the world of business.
With April Fool’s Day here, take a look at Carrwood Park’s tips on how business owners can avoid ‘being an April fool’ in business.
1- Keep your cool when meeting a new client
Meeting a new client is a little like going on a first date – you want to impress. You want to lay the foundations for a good working relationship through radiating professionalism, confidence and reassurance that their money is in good hands.
A good first client meeting combines several vital elements – you need to ‘look the part’, have carried out adequate research on the individual you are meeting and their company, be prepared about what exactly you can offer them, and, perhaps most importantly, listen.
With nerves jangling, it’s easy to get carried away by fervently talking, but to avoid looking a tad April foolish, listen to the client. Let them explain their objectives, goals and long-term plans, and once you have such valuable knowledge on board, you will then be in a better position to decide how your business can help them achieve their goals.
2- Avoid common mistakes when running a meeting
Running a meeting takes a lot of preparation and consideration, at least if you want to run an effective meeting anyway.
Meetings provide the perfect opportunity for you to portray your business in a professional and quality light. By the same token, running a lousy meeting will go a long way in ensuring your business isn’t considered too highly.
Fortunately, the chances of the latter occurring can be significantly reduced by some careful planning.
Some ‘golden rules’ of avoiding meeting blunders and planning an effective meeting should include:
3- Avoid bookkeeping blunders
With a business to run you have a million and one things to do and the unglamorous and arduous task of bookkeeping can easily fall behind.
Failing to keep accurate and up-to-date accounts can quickly leave a business red-faced and in deep water.
The trick to successful bookkeeping is to keep on top of it. As All Business advises, little things, such as saving receipts, tracking reimbursable expenses, and keeping a backup of your accounts, can help avoid potential costly and time-consuming inquiries at a later date.
4- Set up the right type of office
Okay so you might be a three-person business today but as you hope and plan to be a 300-employee enterprise in a year or two from now, you sign a five-year office lease with the capacity to house a 300-strong workforce – Doh!
While ‘thinking big’ is a quality of every CEO, you need to be realistic, particularly when it comes to the workplace. Of course, you want to nurture company growth, but the size of the office you opt for should be a realistic reflection of your business.
Choosing office space which gives you the potential to upsize at a later date could be the ideal scenario.
There are other points to consider when choosing office space for your business. For example, in our blog titled ‘How to choose the location of your office space’, we spoke about the importance of considering the neighbourhood, transportation, as well as infrastructure and services, as being vital elements business owners should consider when choosing office space.
So there we have it, how not to be an April Fool in business this April 1st. Now you can concert your efforts into leaving some of your employees red-faced in the office – Now where did you put that whoopee cushion…?
For more enlightening tips and advice about different aspects of business, don’t forget to subscribe to the WorkWell blog.
The city of Leeds is known for many things – but in recent years it has emerged as one of the most important hubs for business, innovation and enterprise. Many large organisations have been investing money and confidence in Leeds, from Google launching its Digital Garage in Leeds to the government investing £17.5 million for businesses to improve skills. Leeds City Council continues to focus on the Leeds City Region Enterprise Zone, and last year, Leeds University announced plans to develop a £25 million enterprise hub, as reported by Business Editor Bernard Ginns in the Yorkshire Post.
All of these are very positive signs for Leeds as a thriving centre for business in the North and in the UK as a whole. But what about its meeting facilities? Has meeting and conferencing been able to keep up with the rapid changes and demands of modern Leeds business needs? Let’s explore a little of the history of meeting rooms in Leeds, and how these vital spaces, where crucial deals are made, winning business ideas created and useful networking opportunities seized – have changed over the years.
A look back at Leeds meeting rooms of the past
Let’s face it – meeting spaces of a few decades ago could be distinctly uninspiring. Four walls, a table and chairs were the basis of most meeting rooms in Leeds and the rest of the UK. In fact, some businesses would make do with any spare space, no matter how small or unsuitable. People would hold meetings in a tiny office or cubicle, at the end of a bank of desks or the break-room, or even in the local coffee shop, where the noise of customers and coffee machines would drown out most of what people were saying. Needless to say, these were not ideal spaces for holding meetings.
For those who recognised the importance of holding meetings in a professional, dedicated meeting space – see our blog on the subject – some of the available options were too grand and formal, too expensive or too inaccessible for many smaller enterprises, or those looking for a more innovative or informal way of working. It’s important to hold casual meetings too.
What’s more, meeting rooms in Leeds from 20 or so years ago were missing an essential element that is absolutely crucial for today’s business spaces – technology.
How technology has transformed meeting rooms in Leeds
By far, the biggest impact on business, meeting and conferencing facilities in recent times has been technology. Technology works best when it can make our lives easier, when it can solve problems, save time and help us to work more efficiently. This is why it is so widely used in modern meetings, from videoconferencing and meeting management software to presentation tools, meeting apps and even 3D screens, displays and projections to help us explain our ideas. Technology is changing all the time, as meetings technology consultant Corbin Ball points out as he lists the ten top trends for 2015.
We can now use cloud computing to collaborate, whether we meet in person or not, along with virtual meeting software which allows us to connect with participants from all over the world. It really is amazing how the way we work, and the way we meet, has changed in such a relatively short time – and meeting spaces have had to work hard to keep up.
It’s not enough to have a meeting room where you can bring your own equipment. The room needs to be set up and ready with all the latest meeting technology already integrated – otherwise, you’ll be wasting valuable time on setup (and inevitable snags and technological hitches) each time you hold a meeting. This is why all the great quality modern meeting spaces used by businesses in Leeds, from big companies to innovative start-ups, are equipped with the latest technology and ready to roll from the moment you sit down at the meeting table.
We’re more flexible nowadays – meeting spaces should be too
One of the other factors that has transformed meeting rooms in Leeds is flexible working. We no longer stick religiously to the 9-5 working day, and many of us work from home, remotely or on flexible hours. Some choose to mingle with like-minded professionals in Leeds co-working spaces – our blog explains how this way of working can benefit everyone from freelancers to start-ups.
As we are no longer tied to the office and we embrace a more flexible approach to work, this is reflected in the meeting spaces we choose. We need inspirational spaces we can adapt and adjust to suit our needs, from informal meeting areas to encourage networking and the sharing of ideas to dedicated presentation spaces with the latest in meeting technology at our fingertips.
What we don’t want is to be staring at peeling paint on the walls of a drab, uninspiring cupboard of a meeting room – and that is why meeting rooms in Leeds have undergone such a dramatic change. According to Startups.co.uk’s annual round-up of statistics for new businesses launching in the UK, the city was home to a massive 2,970 start-ups in 2014, showing that Leeds is continuing to attract new enterprises left, right and centre. Business facilities in the city have recognised the needs of its innovative, forward-thinking businesses, as well as the need to attract others, and they have adapted to suit. Let’s look forward to the next generation of meeting rooms – what changes will happen next?
What a year it has been for Yorkshire. Thanks to having the privilege of hosting the Tour de France Grand Depart, ‘God’s Own County’ is now an all but global household name.
Read More about Proud to be yorkshire. A look back over 2014 with Carrwood Park
Trying to juggle a busy work life and a family, whilst still leaving some time for socialising and relaxing, can be very difficult. Too many working mums, and dads, feel pulled in two different directions. It often feels as if there aren’t enough hours in the day to succeed at work and give your children the attention they deserve.
However, it is possible to succeed at both work and parenting. You will need to adjust the way you work and possibly even where you work, as well as how you manage your time and your household. If you’re organised and ready for the challenge, you can do it! Follow these tips…
Tip #1: Set aside a dedicated space for working – and consider getting out of the house!
Many people who work from home, and who have kids, end up catching a few minutes to get work done at their kitchen table. However, trying to get anything done on your laptop while surrounded by dirty dishes, kids toys and endless other household distractions can be a massive obstacle to productivity. You need a separate and dedicated space for working, so you can concentrate fully on the task at hand and also run your business in a more professional manner.
In a blog about the challenges facing homeworkers, travel writer Katie Kelly Bell, cites Jennifer Bradley Franklin, a freelance writer and editor, advising setting aside a place dedicated to work only at home.
“It’s been a huge help to have a dedicated office space and to create some defined working hours. That way, when it’s time to work (hello deadlines!) I’m fully engaged in that and when it’s time to spend time with my husband or friends, I’m 100 per cent present in those moments as well,” said Jennifer Franklin.
If you have the space, set up a home office and, as we advised in this blog, make sure you organise it properly. If you don’t have the space, consider making use of shared workspace, where you work alongside like-minded freelancers, entrepreneurs and start-ups in a professional, fully set-up space. It can be great to get out of the house, and many people find the ritual of ‘heading to the office’ and the motivation-booster of working alongside professional people to be great for their efficiency, productivity and self-confidence.
Tip #2: Separate working and parenting, so you can give each your full attention
Too many working mums feel tugged in two directions practically all the time, never being able to give either their children or their work their full attention. This can lead to feelings of guilt, as well as stress as you never feel you can properly relax. Being an attentive parent and a productive worker is possible – it can be done! You just need to set clear boundaries between the two, heading into your home office or a nearby shared workspace when the kids are at school, and shutting down your laptop when the kids come home. It’s all about time management. It isn’t always easy, as work and parenting time can often bleed into each other, but it can be done.
Tip #3: Make use of services, apps and solutions to save time and make your life easier
Modern technology can be a lifesaver when it comes to saving time and helping busy working mums juggle both work and parenthood. So make use of it! There are apps for your phone to help you manage your time, to give you important reminders and to lots of other tiny but time-consuming everyday tasks.
For some great time-saving technology, check out Angela Kwan’s analysis of 11 time-saving sites and apps for busy mums in an article published on Good Housekeeping.
Some busy working parents also consider, as we highlighted here, outsourcing to save themselves some time. You can also make use of services such as virtual offices to help you avoid distractions during the day. For example, virtual office services and serviced offices like those at Carrwood Park give you the opportunity to make use of reception services, where your calls are answered and your post received. This can help you avoid the distraction of the phone ringing all day, but you’ll still have the peace of mind that you’ll get all of your messages and never miss a vital call – which is really important as a small business, start-up or freelancer.
Tip #4: Exercise regularly
The power of exercise goes a long way. It can help to reduce stress, boost energy levels and improve your ability to concentrate. The NHS recommends that an average adult should be taking part in physical exercise for 150 minutes a week although, if you have a tight schedule, it could help to gradually work your way towards this. If you are pressed for time then you could start off by taking a walk at lunchtime, waking up an hour earlier to go to the gym, or even just trying some office exercises. Remember – every little helps!
For quality serviced offices, Leeds and Harrogate based WorkWell offices provide quality shared office space in Yorkshire. To find out more about achieving a healthy work-life balance, subscribe to the WorkWell
Park blog.
