What’s the relationship between good lighting and productivity at work?

Many different factors can affect productivity and efficiency in the workplace, but there is one ever-present condition that many people take for granted.

In our blog about setting up an office for maximum productivity, we discussed the relationship between good lighting and productivity. We noted how lighting is one of the most crucial factors in any office set-up, affecting everything from mood to efficiency.

The negative effects of poor office lighting

Poor quality or badly planned office lighting can cause many different problems for individuals and for a company as a whole. Overly bright overhead fluorescent lights can cause glare on computer screens, which can lead to headaches and eye strain. Lighting that is too dim or flickering can cause similar problems, as well as being annoying and potentially dangerous. A negative impact on health leads to a negative impact on morale, which affects the quality and quantity of work a person can get done, as well as potentially leading to higher employee absenteeism and staff turnover rates. Accuracy also suffers under poor lighting, dragging down the quality of work.

Despite all of these problems, many people live with poor lighting conditions without realising or taking action to improve their working environment.

The link between natural light and employee efficiency

So, what lighting should we be aiming for in our workspaces? According to the experts, as much natural light as possible is the key. A recent study by scientist Mirjam Muench compared two groups of people during normal work days, one group exposed to daylight and the other to artificial light. The group exposed to daylight were found to be significantly more alert, even at the end of the working day, while those under artificial light felt drowsier and more sluggish. Cortisol levels were found to drop considerably under poor lighting conditions, which can make workers feel more stressed as well as lacking the ability to stabilise energy levels.

Three steps to improving lighting in the office:

1. Introduce as much natural light as possible.

Business growth, efficiency and marketing consultant Andrew Jensen talks of how natural light is a much superior form of lighting in the office compared to artificial light. Open all curtains and blinds (and clean windows) and consider additional ways to introduce natural light, from new windows and skylights to sun tunnels and outdoor breakout spaces.

2. Reduce use of overhead lights.

Unless they are of very good quality and fit for purpose, overhead lights can cause headaches and eye strain. Some types can also buzz and flicker, both of which are very irritating for your employees.

3. Consider using more task lighting.

Well-considered task lighting in key work areas, just like you would use task lighting to illuminate worktops in a kitchen, can be a great way to improve the quality of the lighting setup in your office.

It isn’t always possible to reinvent your office lighting system, as it is neither feasible nor cost-effective. Under these conditions, as we described in our blog on signs you are ready to leave the home office, it can make a lot of sense to relocate to commercial property such as serviced offices or co-working spaces. Lighting in facilities such as Carrwood Park has been specially designed with productivity in mind, with as much natural light as possible and task lighting where needed. Once you spend a few hours working in a well-lit space, you won’t be able to go back to your dim or overly bright work space – it will open your eyes to the changes that need to be made.

For more advice about office space, Leeds-based Carrwood Park’s regularly updated blog offers tips and advice on various aspects of office design and life.

For quality and professional serviced offices, Leeds and Harrogate-based service provider WorkWell provides the ideal conditions for productive and efficient working.

Our business tips to stop your company from scaring you this halloween

As Halloween approaches, there’s only one type of scare you want to experience – the fun kind! The last thing you want is for your business to come to an unexpected crisis, which can come completely out of the blue and could even spell disaster for a fledgling company. However, a business scare can be avoided – you can start by following these 10 top business tips for success:


Never underestimate the importance of a good business plan.

A clear and well thought-out strategy is a key ingredient for success – without it, your business could be facing tough times. You might have a rough plan of how your business will run in your head, but you really need to get it down on paper. Include every detail, however small, and spend time on it so you can figure out how everything will work and anticipate any problems that may crop up.


Don’t try to run before you can walk.

In the excitement of starting a new business, it’s easy to get carried away. This can lead to mistakes such as rash hiring policies and expanding into new office space before your business is ready for it – this is one of the most common mistakes start-ups make, as we outlined in our blog. Business tips for beginners should include focusing on strengthening your business and perfecting what you do best before you consider growth and expansion.

Consider long-term growth alongside short-term savings.

As a small business with a tight budget, it’s understandable that you’ll want to save money on big expenses. However, if these savings in the here and now aren’t the right choice for your business in the future, you could be making a mistake. If you’ll have to shell out again in the future because you’ve bought a shoddy product or paid for a sub-standard service, it’s a false economy. It may be better to bite the bullet and pay a little more now, for the future health and growth of the business.

Be careful of long-term commitment that may not suit your business as it grows.

A potentially disastrous, money-draining business mistake is to sign up for a long-term commitment, such as a long lease on office space or a contract with a marketing company, when it might not suit your business for very long. You’ll end up paying for services you don’t need, trapped in an expensive contract when it’s no longer the right option for you. What you need are flexible approaches that can adapt and change as your business does. Check out our blog on whether to lease office space or consider more flexible options such as serviced offices or co-working spaces.

Trust your gut instinct, but do your research and seek advice too.

A killer instinct for business is essential when you start your own company, but it shouldn’t be the sole thing you rely on. You need to have a degree of self-awareness and recognise that you need to do research or consult an expert if you have a gap in your knowledge. She also recommends having someone to bounce ideas off, and warns against trying to do absolutely everything yourself. So, the ideal combination is knowledge, research and the right advice, alongside an instinct for what is best for your business.

Take the time to understand your market and your customers.

As they say, knowledge is power. Having knowledge of your market and your customers, as well as understanding your company’s place in the market and amongst its competitors, can be a powerful weapon. Do your research, figure out your company’s USP and you’ll be armed with enough data to make informed decisions.

Get the legal stuff right.

Business tip for small businesses should always include getting legal stuff right from the offset. Legal mistakes can sink a business faster than anything else, so it’s important to understand your responsibilities and take them seriously. You need to be clued up on everything from employment law and business structure to data protection, intellectual property and tax. 

Measure performance and set achievable goals.

To work out whether your company is doing well, you need hard data to analyse. Without this data, you can only guess at your company’s performance, which can be very risky – especially if you’re given to a spot of ‘bury your head in the sand’. Get the data, use it to measure performance and set realistic, achievable short and long-term goals that you can come back to in the near future. Achieving these goals can be very satisfying, as well as helping you stay on track and move forward as a company.

Focus on the business as a whole, rather than getting obsessed with a perfect product.

As seasoned entrepreneur Andy Yates writes on thisismoney.co.uk, some business owners get obsessed with tinkering with a product until its perfect – meaning no sales and no money coming in until the product is ready for launch. For the health of the business as a whole, Yates recommends sending the product out there for customers to test and try, and improvements can be made over time.

Be prepared to adapt and change as the market demands.

Another important point to remember related to small business tips is that you should be prepared to adapt and change as the market demands. Businesses that are resolutely stuck in their ways, unwilling to embrace new trends and technologies, will soon be left behind their competitors. This isn’t to say that you should jump on-board every new trend, nor should you panic at a slight change in the market. However, you should be open to new ideas, keeping a close eye on changes in the market and ready to adapt to keep your business ahead.


For a quality and professional serviced office, Leeds based Carrwood Park offers top-quality serviced offices in our co-working centre. For all your shared office requirements in Leeds, get in touch with Carrwood Park.

For more expert business tips for small businesses, as well as advice on choosing the right office space for you, subscribe to the Carrwood Park blog. 

How do you know when your start-up needs to move into an office?

There are certain benefits to running a start-up business from home – the most obvious being cost savings. However, if your business is doing well, there is likely to come a time when home working becomes more of a hindrance than a convenient, money-saving solution. But when should you move into an office – is there ever a right time to take the plunge?

Many freelancers, sole traders and start-ups eventually come up against the same problems, which are the key signs that it’s time to look for another solution. For example:

  • You’re ready to start hiring employees, but there is nowhere for them to work.
  • You’re concerned about professionalism – without proper meeting space, you end up meeting clients in noisy coffee shops or in your cluttered living room, neither of which gives your business a professional image.
  • Your work-life balance is off-kilter – with no opportunity to leave work at work, it’s very difficult to switch off and enjoy a family and social life.
  • Productivity is dropping – enthusiasm for launching your own business may have driven you in the early days, but your focus might be slipping now that you’ve been working at home for some time.

These are all signs that home working may not be the best fit for your business anymore, but what’s the solution? There are three main options available to you: leasing office space on a long-term contract, or the more flexible option of renting a serviced office. You can also use a co-working space, which, as one of our blogs describes, is particularly great for freelancers or employees of larger organisations who don’t work close to their main office.

As we explored in our blog about renting a serviced office compared to leasing office space, to determine which is the best option for your start-up company, both now and in the future, there are important questions you need to be asking yourself.

What can you afford to do?

You should only start exploring office space solutions when your business has the funds to do so, whilst still maintaining a financial safety net. To choose between leasing office space and renting a serviced office, consider set-up costs. You may be able to afford a long-term lease on office space in a good location, but have you considered office supplies, computer and printing equipment, furniture, heating, electricity, transportation, phone, internet and reception services, to name but a few? So many business owners miscalculate the true cost of setting up a new office from scratch, which can be disastrous for a start-up that is not yet established.

A serviced office can be the ideal stepping stone for start-ups, as it has none of the initial setup costs of leasing an office. At Carrwood Park, for example, serviced offices are rented on both short and long-term leases, giving companies greater flexibility, and there are no hidden costs at all. You ask for the services you need, and these are all included in the upfront cost of your package, from reception and call answering services to printing, meeting and conferencing. This allows you to accurately calculate how much it will cost you to move into your new office space.

In our ’11 Myths about Serviced Office Space: Busted’ blog, we talked about one of the common misconceptions about serviced offices is that they are expensive. However, if you actually did a comparison between what you actually get from a serviced office package and the setup costs of a leased office, you’d find that serviced offices would often turn out to be the most cost-effective.

Where will your company be in 5 years’ time?

This is the second crucial question to ask yourself before deciding between leasing premises and renting a serviced office. If you commit to a long-term lease when the future growth of your business is far from guaranteed, you may not be able to afford such hefty costs. Your business may not grow at the speed you hope it will, so you might end up with office space that is far larger (and more expensive) than you’ll ever need. It’s really difficult to anticipate the future needs of your business. As we mentioned in an earlier blog, the flexibility that serviced offices provide is one of the key benefits of this type of office.

Serviced offices can be rented for short or long periods, and at a facility like Carrwood Park where there are many different sizes of offices available, you can simply move into a larger space if and when you need it. Download our size guide to find out more about how to decide what size office you need.

Co-working Vs Working from home

COWORKING_VS_HOME_COVER

The phone’s ringing, the dog wants to go for a walk – he’s just jumped up onto the kitchen counter and knocked your paperwork on the floor. You’ve got a meeting in the lounge in half an hour and the neighbour’s just popped in for a chat having seen your car in the drive.  To top it all, the washing machine’s just started leaking. Sound familiar?


Surely there’s a better way to run a business!

Read More about Co-working Vs Working from home

Is it better to have an office in the city centre or the outskirts?

With countless amenities on your doorstep, convenient transportation and a buoyant hustle and bustle that gets you ‘in the mood’ for work, the benefits of city centre working have long been established and exploited. But did you know more and more firms and working professionals are now seeking office space on the outskirts of a city?

According to a report in Property Wire, office take-up across the six biggest regional office markets in the UK, including Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Bristol, increased by at least 30% in 2014.

As demand for office markets outside London looks set to continue, where is more beneficial for modern firms and professional workers to conduct their working day – is it better to have an office in the city centre or the outskirts?

Transportation

With bus routes, train stations, and tram stops around every corner, city centres are easy to get to and manoeuvre about in, hence their appeal to a broader workforce. However, we cannot ignore the fact that the vast majority of people in England and Wales still use their cars to get to work.

An RAC report released in 2013 found that seven out of 10 people in rural areas get to work by car rather than the train or bus.

We’ve all been there, anxiously ‘clock watching’ as we’re ground to a sickening halt in a queue in city centre traffic as an important impending meeting draws worryingly closer.

In short, offices located on the edge of town eliminate the problem of being stuck in city centre traffic.

With the majority of workers in Britain still using their cars to get to and from work and to meetings, an office that is close to major road networks but avoids congested city centres is an ultra-convenient and desirable option.

Of course we also cannot ignore the fact that many do choose public transport to get to work. As we wrote in an earlier blog about choosing the location of your office space, an office that is close to major roads and is also not far from public transport, such as bus stops and rail links, will mean workers traveling on public transport are able to reach the office with ease.

Good for clients

Not only are these convenient ‘out of the city centre’ offices great for workers but they also mean clients will be able to reach the venue without having the stress of wrestling with city centres – a valuable business asset.

Take Carrwood Park as an example. Here at Carrwood Park we are just two minutes from the M1 and 15 minutes from Leeds city centre, clients and potential clients will be able to locate the office with ease and feel fresh and optimistic when arriving to a business meeting.

On-site parking

Which brings us on to the issue of parking.

As most of us have experienced, parking in a city centre is not only painfully expensive, it can be nigh impossible.

City centre offices that do have on-site parking are a rarity and it is likely that these valuable spaces are snapped up by company directors or by long-standing workers.

By contrast, offices located on the outskirts of cities usually have room for everyone.

Talking about some of the benefits of renting office space on the outskirts of town, the popular entrepreneur website Evan Carmichael speaks of how “poor parking situations” can result in a “financial and personal concern for employees.”

“As long as your office space is still in a location served well by public transport, the major road networks will provide a relatively clear and simple route to the office, not forgetting, still keeping you as a business within easy reach of the central region,” writes Evan Carmichael.

Lower costs

And then there is the cost to consider. Statistics show that you can enjoy offices on the outskirts of town of exactly the same quality as their city centre rivals for cheaper.  When working on tight budgets, renting office space just minutes from a city centre can make a significant difference to monthly overheads and ultimately company profit. 

An asset to your branding

When the convenience, cost-effectiveness and ease of an out-of-town office is considered, opting for an office location on the outskirts of a city is likely to positively affect your branding.

As Carrwood Park wrote in a blog titled ‘How the look and location of your office can affect your branding’, without the headache of wresting city centre traffic, without having to pay elevated parking costs and with the convenience of being able to swing off the motorway into large, purpose-built grounds, employees, colleagues, clients and contractors are likely to show up to the office feeling relaxed, refreshed and ready to do business – a definite brand-enhancer!

For more information about WorkWell’s convenient, quality and friendly offices and meeting rooms on the outskirts of Leeds or Harrogate, download our guide to serviced offices. 

9 New Years Resolutions for your Small Business

 New Years resolutions are often made without much thought and are then forgotten about come February. Don’t fall into this trap in 2025.

The new year is a great time for a fresh start, to look back over what did and didn’t work in the previous year, what mistakes were made, and what successes you had. Running a business requires constant review and goal setting, so be inspired by reading our guide on creating a New Year’s Resolution for Small Businesses to help you have a prosperous 2015 with a successful small business.

1. Delegate your workload

Just because it is your business doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. There are only so many hours in the day, so delegate some of your smaller jobs to another member of staff or consider getting a virtual office so your phone calls can be answered and a message passed on to you.

2. Promote your business regularly and consistently

You can’t expect new customers to hear about your business if you don’t promote your services consistently. What’s more, it doesn’t have to cost the earth. Writing a weekly blog advising your customers is a great and free way (apart from time) to get your voice heard by potential customers.

3. Join a Networking Group

Networking is a great way to find new customers, get great advice from fellow business owners and also a way to get out of the office. We regularly hold networking events in Leeds here at Carrwood Park.

4. Set realistic goals

Goals are an extremely important way to keep your business on track, but don’t be too ambitious or your goals will feel out of reach and easily get cast away. Start small, and once you have reached your goals, you can be more ambitious with the next.

5. Review and improve goals regularly

Making your initial goals is one thing, but you don’t know if they are working unless you review them regularly. If they are not going as you expected, don’t be afraid to make adjustments.

6. Outsource jobs that are taking up your valuable time

As mentioned above, you don’t have to do all the work yourself. But if you don’t have any staff that you can delegate jobs to, then outsourcing may be more feasible for you. If you have an office in your home, you could consider moving into a co-working space where all the maintenance of your desk area is done for you, allowing you to get on with your work.

7. Set up a content Marketing Plan

Consumers are getting savvy about regular marketing techniques. Instead of telling a customer why your product is great, try creating content that makes them realise this on their own. Become an expert in your field and let them learn to trust your brand. They will come to you for your services when they are ready. Take a look at http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/blog/ for some great advice on how content marketing can help your business.

8. Show customer appreciation

We all like to feel appreciated, your customers are no different. Don’t become like one of the many corporations that refers to their customers as a number on a spreadsheet. Get to know your customers, talk to them and get their feedback. This way you can avoid complaints and improve your services, you will gain fans rather than unloyal customers.

9. Continue to improve and learn new Business skills

You can always be better at something. Whether you learn more about accounting so your year-end makes more sense, or you improve your marketing skills so you can discuss your advertising more effectively. Just because you learn a new skill doesn’t mean you have to do the work yourself. Having an understanding of something will help you discuss better with your employees and will give you a deeper understanding of what they are saying to you.

Whatever you decide to have as your New Year’s Resolution for your Small Business. Ensure to keep reviewing it and working on it throughout the year. Set a reminder on your phone or email to review your progress at least once a month to ensure you are on track.

From everyone at WorkWell, we would like to wish you a successful 2025!

Things to consider before signing for your Virtual Office in Leeds

How would you go about choosing a virtual office? Would you do a quick Google search and go with the first result, or would price be the main factor to influence your decision?

Are you thinking carefully about the services you may need access to and, crucially, the location of the virtual office?

Unfortunately, not all businesses put the right level of thought and research into choosing a virtual office – which often results in the wrong decision being made. Changing virtual offices can be costly, inconvenient and disruptive to your business, and it doesn’t look very professional.

Why is location so very crucial in a virtual office

You may be able to work anywhere, but as our blog about choosing a location for a virtual office highlights, your virtual office needs to be in exactly the right location. There are two very important things to consider when looking at the location of your new virtual office:

A professional business address. Virtual offices give smaller businesses the opportunity to have a professional business address where they can receive correspondence and calls, and your address can say a lot about you as a company. Ideally, you need an address near a major city or a big business hub, like Leeds, for example. This connection with a major city instantly conveys the impression that you too are a thriving business in a location close to established business networks, limitless contacts and a wide range of resources.

Convenience and accessibility for meetings. One of the main benefits of virtual offices is access to services like meeting space, which may be available at a discounted rate if you have a virtual office contract. However, this meeting space is only useful if it’s in a convenient, central location that is easy for clients and customers to reach. For example, Carrwood Park in Leeds, which has both virtual offices and meeting rooms, is situated just 2 minutes from a major motorway (the M1) and 15 minutes from Leeds city centre. It also has on-site parking, which is another key thing to check when choosing a virtual office.

The essentials – what services do you really need?

With location at the very top of your list of priorities, there are other things you might need in your ideal virtual office, as we mentioned in our ‘What do you need for a virtual office’ blog. For example, do you (or will you in the future) need any of the following?

  • A professional call answering service. If you can’t afford to lease office space and hire a full-time receptionist, a far more cost-effective option is to use a virtual office with a professional call answering service attached. Having someone else handle and screen your calls (and possibly even your emails too) can save you a huge amount of time as well as money, leaving you free to focus on moving your business forward without getting bogged down in admin.  An off-site reception can also be good for your clients and customers, as they get to speak to a real person rather than an answering machine – this can do wonders for making them feel valued.
  • Unlimited posts and calls. A virtual office that puts a limit on how many calls and letters it handles on your behalf is probably not the one to go for – make sure you check any limitations on correspondence before signing up.
  • Discounts for using other services. If you sign up for a virtual office, will you receive any kind of discount if you need to book a meeting room or use co-working facilities? Some virtual offices do offer this, so it’s always worth asking – it could really save you money.

Do you need a desk, or maybe a meeting space?

While some virtual offices simply give you a glamorous-sounding postcode and somewhere to pick up your post, others offer a more flexible solution with a wide range of extra services. For example, many small businesses and freelancers find it incredibly useful to have access to a desk or a meeting room when they need it, on an ad hoc basis.

Ultimately, it could be a good idea to choose an all-in-one facility – one with virtual offices, meeting and co-working spaces in the same complex – as it gives you the option to pick and choose from the services you need, when you need them.

For more advice on how to choose a virtual office, subscribe to the WorkWell blog. If you’re ready and raring to go, why not download our brochure?

If you are looking for quality, friendly and professional virtual offices, Leeds based Carrwood Park provides the perfect virtual office solutions for companies and individuals looking to capitalise on the many benefits these types of offices provide.

What’s the difference between Co-working and Virtual office space?

Co-working, virtual office space, shared offices, they all give workers who work independently from a ‘traditional’ office the chance to reap the benefits of working alongside other people in a flexible and modern way.

So they’re all the same, right?

Wrong!

Well, semi-wrong anyway. Whilst modern working environments such as co-working spaces, shared offices, and virtual office space collectively provide independent workers with the chance to network and bypass tiresome office commutes, there are some fundamental differences between them.

As we wrote in an earlier blog, 90% of UK professionals now believe flexible working is the way forward and choosing when and where you work is rapidly snowballing in the UK.

If you are keen to jump into the shared office working environment but are unsure which option of office to go for, take a look at the differences between co-working spaces and virtual offices.

Co-working spaces

Co-working spaces are essentially shared office environments in which the individuals who use them are not usually part of the same organisation and work independently.

What do co-working spaces include?

A well-equipped co-working space will include all the essential office equipment, including:

  • Wireless internet access
  • Scanners
  • Printers
  • Fax machines
  • A co-working space will have the vital office furniture such as chairs and tables, meaning you simply bring your own device and you’re ready to start working.

The better the co-working space is, the higher quality and more comfortable the furniture is likely to be. WorkWell’s co-working facilities, for example, include British designer leather furniture for a real luxury working environment.

Other features which are often at workers’ disposal in a co-working space are:

  • Tea, coffee, water and even kitchen facilities so you can brew up and prepare food at your leisure.
  • Temperature control means the working space doesn’t get too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.
  • Many co-working centres, which are located on the outskirts of a city, such as Carrwood Park, will have free on-site parking.

Meeting spaces

Many larger co-working centres will have presentation and conference facilities available. Having access to a meeting room and presentation facilities can be crucial for giving independent workers and organisations a truly professional edge by enabling them to meet existing or potential clients and interview employees in a professional space.

Who uses co-working spaces?

As the opportunities for networking, collaborating and mentoring with other professionals in co-working centres are prolific, they are popular amongst freelancers and start-ups who want to secure more business and help their business grow.

Being equipped with meeting room access, co-working spaces are also suitable for SMEs who want to work in a professional environment but without the hefty overheads of a traditional office lease.

They are especially popular amongst independent tech and digital workers, who require reliable and fast Wi-Fi and benefit from a ‘buzzing’ working environment.

Virtual office space

A virtual office in leeds is the perfect way for a company to invest in their image or brand and consequently increase their visibility and credibility without having to make a heavy investment on office leases.

What do virtual offices include?

Virtual offices provide most of the same benefits of having a traditional office, including:

  • A receptionist
  • A call handling service with mail forwarding
  • A lucrative business address
  • Parcel handling service

Virtual offices typically come in different packages. For example, Carrwood Park offers four different types of virtual office packages.

The first is the DDi Number package which provides a business with a landline which can either be forwarded to a mobile phone or to a personalised voicemail.

The second option is the Registered Address package which offers a professional business address with mail collection, which receives company mail and forwards it on. Having a professional business address in a lucrative location can have a significant impact on how others perceive an individual professional or a company, which can make the difference between securing contracts and not.

Then there is the Reception Answering option in which a company’s calls are received by a front of house receptionist who then forwards the messages to appropriate individual.

Many virtual offices offer all the mentioned services in one package. For example, Carrwood’s fourth virtual office package gives individuals and organisations the change to work from home or independent of a traditional office but still reap the benefits of having a full virtual office package.

Who uses virtual offices?

Virtual offices are most suitable for small businesses and start-ups which seek a virtual space and the benefits of a conventional office but are not yet ready to move out of a home office or take on the financial burden of a traditional office lease.

Virtual office users often use virtual office in the initial stage of their development until they are sufficiently big enough or have the financial means to take on ‘actual’ office space.

In short, having a glamorous business address on a business card can go a long way increasing a start-up’s or SME’s credibility.

Whether you opt to work from a co-working space or a decide a virtual office would be more beneficial to your own personal circumstances, these flexible working platforms provide professionals and businesses with a cost-effective, professional and modern way to develop business and nurture company growth.

For more information on hiring quality and well-equipped co-working and virtual office space in Leeds or Harrogate, get in touch with WorkWell.