3 Things People Want From Their Workplace Experience

According to Harvard Business Review’s Workplace Trends for 2023, nearly 60% of the organisations surveyed are investing heavily in improving their employee workplace experience.

To craft a truly exceptional workplace experience, it’s useful to know what people are actually looking for in an office environment – which, of course, can change over time. So, we decided to do a little digging.

Here are the three workplace experience drivers that stood out for us.

1. Frictionless workplace journeys

Tiffani Bova, author and global growth evangelist at Salesforce, penned an article for Harvard Business Review in which they listed five factors that make for a great employee experience. The fifth factor on their list resonates from a coworking space perspective: seamless technology to reduce employees’ day-to-day friction.

Bova explains how ‘...technology is not an end in itself but a tool for increasing productivity and reducing effort. And yet our research shows that technology is one of the most poorly rated dimensions of employee experience: fewer than one in three employees said their company’s technology works effectively, and fewer than one in four said they’re equipped with seamless technology.’

The majority of organisations work hard to make user journeys streamlined and navigable for customers, but their own internal processes can fall short – especially if these processes and systems aren’t integrated.

Bova argues that, when it comes to technology, organisations should give the customer experience and employee experience equal weight. After all, ‘saving customer time nets out little or no gain if you’re shifting that effort to your employees.’

Where does coworking fit in?

While coworking operators can’t change their members’ internal processes – (where would they even find the time?!) – they can set a good example by prioritising the digitisation and integration of operational workplace processes.

Exploring the potential of your coworking software is a good place to start.

From managing multiple meeting room bookings and facilitating different levels of access control, to enabling digital signatures on contracts, software integrations make the workplace experience frictionless for members and employees alike.

Are there functionalities in Nexudus you’re not familiar with?

Let’s imagine you’re predominantly a private office provider, but have recently allocated some of your floor space to coworking. Lots of people are hot desking nowadays, and FloorPlans can provide your members with a bird’s-eye view of desk availability (and the ability to book quickly and easily).

If you’re a Nexudus customer and would like to brush up on your skills, Nexudus Academy is a good place to start. We run self-led and coaching options – just head to your admin panel and follow the link to ‘Nexudus Academy’ to explore and enrol.

2. Purpose and wellbeing

It will come as no surprise to hear that employees are increasingly seeking personal value and purpose at work.

In a 2023 Gartner article on the topic, research director Caitlin Duffy informs us that ‘while 82% of employees say it’s important for their organisation to see them as a person, not just an employee, only 45% of employees believe their organisation actually sees them this way.’

In a context that is economically and politically volatile, people are questioning whether their workplace aligns with their own personal values, and whether or not their employers value them as a person. Many employees are re-evaluating their choices around how they spend their time in the office as well as outside of it.

1. Deeper connections – Feeling understood through family and community connections, not just work relationships.

2. Radical flexibility – Feeling autonomous in all aspects of work, not just when and where it gets done.

3. Personal growth – Feeling valued through growth as a person, not just as a professional.

4. Holistic well-being – Feeling cared for by ensuring holistic well-being offerings are used, not just available.

5. Shared purposeFeeling invested in the organisation by taking concrete action on purpose, not just through corporate statements.

Although it’s an organisations’ responsibility to ensure that its employees are treated fairly – and recognised and compensated for their work – coworking can support organisations in fostering a sense of purpose, belonging and wellbeing.

Coworking operators are certainly well-placed to support points 1, 3, 4 and 5 in “The Human Deal”. Firstly, coworking spaces often unite people from different industries and backgrounds, providing opportunities for collaboration and community building.

Working in the same building as people who are passionate about the same causes or have the same values can be incredibly motivating, and encountering those with different interests can be educational and enriching too.

This sense of community building can be particularly important for those who would otherwise be working in isolation from home.

Of course, coworking can enable community members to ‘feel valued through growth as a person, not just a professional.’ The access to skills workshops, leisure activities and learning opportunities that coworking spaces offer can be empowering.

Because these opportunities happen both within the workplace, but outside of the employer’s organisation, there’s the added benefit of networking opportunities too.

3. Fun!

Our preoccupation with purpose and value can often mean that fun falls by the wayside (that said, one is often the result of the other). But it’s important to actively look for ways to include and promote fun in the workplace.

According to research from Great Place To Work®, who produced this year’s Fortune Best Workplaces for Millennials™ list, ‘fun’ is the thing that drives wellbeing for all generations, not just millennials. The research found that ‘employees who experience fun at work are 190% to 220% more likely to have high well-being levels.’

Fortune Best Workplaces for Millenials List

Where does coworking fit in?

You don’t need us to tell you how fun coworking is. But if your calendar is looking a little empty and you need some inspiration, it can help to see what others are doing.

US-based coworking operator NuvoDesk shares its fun events in a monthly newsletter. National Beer Day is one such event – members gather in the kitchen to relax and chat with a drink. The members themselves also run post-work networking events, and these are included in the monthly newsletter.

Games nights are also fun – for those of us who are on the competitive side. The Bulgaria-based coworking space WorkNomads hosted a board game night this year, as did the UK-based workspace Dragon – complete with nibbles.

Of course, not everyone’s idea of fun is the same, which is why it's important for coworking spaces to offer variety. Make sure there are alcohol-free options and cater for different dietary needs. Fun needn’t be raucous either.

A couple of fun-yet-relaxing events we found were Oru Space’s Pottery & Pilates Workshop, and Selina Margate & Cowork’s Astrological Alchemy Workshop!

Discover Nexudus

As coworking operators and experts, we’re leading the way in the realm of workplace experience. This is one of the main reasons why we’re proving so popular with organisations who care about staff retention.

Learn how we can help coworking operators and office space managers bring more to their workspaces with powerful, easy-to-integrate and fully customisable digital tools.

Book a free demo