Short-term professional solutions: Why choose WorkWell

WorkWell on July 15, 2025

What is short-term letting?

Why would a business potentially need or want professional service providers’ support during a short-term period?

Short-term letting is when a property is rented for a brief period, lasting anywhere between a few days to a couple of months, with the longest short-term let extending to 6 months. Long-term letting is typically qualified by renting for longer than 12 months.

Businesses can find themselves in a limbo, with no professional office, wondering whether to bite the bullet on the overhead costs of a privately let office. That’s where we come in to provide an unrivalled serviced office experience, for a fraction of the cost of a traditional office.

What short-term letting solutions do WorkWell provide?

Day Offices

Day offices are the perfect option for businesses seeking a short-term solution to needing a professional, quiet environment for their team to work from. These spaces are kitted out the same as a traditional office with monitors, desks, and ergonomic chairs.

At WorkWell, we offer day offices for as little as a day to ensure any team needing a professional setting to work from has the space to do so. 

Co-working

Co-working is a type of working style which allows businesses to mix and work alongside other businesses and independent workers. This is done by creating a communal office environment without a seating plan.

At WorkWell, we offer day passes for those seeking out a tidy and inspiring environment to work from. This allows our members to tailor their contracts to their needs. Instead of having to rent a space for a chunk of time, and seeing the budget going to waste when the space isn’t being used.

Meeting rooms

Meeting rooms in serviced office environments are particularly useful when you need a professional environment to host in, for a limited amount of time. We’re able to offer our meeting rooms at an hourly rate, providing a practical and affordable way to access a professional working environment.

Why utilising a professional service provider can benefit you in the short term?

Every business is unique, as are its operational needs. Whether it’s needing a meeting room to accommodate client visits or simply wanting a desk to work from for a day, at WorkWell, we’ve got the facilities to accommodate.

Reduced costs

Renting a traditional office comes with its downsides, from the long set-up process to the hidden fees and major responsibilities. Bookable rooms with day pass and flexible co-working options ensure you only pay for what you are using.

Professional Impressions

Whether you’re meeting with your remote-working team face to face, or taking on an important meeting, WorkWell provides your business with access to an environment that is a polished, fully equipped workspace, perfect for making a professional impression.

Networking opportunities

It’s a rarity to be able to engage with new local businesses outside of your own in a traditional office, but in a service office environment, the opportunity is there.  It fosters a sense of community within members and allows them to make connections they otherwise wouldn’t have.

Continuity through transitional periods

Whether you’re renovating, scaling, or relocating, short-term letting allows your business to keep operating with no downtime, keeping your operations stable and smooth.

Adjust as you need

Whether it’s a desk for a week or a meeting room for a few hours, we make sure you can pick the services that suit your needs. This flexibility allows your business to operate as normal whilst being fuss-free.

Short-term professional intervention can offer stability and structure during times of growth or change. At WorkWell, we don’t just provide a space; we create environments and contracts tailored to ensure individuals and teams thrive. Our solutions are curated to your goals, ensuring your business is able to remain professional and productive each step of your journey.

.

Why the only place you should hold a meeting is in a meeting room

WorkWell on July 16, 2024

Do you often hold meetings in non-business spaces, such as in coffee shops or perhaps even in your own home? If so, have you thought about the impression you make on clients when holding an improvised and disorganised meeting?

In fact, there are many problems with holding meetings in spaces that aren’t really designed for doing business. Here are just a handful:

  1.        Noise and interruptions. By sharing a space with lots of people who aren’t in your meeting, you also share their noise. Coffee shops, in particular, can be incredibly noisy. The last thing you want is to be shouting over the noise of coffee machines or having someone else’s conversation intrude on an important discussion. If you hold your meeting at home, you also risk a neighbour, the postman or the telephone interrupting proceedings.
  2.        Lack of privacy and security. Not only is it highly unprofessional to discuss sensitive and confidential topics in public places, but the security of your and your clients’ belongings is also under threat. If you want to get up for a coffee or to use the facilities, you’ll have to take everything with you, or risk it being stolen. This is inconvenient and impractical.
  3.        No space for delegates. In a dedicated meeting room, your meeting delegates have the space for all their own equipment and to make their own notes.
  4.        Sharing screens. In a meeting room, you can make use of a projector or a large screen, so that everyone can comfortably see the presentation. However, squashed around your kitchen table, you’ll all have to share one or two computer screens. Needless to say, this isn’t an efficient or professional way of conducting a meeting.
  5.        Comfort. People like to have their own space in a meeting, which you simply don’t get in a crowded coffee shop. You need the right equipment, comfortable seating and adequate facilities (i.e. refreshments, toilets) – these are just a handful of the things to look for when choosing a meeting space.

Lastly, but just as importantly, it makes a very poor impression on clients and prospects if you hold your meetings anywhere but a dedicated meeting space. It can give the wrong impression, whether that comes across as not being able to afford a meeting space or not caring about professionalism.

Where is the best place to hold a meeting?

You might think that you’re saving money by using coffee shops, cafes and your own living room for meetings, but you could actually be damaging your business in the long term. These spaces aren’t practical for meetings, they do nothing to impress delegates, and they can pose more problems than they solve.

A dedicated meeting room, on the other hand, can meet all of your needs. It comes equipped with everything you need for a professional business meeting. At WorkWell, refreshments are free when you book a meeting room, and projection equipment is provided so there’s no need to share tiny screens.

Delegates can spread out and take their own notes on a large table of the right height for working, and they have proper chairs to sit in – rather than the stools, sofas and benches you find in non-business spaces.

Power is often a problem when holding impromptu meetings in unsuitable spaces, with delegates having to fight over one power socket (if there is one in the first place). This isn’t a problem in a dedicated meeting room, which comes equipped with all the power solutions you could ask for.

Tips for choosing the perfect meeting room

  1. Establish the right type of meeting for you: Business needs will vary for many businesses, so outline whether you need a physical space with capacity for people to join, or you need a space set up with conferencing capabilities.
  2. The size of the space you need: You need to know how many attendees you’ll have so you can acquire a space that accommodates them.
  3. The Location: Check you’re in a good location for commuting, which is well-connected to public transport, and has plenty of parking for those driving.
  4. Comfort: Finding a comfortable space is equally important as having a space that can accommodate technological and capacity needs.

Download our handy meeting room checklist before booking, and subscribe to the WorkWell blog for more tips and advice about finding the ideal meeting room for your needs.

Face to Face Meetings VS Teleconferencing – with infographic

WorkWell on July 16, 2024

As companies strive to adopt telework initiatives, teleconferencing has increased rapidly in recent years. The primary advantage of teleconferencing is clear – it enables businesses to conduct meetings with clients, colleagues and partners who are geographically dispersed. Whilst teleconferencing continues to gain momentum, meeting and making decisions over the phone is not always the answer.

Business owners and corporate managers might enjoy the geographical freedom and flexibility digital communication tools create, but did you know that 47% of professionals admit to losing a contract or client because they failed to allow for enough face time?

With this in mind, take a look at some of the reasons why face-to-face meetings are as important as ever and will never become obsolete.

Body language

Body language and business have long been intrinsically associated. Smiles, eye contact, a firm handshake, good posture, and the head held high are just several body language gestures that convey a message of confidence, self-assurance and a ‘work with me and you won’t regret it’ attitude.

As Carol Kinsey Goman, a coach on leadership, body language and professional success, told Forbes:

“Body language plays a key role in effective leadership communication.”

Of course, in teleconferencing, body language doesn’t exist.

When communicating virtually, all those subtle body language and facial gesture clues are lost, meaning it is less easy for people to make an evaluation and to judge other people’s skills and attitudes.

Millennials prefer face-to-face meetings.

One might assume it’s the youngsters, those known as the Millennials, who are in favour of this modern form of business communication.

Not according to an infographic created by CT Business Travel and NeoMam Studios, which shows 80% of Millennials prefer face-to-face communication with colleagues.

More effective

Having an important meeting via a phone or video is super convenient, but is it as effective as meeting face to face?

We’re all guilty of it. Flippantly flicking through our Facebook feed whilst engaged in an important conference call or instant messaging meeting.

As the Time Management Ninja writes, the problem with teleconferences is that most people “aren’t there” and “without discipline they can be wildly ineffective.”

Phone conference participants/attendees, according to the report, are doing everything “but listening to what is happening on the call.” As teleconferencing attendees lose concentration, background noise is inevitably generated, which can be wildly off-putting for others on the teleconference.

The CT Business Travel and NeoMam Studios infographic reiterates this point, finding that 69% of people admitted to browsing social media to pass the time during audio-only calls.

Gauge an understanding of a company’s personality and culture

As well as obliterating the emotion afforded in body language, virtual communication quashes our ability for people to witness a company’s personality and culture first-hand.

By attending a meeting in person, you can see what an organisation’s culture is like. Whether the company seems relaxed and friendly or whether it’s more structured and corporate.

Whereas teleconferencing is typically ‘strictly business’, face-to-face meetings allow for a business’s personality to shine, which is an important trait when you are thinking about doing business with or working for a company.

A meeting room says a lot about a company.

As we wrote in our blog titled ‘5 meeting preparations to ensure a successful meeting’, “a room in which a meeting is held says a lot about a company.”

When you participate in a teleconferencing meeting, you have no idea where the other participants are located. They could be ‘attending’ the meeting from a home office, a Starbucks café or a library for all you know.

By contrast, when you attend a meeting in person, you have the opportunity to be impressed by the location of the meeting.

A professional, well-facilitated, bright and well-designed meeting room talks volumes in portraying a company in a professional and quality light.

Hire a meeting room

If you’re a start-up or a small business, you might be of the opinion that, without a professional office location, you have little option other than to conduct meetings with clients, potential clients, contractors and colleagues via telecommunication tools.

The great news is you can hire a meeting room out. Naturally, there is plenty to consider when hiring a meeting room, such as what the facilities are and what the price includes.

For advice on booking a meeting room, take a look at  WorkWell’s blog on ’18 things you need to know before you book a meeting room.’

In conclusion, teleconferencing might enable us to communicate conveniently without geographical constraints. However, being void of personality, body language, participant concentration and engagement, you should ask yourself just how effective a teleconferencing meeting really is?

For a quality and professional meeting room in Leeds that comprises the latest facilities and excellent transport links, download the WorkWell meeting room brochure. 

The Worst Advice We’ve Ever Heard About Meeting Rooms In Leeds

WorkWell on July 16, 2024

Everyone has their own opinion on what makes a good meeting room, but some are just plain wrong! Here are just a handful of the worst pieces of advice we’ve heard about choosing meeting rooms in Leeds:

  1. The layout of the room doesn’t matter – all you need is a table and chairs. As our blog points out, so many people are under the misconception that for a meeting to happen, all you need is a group of people gathered in a room with somewhere to sit. This just isn’t true, as the layout of the room can make a huge difference to the outcome. For example, you might need space to collaborate in small teams, or one speaker might need to address a large number of people at once. You don’t want to run out of room for everyone, have people facing the wrong way and having to crane their necks or not being able to see someone properly (or look them in the eye while they’re talking). There are lots of different layouts you can try to ensure you get the very most out of every meeting – take a look at Geoff Dollar’s Slideshare presentation to get some ideas and invaluable advice on layouts for your next conference.
  2. It’s a good idea to choose a  venue that is plain and austere in its décor, so that people can concentrate. The idea behind this is that some people are so easily distracted that good design and interesting colours will distract them from focusing on the meeting – which we all know is a load of nonsense. The opposite can actually be true, where people feel inspired and extra-creative when they meet in well designed, well decorated spaces.
  3. You don’t need a meeting room if you’re a home worker – you can hold it in your home office! Picture your home office and imagine your dream client – that big fish you’d absolutely love to land – sitting in it, and you’ll see why professional meetings in home offices don’t work. However much you try to separate home or work life by creating a dedicated workspace, home distractions will soon start to seep in – as smarta.com points out in a recent blog. You end up distracted by phones ringing and clearing up clutter as fast as you can, while your meeting participants feel uncomfortable hearing kids yelling and dogs barking while they try to discuss important issues. The bottom line is that this kind of unprofessional setup won’t impress anyone, and they’ll leave thinking that you too are unprofessional.
  4. Always go for the cheapest option available. After all, you only need a closing door and somewhere to sit to have a meeting, right? Wrong! The space you choose for your meeting is hugely important and it needs to be tailored to your needs. You need to have enough room, access to the right facilities and technology and extra services like hospitality, Wi-Fi and toilets so as to impress important attendees and keep them happy through longer sessions. Holding your meetings in a bargain basement (sometimes quite literally) space just won’t cut the mustard – it will make your company look cheap, unprofessional and like it doesn’t care about the comfort of its meeting participants. Besides that, you’re not very likely to get very much done in a cramped, cheap meeting space that doesn’t meet your needs.
  5. You should always go for a city centre location. While this can be useful if everyone in your meeting is coming from the same small, central area (which hardly ever happens), city centre locations can actually be very inconvenient for many delegates. Public transport can be crowded and expensive, while the roads are congested. What you should be looking for is a location near to a big business city like Leeds or Manchester, close to public transport and road links but without all the issues of the city centre. A location just on the outskirts is perfect, and you might even end up with a lovely view of some greenery and countryside rather than just miles of concrete and glass.
  6. Extra services are a waste of money. When considering meeting rooms in Leeds and trying to find the best space for your needs, you’re likely to come across venues like WorkWell which offer extra services as part of meeting packages. If you think they’re a waste of money, consider the meetings you’ve attended over the last 12 months. How many times did you experience technical problems, when it would have been amazing to have an IT support whizz swoop in and set things straight at no extra charge? How many times have meetings overran and everyone is desperate for something to eat, and it would be great to have hospitality on hand with refreshments without disrupting the meeting? What about printing and faxing, or accessing data that you don’t have with you – or needing to start a video conference with someone who couldn’t make it but whose input you really need? These are the reasons why extra services can be invaluable, and well worth paying a little extra for.

There are lots of things that can spoil a meeting – as Eric Matson explains on Fastcompany.com – but choosing the wrong meeting room can be one of the biggest problems. Don’t listen to the bad advice! Think about what you need from a space and what your meeting participants expect, and go for good value, professional and flexible Leeds meeting rooms every time.

For more advice and tips about choosing meeting rooms and indeed, running a successful meeting, subscribe to the regularly updated WorkWell blog.

What will meeting rooms in Leeds be like in 10 years?

WorkWell on July 16, 2024

Imagining what life and, indeed, the business world will be like in the future is always fun, but there are also many indicators of what’s to come all around us right now. If the rapid pace of technological advancement

That we’ve seen in the last few decades is anything to go by, the future of the business world could be a very exciting one, particularly if you’re a tech fan.

So, what can we expect meetings to be like in the year 2026? Will we all still be meeting face-to-face in one central Leeds meeting room, or will we be connecting via technology from all corners of the globe? Here are just a few ideas to consider:

Interactive, 3D presentation tools

When asked by global technology company Barco, as part of its ‘Meeting Room of the Future Survey’, what their technology priorities were when upgrading meeting spaces, the number one priority by most participants was presentation tools. Unfortunately, it looks as if PowerPoint and other similar types of software are on the way out, being too flat, static and inflexible for businesses who are increasingly looking for more 3-dimensional, interactive and exciting ways to present.

What form will these new presentation tools take? Some experts are predicting something resembling ‘Minority Report’ (2002 science fiction film set in the future, starring Tom Cruise) style screens, which can be accessed in mid-air and controlled by body motion and expression. This multi-touch, gesture recognition technology does indeed exist, particularly in products such as Microsoft’s Kinect motion sensor add-on for the Xbox 360 console, but it is not yet widely used. This kind of technology could transform meetings, presentations and conferences, making them unrecognisable when you consider today’s projector screens and flip pads.

Multifunctional, adaptable spaces

The modern meeting room, with its four walls, conferencing table and project screen, could soon vanish in favour of more adaptable, multi-functional and even creative spaces. In order to work collaboratively, people need to feel inspired by spaces, and they also want to embrace new ways of working. Leeds meeting spaces which accommodate casual, impromptu meetings alongside formal business spaces, as well as enabling networking, collaboration, interactive presentation and creative sessions, are all expected to enjoy a boost in popularity as the years advance.

Virtual meetings

As you might expect from meetings in the future, you won’t actually need to be present in the flesh to take a very active part in proceedings. Teleconferencing and videoconferencing technology are already making virtual meetings possible, but they aren’t without their hitches, from slow Wi-Fi to lagging and interruptions. And, as our blog on face-to-face meetings versus teleconferencing points out, there are some very compelling advantages to holding meetings in person.

However, as the technology improves, delegates from all over the world will soon be able to take part in meetings, presentations, on conferences displayed on multiple screens in a central location, or perhaps even on the chairperson’s smartphone or tablet. Better collaboration on projects is expected to be one of the main outcomes of improvements in virtual meeting technology, although this has made some strides in recent years thanks to the popularity of cloud computing software.

BYOD (bring your own devices)

This is already a trend in the modern meeting, with up to 82% of the participants in the Barco survey admitting that they use their own devices in the meeting room.

However, as Yoav Nir on Business Computing World explains, meeting rooms of the future will need to be digitally equipped with the adaptors, tools and technology to accommodate all kinds of devices, to make meeting rooms truly adaptable. The aim is for anyone to come into a meeting space with their own device and get to work right away, without complicated setup issues to overcome. This seamless way of working, where technology helps to make aspects of the business world easier, is already something we want from our devices and the technology we use every day.

Wireless charging furniture

Ever since Ikea announced that it will be producing furniture capable of wireless charging for smartphones, tablets and other portable devices, the office environment has been gearing up for a major overhaul, one that is free of wires and cables. Meetings in the future will increasingly involve different types of interconnected mobile devices, all of which will need power. It may only be a small change in the traditional meeting set-up, but as predicted by Margi Murphy from ComputerWorldUK in her predictions for the ‘conference room of the future’, wireless charging furniture and equipment will be essential to avoid running out of power at a crucial point in the meeting.

For more on how WorkWell’s meeting rooms can adapt to your company’s needs now and in the future, subscribe to our blog for regular updates.

Cost efficiency: utilising your entire Meeting Room budget

WorkWell on July 16, 2024

Cost efficiency: utilising your entire Meeting Room budget

So your meeting room in Leeds didn’t cost as much as you’d anticipated. Perhaps the catering wasn’t as expensive as you’d imagined, or maybe the meeting room venue was cheaper, or perhaps the IT back-up team you’d budgeted for was included in the overall cost of hiring the meeting room in Leeds? Whatever the reason, the meeting is over and you’re ‘quids in’. So, what do you spend the money on?

Explore 14 ways savvy businesses could spend money left over from their meeting room in Leeds’s budgets:

  • Advertising

With more money to play with than you’d expected, now’s the time to pump some pounds into marketing campaigns to help grow your business. Whether it’s an advert on a local radio station or on a grander billboard scale, now’s the time to get your brand onto the street and start reaping the benefits of advertising.

  • Anti-virus software

No company is immune to potential cyber-attacks and if you do become victim to such attacks, the consequences can be devastating. Using some of the funds on purchasing quality ant-virus software to protect company computers and other devices could prove one of the best investments you make.

  • Build a stronger website

Are you happy with your business’s website? Does it convey the message and personality of your brand in a convincing and appealing way? If not, it might be a good time to analyse your website and spend some money tweaking or renewing it if it’s not up to scratch.

  • Create a website

Or, worse still, your company might not have a website. Whilst this might surprise you, research conducted earlier this year by Clutch, found that 25% of small businesses don’t have a website. Quite simply, if you’re guilty of being a website-less SME then using some of the money left over from your meeting room in Leeds to build a website would be a savvy, if not obligatory move.

  • An IT team

If you’ve ever experienced an IT hiccup, whether it was during the normal daily operations of your business or occurred during a meeting leaving you red-faced and sweaty, you’ll know how embarrassing, time-consuming and costly an IT blunder can be.

As Winman Advanced ERP Systems writes in an article about savvy ways for companies to spend money, hiring an IT technician will help keep your IT network running smoothly and efficiently.

Or if your leftover budget doesn’t quite stretch to hiring your own IT technician, why not think about hiring office space in a co-working venue that has its own IT support team, like at WorkWell?

  • A social networking campaign

Did you know that over 1 billion people worldwide use social media?

As Social Media Today writes, social media helps companies deliver better customer service. It helps brands to manage their reputation, drive brand building and differentiation, increase trust, obtain real customer insight, and help keep customers engaged with your products and services.

With such compelling benefits in mind, using some of your leftover budget to pump into a comprehensive social media campaign would make a lot of sense.

  • Another pair of hands

As US News advises in its blog about ‘5 Things Every Entrepreneur Should Invest In’, “attracting the best talent can keep productivity high and goals on target.”

Business growth is nurtured with the right team on board, and if you feel you a juggling too much within your business, now might be a good time to employ another pair of hands.

  • Technology update

Is the faithful laptop you’ve relied on for the last few years starting to chug along a little slower than you’d like? With funds leftover from your meeting room in Leeds, now might be the perfect opportunity to treat yourself to some new technology that is likely to save you valuable time.

  • Outsource tasks

As we wrote in a blog about things entrepreneurs should outsource, outsourcing certain tasks, such as copywriting, web design, human resources, tax preparation, call centre staff, social media managers, amongst many more, would save yourself and your company precious time. With more time on your hands you can concentrate on what you do best, running your business.

  • New office furniture

If the furniture in your office looks a little dated and is about as comfortable as sleeping on a bed of nails, now might be a good time to update it.

It’s been said before and we’ll say it again, comfortable and stylish office furniture can have a direct effect on employee productivity. So what are you waiting for, invest some of that saved money from your cheaper than anticipated meeting room in Leeds, for some new office furniture.

  • New business cards

Upgrading your business cards might sound a little trivial and unimportant but according to Real Men Real Style, “every man needs a business card.”

We’d like to hope every woman did too! If your business card needs updating or, worse still, you don’t even have any, pump some of those leftover funds into a sparkling new business card, a fundamental yet effective form of company marketing.

  • Office materials

In fact, spending some of the leftover budget on other essential office items, such as ink for printers and company stationery, wouldn’t go amiss either.

  • A virtual office

With some additional money to play around with, give your business a more professional injection with a virtual office. Virtual offices, like those at WorkWell, enable you to have a professional registered address and have all your calls answered quickly, efficiently and professionally.

  • A company social evening

When was the last time you took your employees for a drink? Okay, with a tight budget, you might not have been able to afford such luxuries, but now with some leftover funds to spend, you’ve got no excuse!

If you are looking for quality, well-facilitated and easily accessible meeting rooms in Leeds, get in contact with WorkWell to find out more about our quality and cost-effective meeting rooms on the outskirts of Leeds. You never know, you might have some money left over to spend on some of the above after holding a meeting at WorkWell.

5 Ways To Keep Face to Face Meetings Productive On A Hot Summer Day

WorkWell on July 16, 2024

Five_ways_to_keep_your_meeting_productive_on_a_hot_summers_day_.jpgWith the sun shining brightly in a cloudless blue sky, there is nothing quite like a hot summer’s day to boost happiness and make us feel on top of the world.

Whilst we all love the hot weather, we have to admit when we’re huddled in an office or meeting space all day, hot weather can be energy-zapping and draining. Fortunately, there are certain steps we can take to eradicate the counter-productivity of working when it’s hot outside, prepare business meeting rooms for the hot weather, and to keep meetings productive.

Here are our top tips on staying productive in meetings during hot weather…

Read More about 5 Ways To Keep Face to Face Meetings Productive On A Hot Summer Day