Lucas is an integral part of the Bond Collective Design team. As Lead Project Coordinator, he makes sure that our spaces are not only installed correctly but that they stay looking as beautiful as they were intended. He also plays a large role in developing our brand aesthetic; everything from creating beautiful illustrations to working on architectural and design plans. Outside of work, Lucas is a renowned baker and artist who is always pushing his creative limits. We sat down one sunny Thursday in June for a glass of champagne and some deep digging to find out where all this creativity came from…

-Thomas Gibbons, Creative Director

TG: Let’s start with the basics, where were you born?

LK: I was born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, which is very close to Hershey.

TG: Sounds Exotic!

LK: We are famous for our sweet Bologna, and no one has ever heard of it.

TG: Did you grow up there?

LK: Yeah, until 2014 and then I went to Parsons. 

TG: What did you study in college?

LK: I studied Architectural design.

TG: How is that different from Architecture?

LK: Architectural Design focuses on concept and a lot of more metaphysical/spatial concepts.  They’re not teaching you how to draft…they’re teaching you about building envelopes, thresholds and the components of buildings. High concepts.

TG: Were you working a job in college?

LK: I started my first semester off from working but I wasn’t busy enough. I always equate it to ‘an object in motion stays in motion’, so I needed something to jolt me into productivity.  I got a job at Restoration Hardware and I worked there 30-40 hours a week while in Architecture school. It was intense, yeah.

TG: Would you say that RH has any inflection on your work/taste/ethos?

LK: I found RH knowing what my ethos was and it aligned with the way I was thinking and how I thought the world should be. So it was almost like a paradise to me when I found it.  So, yes. 

TG: What was the aha moment where you realized Architecture would be the thing?

LK: I was doing a ton of drawing in High School and probably Freshman year I really got serious about what I was going to do. I realized that everything I draw is a building because it’s neat and concise and there are angles and symmetry like I don’t ever draw people… I find comfort in drawing buildings. 

TG: What’s comforting about drawing a building?

LK: It’s predictable and it can be mapped out. I like the technical part of it. I find something beautiful in the technical aspect of it. 

TG: What is the relation between drawing and baking? 

LK: For me, that technical aspect still runs through baking. It’s a very precise art. Everything is very well planned and plotted, but I would also say that I have a need to create things and baking and drawing are a release for me. 

TG: Are you still drawing?

LK: I drew a lot during the pandemic, there was a lot of time to think and reflect. It’s funny, it’s not always drawing…I’m creating something all the time whether I’m baking or painting or I’m working on or drawing.

TG: I think it’s a little known fact that you make all of the illustrations for Bond Collective. I love how you come through in the brand so clearly in a way, it’s like we need to figure out how to do that with baking as well.  How did you discover baking?

LK: When I was a kid, probably 10 or 11, the show “Ace of Cakes” came on and I was obsessed with it, but I wasn’t allowed to watch it because my Dad thought it was too “Gay”.  It was on late at night but they would do crazy stuff like add pyrotechnics to the cakes so I was able to convince my Dad to let me watch the show.  From there I wanted to go to the CIA, Culinary Institute of America.  I was going to be a pastry chef for a long time until I discovered architecture. 

TG: So you bake, you draw, but I also know that you garden. Tell us about your “Bushwick hydrangeas”…

LK: Well, they were purchased in Queens and they are much smaller this year than they were last year.  They need a bigger pot, but my new place has a big backyard so they will be happy!

TG: Is there a place you see yourself living in 20 years from now?

LK: Umm…I honestly think somewhere in Europe. Or Santa Barbara. Maybe Carmel. 

TG: Favorite Holiday?

LK: I love holidays, all of them.

TG: Do you have a morning ritual?

LK: Yes! Watching CNN.

TG: What kind of music do you listen to?

LK: Anything chill or relaxing, a lot of Bossa Nova, a lot of Sade. A LOT of Sade. 

TG: Favorite architect?

LK: McKim, Reade and White. 

TG: Describe your perfect work outfit.

LK: I have been super into the idea of wearing all one color lately. Generally anything beige or navy.

TG: Favorite Bond Collective space?

LK: The striped booths at 60 Broad Street. My favorite. I mean, a cabana stripe…sign me up!

TG: Biggest lesson you’ve learned working at Bond?

LK: Always expect the unexpected. 

TG: So you like a plot twist… What are you watching on TV?

LK: I watch a lot of Golden Girls but also a lot of lectures and documentaries…which is really boring but I find it fascinating. There’s an entire channel on YouTube called “Perspective” with this art docuseries with Waldemar Januszczak. They talk about “Where does ‘Baroque’ come from?” and different movements.

TG: Where does “Baroque” come from?

LK: So the word “Baroque” is essentially a word play on “Rococo”. They both derive from french words meaning shell. So Baroque would essentially be equated to a misshapen shell because when that came to be no one knew what it was or what it stood for other than the fact that it was a decadent chaos. 

TG: Speaking of decadent, what’s a baking project that you’ve always wanted to do that you haven’t gotten around to?

LK: I’ve been really wanting to try a Baked Alaska, which is a popular dessert from the 1970s including ice cream and meringue…Also, Gingerbread houses are something I struggle with annually. 

TG: Favorite Movie?

LK: Ohhhh that’s a hard one!

TG: Ok…Favorite movie pre-1960?

LK: That would be “Sabrina” with Audrey Hepburn, no no the real one is “Suddenly Last Summer”.

TG: Favorite current day movie?

LK: It’s a tie between “Black Swan” and “It’s Complicated” with Meryl Streep, directed by Nancy Meyers.

TG: You have a very Nancy Meyers-ness about you.

LK: Thanks, that’s not an accident!

Follow Lucas on Instagram @lucca.golightly for all things lovely!

By Bond Collective Staff

Day offices are a new trend in workspace allocation that makes it easy to manage both on-site employees and remote employees alike. But what exactly are day offices, and how can they benefit your business?

We’ll answer those questions in this article.

What Are Day Offices?

Day offices are fully-equipped, private office spaces that you can reserve for as little as one hour or as much as a full day.

Think of day offices as part-time offices. Yes, it’s a desk, chair, four walls, and a door for your exclusive use, but it’s only yours for one workday (if you choose to retain it that long). When your time is up, someone else takes their turn.

This is in sharp contrast to the more traditional office model that many businesses still maintain.

Day Offices Vs. The Traditional Office Model

The traditional office model of the late twentieth century revolved around the concept of assigning each team member their own personal cubicle or small desk.

Employees reported to and worked from these assigned desks until they moved to a different position or department within the business.

The shift from the traditional office model to the coworking office model in the early part of the 21st century introduced a new kind of workspace allocation: hot desking.

In hot desking, workspaces are occupied on a first-come, first-served basis or reserved ahead of time for more convenience. The foundation of this concept is that desks, tables, and chairs have no permanent “owner,” and workers use whatever is available.

Day offices are the evolution of the coworking/hot desking model with one important difference and one important similarity.

The Difference Between Day Offices And Hot Desking

The difference between day offices and hot desking lies in the type of workspace your business has available.

While the hot desking model relies on individual desks that are located side-by-side with other desks in large, open, communal rooms, day offices are enclosed spaces that offer more privacy to the user.

The typical day office features at least one desk and chair (sometimes more), along with four walls and a door to reduce the noise of the communal space nearby.

The Similarity Between Day Offices And Hot Desking

The similarity to hot desking lies in how your business allocates the workspace.

Like the first-come, first-served desks of the hot desking model, employees arrive at work, choose (or are assigned) an office, and work there for the day (or as long as they’re in the building).

Day office occupants change frequently — sometimes within the same day — and can even be part of a shared desk program that accommodates multiple remote workers.

Your business may also choose to allow employees to reserve a specific office for an extended period of time (e.g., days, weeks, or a few months). This is known as hoteling and has become an integral part of the hybrid workplace model that developed in the mid-2010s.

How Can Day Offices Benefit Your Business?

1) Professional Image

A professional image is important not just for impressing customers and clients, but also for encouraging the productivity of your team.

Day offices are usually located in attractively designed spaces in buildings with addresses your business might not be able to afford on its own.

That — in conjunction with other design elements including natural light, vibrant colors, and comfortable-yet-functional furniture — makes day offices the perfect way to establish a professional image without the stress and expense of doing it yourself.

2) Infrastructure

Day offices include the infrastructure your business needs to get the job done without the hassle of coordinating it all yourself.

Essentials such as electricity, water, gas, internet, tech support, cleaning, and procuring daily office supplies can occupy a good portion of your workday.

Even if you’ve got those items taken care of, there are always minor jobs, such as refilling the toner and paper in the printer, that absolutely must be done before your team can make progress.

When you work from a day office in a coworking space, all of that is taken care of for you, like the coworking space in Washington DC.

3) Low Overhead

Productivity isn’t always measured by how much work you get done in a single day. Sometimes, it’s measured by how much money you can save in the process.

Day offices reduce the cost of overhead to almost nil. That allows you to focus your time, energy, and hard-earned capital on the more important aspects of productivity: getting the work done.

4) Flexibility

One of the many unique and beneficial aspects of this type of work arrangement is its flexibility. You can expand and contract the space you use to fit your business needs at a moment’s notice.

Doing so can help you save money and adapt to fluctuations in productivity — and the market itself — that are inevitable in the business world.

5) Location

Location, like professional image, can have a profound effect on your team’s productivity.

A remote space without restaurants, cafes, and other businesses nearby has a tendency to sap creativity and reduce productivity — not to mention being inconvenient for customers and clients.

But day offices provide beautiful, curated work environments in the heart of business districts across the country.

6) Comfort

The comfort of your office space is essential for helping you and your team members stay focused, engaged, and productive while they work.

Can your business afford to make the work environment comfortable with plush settees, comfy sofas, adjustable-height desks, and ergonomic chairs?

With day offices, comfort is built in. Many are located in spaces with the finest that luxury has to offer. That way, your team members will be happy and productive all day long.

7) Stress-Free Setup

When your team uses this type of setting, all the hard work of setting up furniture, installing technology, decorating the space, and making sure the utilities are working is done for you.

All you have to do is show up and get to work. No stress included.

8) Business Mindset

If you’re an entrepreneur, small-business owner, or team manager, taking your business seriously can be difficult at first — especially when you’re doing most of the work at your kitchen table or a corner booth at the local coffee shop.

But when you base your business or your team in day offices, you create a business mindset that you can’t generate any other way.

A business mindset means better focus, improved creativity, and increased motivation to get the job done.

9) Focus And Structure

Working remotely has its own set of advantages. But the abundance of distractions that come with working outside a dedicated office quickly outweigh the benefits.

TV, pets, your family, your bed, the couple at the next table, and even just excess noise — these distractions can pull your focus away from what you and your team should be doing to build your business.

Running your business from day offices helps you and your team keep your work life separate from everything else and lends your day structure.

The Best Day Offices And More In One Space

The simplest and most cost-effective way to enjoy all the benefits of day offices is to partner with a coworking space in your area.

Bond Collective, for example, offers hot desking, hoteling (dedicated desks), conference rooms, and even private offices (or suites) that you can access on a day-to-day basis in all of their beautifully decorated work environments.

With Bond Collective, your business will have the space to take on any job, large or small.

Bond Collective also offers industry-leading amenities you can’t get anywhere else, including:

• Lightning-fast WiFi

• Photo and sound studio (Gowanus only)

• Guest reception and greeting

• Regular on-site cleaning

• Mail service

• Complimentary beer, coffee, tea, water, and fresh fruit

• Other food and beverages for sale

• Office showers with towel service

• Bike storage

• Rooftop lounge area

• Mothers’ rooms

• Pet-friendly environments

• Curated and networking events

Whether you’re a solopreneur, an entrepreneur, a digital nomad, a startup, a small business, or a team of 100 or more, Bond Collective can accommodate all your day office needs.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, California, and Texas. Or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer.

And while you’re at it, schedule a tour to experience first-hand how the boutique work environments at Bond Collective can benefit your business.

We’re sitting down with Erin French: Visual Artist, Small Business Owner, and Bond Collective Member. Erin talks Queer visibility at work, what it means to be out at the office and how to be an Ally. We’re here for the fringe—and the feels.

-Nicole Clark, General Manager

Erin has lived in Brooklyn for the past 7 years and is originally from the DC area. Always a creative person at heart, Erin has integrated her love of visual art and fashion on a fresh journey as a small business owner of ErinFrenchie.com. She creates out of Bond Collective Bushwick.

NC: The famous “what do you do?”–tell us about your business..

EF: I’m a visual artist who loves “more is more” fashion and is learning how to sew. This is how I “do art” during this chapter of my life – I source existing wearables and bleach, dye, paint, and embellish.

NC: And your pieces are gorgeous! How have you been able to work and grow authentically in a space like Bond Collective? What does it mean to be out at the office?

EF: I’m super lucky to live in such a beautifully Queer city. Bond Collective absolutely celebrates diversity and inclusion – being out at the office is easy for me, since there are other Queer folks who also exist in and move through this space. It also helps that Bond posts signs that act as a frequent reminder that discrimination in any form will, without question, not be tolerated. We love to see it.

NC: This month is really about feeling good in the skin you’re in, about who you are. What is the best compliment you have ever received?

EF: I actually have a few I think about on hard days. Before I moved to New York, before “stan” culture, I was told I was “the number one fan”. It didn’t matter where we were going or what we’d get up to, I was down to go, have fun, and make it the best time possible with everyone! After I moved to New York, I was told by a former employer that he hired me because he could teach me everything he knew about coffee, but he “couldn’t teach personality”. And, most importantly, my spouse tells me frequently that I make them feel safe enough to get vulnerable, explore their identity, evolve, cry, and just be human with me. That’s my favorite one.

NC: Pride is so impactful, what is your favorite NYC Pride moment?

EF: 2019, the 50-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, was monumental for me. My favorite memory from that year was an intimate moment post-march: we were at a favorite friend’s apartment where we did a lot of dancing and celebrating, and we ended the night going around in a circle talking about “what Pride means to us.” I’ll never forget my best friend’s moms, who flew in from Indiana to celebrate in NYC, sharing their experience growing up loving each other in a small town where their love was frequently attacked. I think about my best friend, and the lens through which she saw the world at such a young age. It brings me to tears – I’m undeniably grateful for my privilege to be out, visible, and celebratory in my Queerness.

NC: More people than ever are looking to meet the moment, and show support for Queer communities. What does Allyship at work look like for you?

EF: Queer people are everywhere. Many may be questioning their identity or orientation under the same roof as you. Allyship at work can be as simple as introducing yourself with your pronouns, even if you are cisgender. That gesture alone offers a safe space for folks to speak their personal truth, maybe for the first time, and also may inspire others to do the same. It means letting folks tell their own story without judgment or assumption. Allyship means buying goods and services directly from Queer people. It means sharing the work done by Queer people so we can continue to do what we love while also paying the bills.

NC: Well said, the support of our Allies means so much! Okay number one, all time fav, guaranteed to make you move Pride song?

EF: Girl… anything Gaga but SPECIFICALLY the Chromatica album. Chromatica came out during the pandemic, which was when we absolutely needed it most. The Queers have been joking about the euphoria of hearing it for the first time in the bar post-pandemic, but it’s true – we will stop everything to dance together to Stupid Love.

NC: That’s definitely going on the playlist!

By Bond Collective Staff

Businesses of all types and sizes are discovering the benefits of the shared workspace.

Whether it’s to accommodate a few new employees, an entire team, or the whole operation, this novel work option can save your company the expense, time, and stress of purchasing and maintaining its own space.

In this article, the experts at Bond Collective tell you everything you need to know about shared workspace so you can make the right choice for your business.

What Is Shared Workspace?

A shared workspace is an office or other environment in which self-employed individuals or individuals employed by different businesses share equipment, ideas, and knowledge for the betterment of all involved.

Additionally, the concept of shared workspace extends beyond the physical — space where diverse individuals gather — into the realm of a community based on mutual trust, common values, and the synergy that comes from working alongside other like-minded professionals.

Shared workspace goes by several different names, including:

• Coworking space

• Collective workspace

• Collaborative workspace

• Temporary office space

• Satellite office space

• Flexible office space

Some even refer to it as a virtual office because it’s an easy way to establish a mailing address without the expense of leasing and staffing your own office.

How Does Shared Workspace Differ From Office Sharing?

Another common name you might hear in connection with shared workspace is office sharing. On the surface, these two terms may seem synonymous, but they’re actually very different concepts.

Office sharing is an arrangement wherein a company that owns or manages a large space rents redundant offices to a smaller company.

So, for example, imagine that Intel leases a large office space but, for whatever reason, only uses three-fourths of that space. Intel might sublease the other one-fourth to an architectural firm or an advertising agency or a consulting group.

Thus, they share an office with another business.

Intel receives income on an unused asset, while the other business gains access to a professional office environment they might not otherwise be able to afford.

This lies in contrast to a shared workspace managed by a third-party company (such as Bond Collective) in which Intel, the architectural firm, the advertising agency, the consulting group, and others rent offices or desks and work together in the same space.

Thus, they all operate in a shared workspace with many other businesses.

Who Uses Shared Workspace?

1) Freelancers And Digital Nomads

Working on the couch or at the kitchen table, in a hostel room, or in a busy cafe can be isolating, uninspiring, distracting, and difficult.

That’s why many freelancers and digital nomads use a shared workspace as their office. There, they can work, network, socialize, brainstorm with others, and enjoy the perks of an office environment without the expense of building and maintaining their own.

2) Entrepreneurs

There are many different types of entrepreneurs — including prodigy, rebel, hustler, and innovator — but all can benefit from basing their business in a shared workspace.

First and foremost, doing so can help save hard-earned capital for more important expenses (such as perfecting your product or service).

Renting an expensive, standalone office space or restricting yourself with a long-term lease, is a serious drain on your bank account. By conducting business from a shared workspace, you pay a fraction of what it would cost to maintain your own office.

3) Lifestyle Entrepreneurs

A lifestyle entrepreneur is a person who creates a business with the purpose of altering their personal lifestyle. The choice is not solely about making more money or creating a groundbreaking product.

In fact, many lifestyle entrepreneurs make less money for the first few years than they did working in a “conventional” job.

A lifestyle entrepreneur focuses more on the life rewards (rather than the monetary rewards) provided to those that have a true passion for their work and enjoy what they’re doing.

In contrast to the common 9-to-5 career where a person works from the same location every day, a lifestyle entrepreneur usually works online and can operate from anywhere they choose.

All they need is a computer (usually a laptop) and an internet connection to keep things running. That makes a shared workspace the perfect place for a lifestyle entrepreneur to set up shop and get work done.

4) Solopreneurs

A true solopreneur is a professional who starts and develops a business that is portable, scalable, and produces passive income — all without the help of other employees.

That doesn’t mean that solopreneurs have to do it all themselves. They might hire freelancers or contractors, but they still hold full responsibility for running their business.

Shared workspace is perfect for solopreneurs because it provides a place to coordinate their day-to-day activities (and the activities of any freelancers they may hire) that is both inspiring and free from the distractions of working from home.

5) Consultants

Consultants give expert advice to other people working in a specific field and help them reach their goals. As such, they conduct most of their business online, over the phone, or by visiting businesses in person.

Working from a shared workspace is an ideal way to build a consulting business from the ground up because it provides a professional atmosphere where you can take calls, meet online, and even host clients without the expense of maintaining a space of your own.

These types of coworking environments also make it easy for you to leave at a moment’s notice for a face-to-face meeting because you don’t have to worry about what’s going on back at the office while you’re away.

6) Local Teams

Many established businesses are discovering the benefits of the shared workspace for their local teams.

Workspace is at a premium these days, and it may be hard to find an adequate place for a new team to work together in an existing office.

Instead of packing team members in like sardines or making them work from the break room, assign them to a shared workspace several days a week where they’ll have room to move and collaborate to their heart’s content.

They can always report to your main office — or even telecommute — for team meetings and to stay in touch with the business as a whole.

7) Remote Teams

Remote teams are becoming more and more common these days, and a shared workspace is the perfect way to provide a professional place to work.

Your business’s main office may be located in one city (e.g., New York City), while a number of employees make up a remote team in a different city (e.g., Boston).

This remote team may not be a completely new and autonomous satellite office (discussed below), but they still need to come together in a dedicated space to get their work done.

How can a business make that work? With a shared workspace.

The remote team can report to work every day and stay in touch with the main office through video conferencing and similar technology.

8) Distributed Teams

Members of distributed teams are also making use of the shared workspace movement to great effect.

Business owners that run their operation from a central location and employ team members or freelancers from other locations can help this type of team stay productive by providing access to a shared workspace near each employee.

The employees then have a place to work that is free from the hustle and bustle of the corner coffee shop, flexible, and much less expensive for the business than purchasing an office of their own.

9) Work-From-Home Employees

Whether you find yourself working from home these days or managing a team that does, one of the key factors to continued success is maintaining focus in a novel environment.

Productivity is a key concern for businesses with employees that work from their kitchen table or living room sofa every day.

For some work-from-home employees, learning to maintain efficiency is as easy as 1-2-3. For others, though, it’s a struggle they feel they’ll never win.

As a manager or owner, you can give your team members the best chance for success by giving them access to a shared workspace nearby.

The employees can then “get out of the house” and into a space that is better suited to the activities your business and your team needs to stay on track.

10) Work-From-Anywhere Employees

Businesses of all sizes and types are realizing that employees can maintain their productivity, creativity, and collaboration even when they work from anywhere.

No longer do team members have to report to a physical office every day. They can literally live anywhere and telecommute in order to work together, access resources, and communicate with management.

And while some few work-from-anywhere employees may choose to conduct business from a home office, the vast majority prefer to do their work from a shared workspace every day.

Reporting to a coworking space, instead of to their kitchen table, gives them a sense of purpose and focus that can’t be found anywhere else.

11) Startups

Ask any startup, “Why do you love shared workspace?” and they’ll be happy to sing its praises and tell you how it helped them grow their business.

That’s because coworking spaces keep overhead costs low at a time when that money is desperately needed for research, development, and marketing.

12) Small Businesses

Small businesses often use shared workspace because of its centralized location with easy access to transportation, dining, shopping, and other amenities. And certain coworking spaces — like those at Bond Collective — are the epitome of luxury, class, and professionalism.

Most small businesses wouldn’t be able to afford on their own what they can get for a low monthly fee in a shared work environment.

13) Satellite Offices

A satellite office is an additional location (a branch) of a larger company that is physically separate from the business’s main (or first) office.

Companies large and small are choosing to establish satellite offices in shared workspaces in different areas, different cities, different regions, or different countries.

Why would they do this, and why should you consider it as well? Because of the many benefits working from these types of offices can bring.

We’ll discuss a number of them in detail later on in the article, but here are just a few ways your business can benefit from setting up a satellite office in a shared workspace:

• Access to a new talent pool

• Easier recruitment

• Efficient customer service

• Local brand recognition

• Stronger connection to customer base around the satellite office

• Improved company perception

• Entry into new markets

• Streamlined networking

• Reduced commute time

• Better business and team collaboration

14) Small, Medium, And Large Enterprises

Enterprises and corporations of all sizes are using shared workspace to their advantage.

While many of these businesses have their own dedicated buildings, they use the luxury and modern conveniences of coworking spaces to entertain clients, expand their teams, establish offices in new locations, and help their employees stay motivated.

Does Your Business Need A Shared Workspace?

Does your business need a shared workspace? Without knowing your unique situation, we can’t answer that precisely, but we can say, “Probably.”

Companies large and small can benefit from basing individuals, teams, divisions, and even the entire operation in a shared workspace. Even if your business already has a place to work or leases its own office, there are many ways to use a shared workspace to your advantage.

Here are just a few scenarios:

• Outgrowing your current office

• Setting up a satellite team

• Meeting with investors

• Hiring seasonal or project-based employees

• Working while traveling by utilizing a day pass

• Expanding your business to a new state, coast, or country

• Entertaining clients

• Renting conference space

• Utilizing temporary office space during construction or renovation

• Housing your business while moving

• Hosting an event

With a shared workspace, you don’t have to worry about lost progress and revenue when one of these situations — or any number of others — affects the way you work.

Your team and your business can keep doing what they do best: providing the best product or service to its customers. All without the interruptions that cause productivity to fall.

Benefits Of Shared Workspace

1) Crisis Management

In a conventional lease arrangement, crisis management falls directly on your shoulders. For example, if the internet goes down or a pipe in the bathroom breaks, you have to divert your attention from your business to restoring a conducive work environment.

That can mean lost time, lost energy, and lost revenue.

But when you base your business in a shared workspace, infrastructure emergencies won’t distract your team from the task at hand.

2) Inspiring Design

The best shared workspaces — such as those at Bond Collective — are built and decorated with inspiring design in mind.

That translates to inspiration for your team, a professional image for your business, and a “Wow!” factor for customers and clients who might visit you there.

3) Amenities

When you base your business in a Bond Collective shared workspace, you instantly gain access to tons of amenities that are available whenever you need them.

Whether it’s printing at 2 a.m., prepping for a large conference the next day, or lining up refreshments for your next board meeting, Bond Collective always has your back and is ready to help.

We even offer amenities the others don’t, such as amenitized showers with towel service, mothers’ rooms, and a streamlined billing and booking portal for your convenience.

4) Collaboration

Collaboration is about working together in a mutually beneficial relationship to provide the products, services, or guidance each party needs to get ahead.

In a shared workspace, your team works side-by-side with professionals from a wide variety of business types. This close proximity allows you to collaborate with CEOs, writers, marketing reps, graphic designers, editors, digital artists, photographers, and specialists of all sorts.

5) Infrastructure

Taking care of infrastructure such as electricity, water, gas, internet, tech support, and daily supplies that your team depends on can occupy a good portion of your workday.

Even if you’re focused on a project, there are always minor jobs (e.g., refilling the toner and paper in the printer) that must be done before you can make any progress.

But in a shared workspace such as Bond Collective, infrastructure is taken care of for you. You can cross those items off your to-do list and dedicate your energy to making progress in your business.

6) Location Flexibility

The cornerstone of modern work environments is the ability to work remotely, especially when work paradigms and practices shift dramatically overnight.

Basing your business in a shared workspace that has multiple locations in the city where you work — or even across the country — means that your team has access to location flexibility like never before.

7) Freedom To Expand Or Contract At Will

One of the many unique and beneficial aspects of a shared workspace is its flexibility — not just across multiple locations, but within a single location as well.

With a shared workspace, you can expand or contract your physical footprint to fit your business needs at a moment’s notice. For example, your team can work from reserved desks in April, move into a private suite in May, and back to hot desks in June.

Doing so can help you save money and adapt to fluctuations in productivity, revenue, and the market at large that are inevitable in the business world.

8) Decreased Overhead

Benefits aren’t always measured by how much work you get done in a single day. Sometimes, your business benefits from how much money it can save in the process of getting things done.

Shared workspaces reduce the cost of overhead to almost nothing. That allows you to focus your time, energy, and hard-earned capital on the more important aspects of building your business for the future.

Shared Workspace At Bond Collective

Whether you need a private office, a suite of offices, or just a place to set your laptop, you’ll find the best shared workspace at Bond Collective.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a solopreneur nurturing a startup into existence or you need space for a team of 50 or more, at Bond Collective, everyone enjoys the same expertly designed interiors and industry-leading amenities, including:

• Guest reception and greeting

• Conference rooms for 2 or 20+

• 24-hour access

• Private meeting and phone booths

• Custom build-outs

• Nightly office cleaning

• On-site kitchens

• Professional image

• Porter service

• Unlimited black-and-white printing

• Fast, reliable WiFi and internet

• Mail and package handling

• Fresh fruit, snacks, and weekly breakfast

• Complimentary spa water, craft beer, and coffee

All of this (and so much more) makes Bond Collective a true turn-key solution to all your business needs.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including shared workspace in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas.

Or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer. And while you’re at it, schedule a tour to experience first-hand how the boutique shared workspaces at Bond Collective can benefit your business.

By Bond Collective Staff

In many countries around the world, it is now possible for employees of all sorts to work from anywhere — not just in the office or at home. But is this model here to stay? And is it right for your company and your employees?

In this article, we discuss the work-from-anywhere paradigm and how it’s transforming the way we do business.

The Evolution Of Work

Business is experiencing a dramatic transformation as of late that’s akin to the switch from farm-based work to the factories of the early twentieth century.

More recently, individuals, teams, and businesses in every sector and niche were all but forced to evolve into the work-from-home model. Underneath that forced switch lies an undercurrent that is only now bubbling to the surface to change the way we do business.

That undercurrent is the realization that employees can maintain their productivity, creativity, and collaboration even when they work from anywhere (WFA).

No longer do team members need to report to a physical office every day. They can literally live anywhere and telecommute to a shared space online in order to work together, access resources, and communicate with management.

The Heart Of Work From Anywhere

The work-from-anywhere model is deeply rooted in — and reliant on — a set of components that make it not only possible but also fast, reliable, user-friendly, and easy to use.

Without these components, the ability to work from anywhere would fall by the wayside like the cubicle before it.

1) Mobile Technology

If the ability to work from anywhere were a human body, mobile technology would be the heart. Without affordable, powerful, and lightweight wireless technology, employees would still be tethered to their desks.

Laptops, tablets, and smartphones make it possible to cut the ties that bind your team members to the office, their home, and even civilization itself.

With the right combination of technology, employees can work from a city park bench; from a moving plane, train, or automobile; or in the middle of the wilderness.

2) Ubiquitous Internet

If mobile technology is the heart of the work-from-anywhere movement, ubiquitous internet is the soul.

Access to the internet is everywhere these days. Whether it’s through an ethernet cable, Wi-Fi, or a satellite signal, remote workers can pick and choose where and how they want to work.

As long as team members can get an internet signal when they need it — to collaborate, submit assignments, or review the workflow — it really doesn’t matter where they’re located.

They may be living in a hut in the middle of the Darien Gap for a month and have to hike several days to find an internet signal in order to turn in their work. But, as long as the work is of high quality and comes in on time, does it really matter where it was completed?

The combination of mobile technology and ubiquitous internet is the core of the work-from-anywhere movement — without either one, the revolution would be impossible.

3) Coworking Spaces

While some may choose to work from unique places (like the Darien Gap or a mountain in Nepal), many find it more convenient to remain in more densely populated areas. That’s where coworking spaces come in.

Coworking spaces give remote and mobile team members a place to go where they don’t have to worry about the battery in their laptop running low or the Wi-Fi signal being interrupted by wind, rain, or other weather.

Coworking spaces can serve as a long-term base of operations, a satellite office, or a waypoint on the road to somewhere else.

The culture and atmosphere of these shared workspaces are more conducive to creativity, connectivity, collaboration, focus, and productivity than a noisy and crowded corner cafe.

At the most basic, coworking spaces make it easier for your business and your team members to manage this new work model and make for an easy way to transition from the more traditional leased office space to the growing work-from-anywhere paradigm.

4) Affordable Solar Power

Solar power might not seem like a foundational element of the work-from-anywhere movement, but it — like satellite internet and wireless technology — gives remote employees more flexibility when it comes to where they choose to work.

Instead of being constrained by the local power grid, a truly mobile worker can travel with their own solar panels that generate electricity anywhere with enough sunlight every day.

A brief search of the internet reveals the possibilities — intrepid free spirits working from a hut on the beach in rural Guatemala or in the middle of the desert.

All they need is satellite internet and electricity from the sun.

These cases are extreme, but they illustrate the potential for employees to work from wherever they choose with the right equipment.

A more “civilized” example is the current trend of creatives such as coders, writers, and lifestyle entrepreneurs working from RVs and vans.

Many of these mobile offices are outfitted with solar panels that generate enough electricity to (among other things) charge a laptop, tablet, smartphone, and Wi-Fi antenna.

Whether they choose to find a free Wi-Fi signal, pay for their own, or go the extra mile for satellite internet, that’s all they really need to work from their moving homes.

Is The Work-From-Anywhere Model Here To Stay?

Businesses and employees alike are quickly realizing that the work-from-anywhere model is the perfect way to create a more equitable work/life balance.

That said, it’s unlikely that remote workers will become the norm right away. It’s more likely that the paradigm will transition through a hybrid office/remote-work concept before fully embracing the WFA idea.

Many businesses are already fully invested in the decentralized concept that WFA allows.

For example, an entrepreneur starts a business online from her living room. She hires dedicated or freelance employees who may live in various corners of the world (or be completely mobile) and never meet face to face other than over the internet.

However, that’s a big step for established businesses that are still working under the traditional centralized business model. They may see the value of WFA, but they can’t get there in one fell swoop.

Instead, they rearrange their business practices so that employees report to the office once or twice a week but are then allowed to work from home (or anywhere they like) on the other days.

It all depends on what’s right for the business and what goals it hopes to reach with a WFA program.

Establish The Right Base

Establishing the right base of operations is a big part of ensuring that your work-from-anywhere model is successful.

This new paradigm is all about flexibility — both within the office space itself and the physical location of said space — and access to the tools necessary to get the job done remotely.

Coworking spaces at Bond Collective are the perfect solution. They make it possible for employees to work without worrying about where they’ll set their laptops and how they’re going to access the internet.

But those aren’t the only two benefits Bond Collective has to offer. We take the concept of flexibility in the work-from-anywhere model to the next level.

Bond Collective can accommodate teams of one to 100+ with a combination of hot desks, dedicated desks, private offices, and even suites.

And those arrangements aren’t set in stone as they would be with a conventional lease.

Bond Collective makes it easy to expand or contract your team’s footprint from one month to the next. You can work from dedicated desks in February and March; upgrade to private offices in April, May, and June; and then downgrade to first-come-first-served desks in July.

We even offer members access to our other locations across the United States so your remote employees can truly work from anywhere.

No matter where you go, your remote workforce will also enjoy industry-leading amenities, including:

• Comfortable furnishings

• Access to small and large conference rooms

• Networking events

• Mail service

• Daily on-site cleaning

• Rooftop lounge area

• Photo & sound studio (at Gowanus location)

• Complimentary fresh fruit

• Complimentary beer, coffee, and tea

• Bike storage

• Private meeting and phone booths

• Office showers

• Guest reception and greeting

• And much more

If you’re looking for a spacious, well-appointed collaborative workspace that allows your team to truly work from anywhere, take advantage of any one of our Bond Collective locations in the United States — including California, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas — or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer.

For more resources to help you manage your business or to learn more about the advantages of coworking spaces for distributed teams, digital nomads, remote workers, and businesses of all types and sizes, visit BondCollective.com today.

A part of Bond Collective since 2017, Iris has been instrumental in building and maintaining the highest brand standards in the industry. This month we take a moment to sit down with her, congratulate her on her promotion to Porter Manager, and get to know the girl from Bushwick.

-Ashley Riggs, Head of Community & Culture

BC: Where did you grow up?

IR: I actually grew up in the Bushwick area. My grandfather had a TV shop there for about 30 years which is where we spent a lot of our time. My grandmother raised us with a love of animals, we even had pig in our backyard and two chickens! We grew up playing in the streets, very Brooklyn, although you don’t see too much of that now.

AR: A farm in the backyard?! That’s hilarious but also I’m weirdly not surprised!

IR: I know right, I’ve always loved animals!

AR: What did you do before Bond?

IR: Before Bond, I worked at Equinox in the Maintenance for about 3 years. I worked in several of their locations in the Midtown area.

AR: Oh wow I did not know that! That’s an interesting fact. How did you get to Bond?

IR: I ended up leaving because I knew I wanted to do more and learn more. That is what led me to Bond. I wanted a challenge so this made sense

AR: So the pandemic….

IR: I worked the entire pandemic. It was hard but it taught me a lot. I had the opportunity to learn new things, like having patience and not taking life for granted. It was really odd to see the streets quiet which was scary, but it was also nice to be quiet.

BC: I know. It was really odd to see how quiet the streets were. It was almost apocalyptic.

IR: Yes! In Fidi especially. Everyday around 8am it was always very busy and congested and during the pandemic, it was scary quiet. It felt like another world.

BC: Favorite aspect of working at Bond?

IR: I love our locations. Each one has their own personality. 60 Broad will always be my baby though as I opened it when I first started but seeing where we started and where we are now is just incredible. There is a nice homey feeling in our spaces and sometimes throughout the day it will get quiet and you can really appreciate it. Bond gave me the opportunity to learn that I can go above and beyond and it has inspired me to do better and to learn new things. The people here are really great too.

BC: 60 Broad is my baby too! We opened that location together. It feels like a lifetime ago now!

IR: I know, it feels like we were babies back then!

BC: What is your favorite spot/nook in our locations?

IR: I love 60 Broad’s kitchen area. It feels like you can see the entire floor from there and it just feels very warm. The view from 60 Broad also cannot be beat. I also really love the Bushwick rooftop, summertime is really special there.

BC: Where would you like to see yourself in the future?

IR: I’d like to see our locations out of state and be a part of that. I liked opening spaces and I’d love to be part of the team as we move outside of NY. I want to be a better manager and continue learning and pushing myself more and I think that would be a fun way to do it.

BC: Can you share an inspiring moment you’ve shared with a member?

Whenever I have a member appreciate my work, it just makes my day. Sometimes, a simple ‘Thank You’ really just does it for me. I appreciate that.

BC: Biggest takeaway so far working from Bond?

IR: just want to say thank you to Bond for giving me the opportunity to go beyond what I thought I could do. Receiving the supervisor position showed me that people see more in me. It made me realize that Bond has faith in me and knows that I can do great things. Bond has always had faith in me and has always treated me like family which I love.

BC: You feel this way, because it’s true! You are family and we appreciate you so much!

One Penn Center at Suburban Station: Home of Bond Collective Center City

By Julia Kropf

Bond Collective Center City occupies the penthouse level of One Penn Center atop the historic Suburban Station, with an expansive terrace overlooking some of the city’s most iconic landmarks, including City Hall.

A quintessential Art Deco structure with ornate elements throughout, One Penn Center tells a story that goes back to the early 20th century, and starts with the Pennsylvania Railroad. Originally in its place, the Broad Street Station (built in 1881) served as a hub for both electric trains and steam trains coming into the city. In 1930, after a fire wrecked much of the original station, Broad Street Suburban Station was constructed next door, along Pennsylvania Boulevard (now John F. Kennedy Boulevard).

Original Broad Street Station; Image Source

This new headquarters of the Pennsylvania Railroad was named for its purpose of serving as the arrival point for commuters coming from the Philadelphia suburbs. The original Broad Street Station was later demolished after the opening of 30th Street Station in West Philadelphia and the underground tunnel that connected the two new stations (The Inquirer). Where the Broad Street Station once stood is what now makes up the West Market Office District of Center City Philadelphia. While the underground station is still known as Suburban Station, the building later became known as One Penn Center as part of the Office District.

Suburban Station remained the headquarters for the Pennsylvania Railroad until 1957. By 1983, the South Eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) had taken control of both the Pennsylvania Railroad and Reading Railroad, the terminal for which was located at what is now the Reading Terminal Market and the Pennsylvania Convention Center. In 1984, SEPTA opened a tunnel connecting Suburban Station to the former Reading Railroad terminal (now Jefferson Station underground), meaning all three Philadelphia stations were connected as part of the SEPTA Regional Rail, which is still used today for commuters traveling to and from the Philadelphia suburbs (The Inquirer).

Suburban Station; Postcard Source: Alexandra Kelly (Bond Collective Member)

Suburban Station Entrance 1931; Image Source

At the time of its opening, Suburban Station was an image of modernity and technological progress. The Art Deco design reflected that with its ornate, decorative geometric metal, stone, and woodwork (The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia).

Beautiful Metalwork in Elevator; Image Source: Julia Kropf, Bond Collective Staff

Later in the 20th century, the building underwent a years-long renovation, during which the Art Deco style and much of the original craftsmanship were maintained. 

One Penn Center Renovated Entrance; Image Source

One Penn Center Renovated Lobby; Image Source

As part of the renovation, two mosaic murals by Joyce Kozloff were installed in the lobby in 1985. The images in the murals represent the original Pennsylvania Railroad and Pennsylvania founder William Penn (Association for Public Art).

Lobby Mural Galla Placidia in Philadelphia by Joyce Kozloff; Image Source

Lobby Mural Topkapi Pullman by Joyce Kozloff; Image Source

One Penn Center continues as a hub of business in Center City Philadelphia with its ease of access to the city’s public transportation systems and major thoroughfares. Bond Collective opened its first location outside of New York City in One Penn Center in 2019, officially becoming part of the building’s long history as an essential part of Philadelphia’s infrastructure. 

To visit our Center City Philadelphia location at this iconic site and learn more about our office space, click here.

By Bond Collective Staff

What’s the ideal ratio of workspace to open space in your office? How can you arrange your business’s work environment for maximum efficiency? Office space planning can help you answer those questions and many more.

In this article, we discuss everything business owners need to know — including definitions, factors that affect the final arrangement, and tips for success — to get the most out of their office space planning efforts.

What Is Office Space Planning?

While there’s no formal definition of office space planning, it’s not a hard concept to understand.

Office space planning is the process of organizing furniture and function in such a way so as to maximize space and improve the efficiency and productivity of the employees who occupy it.

Another, simpler definition of office space planning — that still conveys the same general meaning — is using different methods to set up your work environment for optimized space usage.

Designing office space for maximum efficiency is especially important for businesses that experience periods of high growth. Without an effective layout, employee productivity, efficiency, and creativity can falter.

Factors That Affect Office Space Planning

1) Budget

The cost of office space planning is always a consideration. Sure, you could go all out, spare no expense, and refurb your business’s workspace from top to bottom.

In some cases, that may be necessary. In most cases, though, your business will be better served by setting a budget and sticking to it.

2) Available Space

Available space is one of the major concerns when office space planning.

Take into account the total square footage and then examine how your business allocates it. Is there a better way to arrange things?

3) Capacity

Capacity — the number of people your space accommodates comfortably — is another important variable to consider when planning to rearrange your office.

Combined with your business’s available space, capacity sets the tone for all the decisions that follow.

If you don’t know exactly how many people you want your work environment to include, you can’t properly plan an effective arrangement.

4) Desired Concept

There are many concepts available for your office space planning needs.

Your team may be best served by one of these options:

• Open office floor plans

• Hot desks

• Activity-based workspaces

• Dedicated desks

• Desk neighborhoods

• Individual workstations

• Flexible workspaces

Do a bit of research and decide on the concept that’s the most effective for your business.

5) Demand

Before getting too far into your office space planning, talk to your team to find out if they need a specific type of area that they don’t currently have (or can’t create from existing infrastructure).

Doing so will ensure that any changes you make will support the way your employees want to work.

6) Fixed Features

The fixed features in the building around you will dramatically affect your office layout and functionality.

Map out and provide space around such elements as:

• Fire exits

• Doors

• Structural components

• Bathrooms

• Windows

• Steps

• Entryways

Taking these fixed features into account at the beginning of the process will help you avoid last-minute “improvisations” that may detract from the effectiveness of your layout.

7) Compliance

Workplace governance standards and safety regulations can dramatically influence the options you have for rearranging your workspace.

Compliance is akin to the fixed features of your building — you have very little control of them, but you have to incorporate them into all designs.

Compliance issues involve such considerations as blocking fire exits, installing ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) power outlets in the break room, and providing enough ventilation.

Getting to know the OSHA standards and building code ordinances that apply to your business will help you provide the best work environment for your team and avoid hazards, fines, and lawsuits.

Tips For Successful Office Space Planning

1) Retain Some Open Space

It’s very tempting to pack as much furniture as possible into your work area, but doing so is overwhelming — not to mention difficult to navigate.

Whenever possible, retain areas of open space so your team members have easy access to other parts of the office and can gather and talk with their coworkers.

2) Carve Out Quiet Areas

When conducting office space planning for your business, think in terms of zones of specific types of work.

Quiet areas are one of the most important zones your business can create within its larger workspace. Do your best to locate said quiet areas as far from the hustle and bustle of regular business activity as possible.

3) Set Aside Collaboration Space

The other essential work zone to consider when office space planning is collaboration.

A big part of the way your business operates successfully depends on groups of people working together. As such, you want to set aside plenty of space for that activity.

As we mentioned in the previous section, keep the collaboration space and the quiet area as far apart as possible so that the noise and activity from the former don’t disturb the peace and quiet of the latter.

4) Pay Attention To Light

Natural light in your workspaces is always best, but it’s not always possible to arrange things so that everyone is close to a window.

If moving things around so that your entire office benefits from natural light, try adding an adjustable-wavelength lamp to each workstation as a supplement to your current lighting. That way, your team members can customize the illumination to stimulate their productivity.

Need more information on lighting for your office layout? Check out these articles from the Bond Collective blog:

• Office Lighting: Everything You Need To Know For Your Office Space

• 9 Office Design Tips From The Design Team At Bond Collective

5) Harness The Power Of Plants

One of the easiest ways to inspire productivity in the final stages of office space planning is to harness the power of plants.

Research shows that teams working in sight of even a single plant are more productive than their plantless counterparts — even in the lean workspaces occupied by entrepreneurs and startups.

If you’ve got a brown thumb instead of a green thumb, keep it simple by arranging a few small plants on the windowsills in your office or clustering them in a drab corner of the room.

For more suggestions on using plants as part of your office space planning, take a few minutes to read these helpful articles from the Bond Collective blog:

• 11 Low-Maintenance Plants To Transform Your Office

• The 7 Best Office Plants To Enhance Any Workspace

6) Bring The Outdoors In

A sterile office space is no fun to work in every day. Instead, make the workspace inspiring by bringing the outdoors in.

Natural accents such as exposed concrete and wood floors, reclaimed wood desktops, and painted steel are simple ways to give your working environment a touch of the world outside.

The different textures and colors also have the added benefit of making team members feel more comfortable. And when employees are more comfortable, they’re more focused, creative, and productive.

Office Spaces Done Right

If you want to maximize the benefits of your work environment without the stress, strain, and expense of doing it yourself, partner with Bond Collective for office space planning done right.

Each of our shared working environments incorporates inspiring design elements such as natural light, open floor plans, tasteful and professional decor, and multipurpose workspaces.

At Bond Collective, the benefits don’t stop with the office space.

In addition to our unique work settings, members also enjoy amenities, including:

• Daily on-site cleaning

• Guest reception and greeting

• Private-label mail service

• Daily on-site cleaning

• Lightning-fast Wi-Fi

• Concession food market

• Conference rooms

• Black-and-white printing

• Networking and curated events

• 24-hour access

• Bike storage

• And much more

If you’re looking for a working environment that is sure to increase your team’s happiness and productivity, skip the DIY office space and become a member of Bond Collective.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer.

Then take advantage of our coworking spaces, dedicated desks, and private offices to suit all your business needs.

To get started or to learn more about the advantages of coworking spaces for digital nomads, remote workers, and businesses of all types and sizes, visit BondCollective.com today.

By Bond Collective Staff

Flexible office space isn’t just for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and startups anymore. Businesses of all sizes — even large, multinational companies — can benefit from what this unique workspace option has to offer.

In this article, the experts at Bond Collective discuss how to take advantage of flexible office space to inspire your team, improve your bottom line, and, ultimately, grow your business.

What Is Flexible Office Space?

Flexible office space is an umbrella term used to describe a variety of workspace types that differ from the traditional office model of one business, one space.

In the flexible office space model, numerous businesses, individuals, and teams work alongside each other in a large, communal area. These communal areas often have multiple seating options, including:

• Private offices

• Conference rooms

• Reserved desks

• Lounge areas

• First-come, first-served desks (a.k.a. hot desks)

Theoretically, then, within a flexible office space, you could encounter businesses (or teams from businesses) of all sizes — from a large, international company (who perhaps owns the space) right down to a solopreneur just getting started or a freelancer who doesn’t want to work from home or the local coffee shop.

Flexible office space goes by many different names, including:

• Temporary office space

• Virtual office space

• Collective workspace

• Satellite office space

• Collaborative workspace

• Shared office space

• Remote workspace

As the niche for flexible office space continues to grow, other names will undoubtedly emerge, but they all refer to the same thing: a workspace where many different businesses, teams, and individuals work alongside each other, sharing resources, knowledge, and sometimes inspiration.

The Main Types Of Flexible Office Space

Coworking Spaces

Coworking is the use of an office space or other working environment by people who are self-employed or working for different employers, typically so as to share equipment, ideas, and knowledge.

Within each coworking space, you’ll find community spaces, hot desks (available on a first-come, first-served basis), dedicated desks (i.e., reserved), private offices, conference and meeting rooms, private phone booths, and much more, just like the coworking space in DC.

Executive Suites

Executive offices or suites — as their name suggests — feature a layout with more offices than communal spaces. This provides a more private and professional setting than coworking.

Executive suites may still offer public lounge areas, shared technology and infrastructure, and other amenities like coworking spaces, but the executive suite model keeps business activities self-contained and insulated from those not employed by the company.

Incubators

Incubators are workspaces designed to provide enhanced resources, mentorship, and early-stage funding to startups and entrepreneurs.

Incubators may take advantage of the privacy inherent in the execute suite model or opt instead for the more-community-oriented coworking model.

Either way, multiple businesses, individuals, and teams work in close proximity in order to share resources and thrive off each other’s motivation.

Combination Spaces

Some flexible office spaces — like Bond Collective — combine all the different models into one unique option.

In these types of combination workspaces, you can benefit from the flexibility of choosing to work from a community space, a private office, or a suite of private offices — all on a short-term basis that provides maximum agility for your growing business.

Combination flexible office spaces like Bond Collective even provide curated events to help your business grow and give you the opportunity to network and find mentors of your own.

Benefits Of Flexible Office Space

1) Reduced Occupancy Costs

The cost of finding, leasing, and equipping your own office space in today’s market is astronomical. This makes it cost-prohibitive for all but the largest companies.

And whether you own the building or you’re merely renting, the advantages of the flexible office space quickly manifest themselves as reduced occupancy costs.

As an established business, sharing your space with other businesses, teams, and individuals helps you eliminate resources that may have been going unused (i.e., empty offices).

As a nascent business, flexible office spaces give you the opportunity to work from an attractive, fully furnished workspace at a fraction of the cost of leasing your own building.

2) Increased Agility

Whether your business is just getting started or you’ve been at it for many years, growth and decline come in cycles and can strike when you least expect it.

In growth years, you need more employees to handle the load. In other cases, you may need to streamline your workforce so as not to hemorrhage funds that you can put to better use elsewhere.

That’s why it’s vital that your business maintain a modicum of agility. Taking advantage of flexible office space gives you that agility.

Bond Collective, for example, makes it easy to expand or contract your workspace footprint from one month to the next. You can work from a dedicated desk in February and March, upgrade to a private office in April, May, and June, and then downgrade to a first-come-first-served desk in July.

3) No Long-Term Leases

Shackling your new business with a long-term lease can lead to financial difficulties down the road. You can avoid this pitfall by taking advantage of the short-term leases that most flexible office spaces offer their members.

A month-to-month agreement, for example, can save you much-needed funds when the market drops, income goes down, and your staffing needs decrease. In those cases, you can reduce the amount of flexible office space you occupy and save money.

With a long-term lease, you are locked in to a set payment that won’t change as the market changes. That can be a real issue when times get lean and you need to conserve your cash for other, more important expenses.

4) Protection From Market Volatility

As we’ve touched on throughout this list, flexible office space offers a unique benefit that you can’t find in other workspace options: protection from market volatility.

Whether it’s unused square-footage, the need for more or fewer team members, or just conserving capital for the next stage of development, flexible office spaces can protect your business from the ups and downs of your industry.

In a flexible office space like Bond Collective, your business will be more nimble. This ability to react to change — be it good or bad — can give you a leg-up over your competitors who are more exposed to the vicissitudes of the market because their money is tied up in a long-term lease.

5) New Markets

For a growing business, there are few things more nerve-wracking than expanding into new geographic markets. Whether it’s a move across town or across the country, flexible office spaces can help reduce the risk involved in setting up a new base of operations.

With Bond Collective, for example, your Texas-based business can occupy a private office in New York City while it investigates the feasibility of opening a branch in the area.

If the expansion is viable, you can increase your workspace footprint as necessary. If the expansion isn’t viable, you can return to your main headquarters no worse for wear.

You can’t do that with a long-term lease.

6) Professional Image

Many businesses restrict their professional image to the lobby or entryway in order to wow customers and clients. Seldom does that professional image extend to the places where your team does the bulk of the work.

This can cause problems down the road when clients and investors want to “look under the hood,” so to speak.

But when you base your business in a flexible office space, a professional image comes standard.

At Bond Collective, for example, all members benefit from guest reception, luxury decor, comfortable workspaces, and 24-hour access to conference rooms.

With a flexible office space like this, you can focus on keeping your teams productive without sacrificing the professional image you need to succeed.

How To Create Flexible Office Space

1) Group Workstations Together

When most people think about flexible office space, they envision long tables of designated workspace, like cubicles without the walls. But this isn’t the best arrangement for productivity.

Instead of row-after-row of workstations, group two, three, or four desks into “pods.”

This type of setup minimizes the localized noise pollution that can cause team members to lose focus and provides a bit of empty space between stations so employees don’t feel like sardines in a can.

2) Keep High-Traffic Areas Clear

When setting up your flexible office, keep high-traffic areas clear. You may be tempted to wedge a few more workstations into or near common spaces, but that is a mistake.

Areas around bathrooms, kitchens, breakrooms, elevators, and stairs are full of distractions and are not conducive to focus and productivity.

Keep those public spaces clear and allow them to do what they were designed to do: handle the high traffic of a busy office.

3) Establish A Quiet Place

When setting up a flexible office, think in terms of zones of specific types of work. Chief amongst those zones is the quiet space.

Yes, a big part of the way your business works depends on team collaboration. As such, you want plenty of space to facilitate that activity.

Equally important, though, is providing a place for team members to go when they need to focus on a single task and work by themselves. That’s what the quiet space is for.

Locate said quiet space so that it is as far away from the “collaboration zone” as possible. You may even go so far as to wall it off to cut the noise and distraction completely.

At the very least, consider delineating the space between quiet and collaboration with tall plants, bookcases, or other sound and visual breaks.

4) Set Aside Space For Phone Calls

Few things are as disruptive as phone calls within a busy office.

Employees using a phone often talk loudly in order to be heard — even if it’s not necessary — and it’s very difficult to break that habit. All that loud talking can seriously disrupt the other team members within earshot.

In the same way that you established space for quiet work, set aside similar space for phone calls.

It doesn’t have to be a huge area — three or four enclosed booths work well — but even a small amount of space will help keep disruptions to a minimum and allow everyone to work at their best.

5) Invest In Sound Dampening

When asked about the biggest distraction in an open office, most people report the same thing: noise.

In a large, open space, noise can bounce off of hard surfaces and amplify to the point that a pen falling off a desk onto a hard floor can sound like a branch breaking to someone on the other side of the room.

Consider using sound dampening techniques such as carpeting the floors, upholstering the furniture, and the ceilings with noise-reduction materials.

6) Maximize Natural Lighting

Because flexible office space is, by nature, flexible and mobile, good lighting is essential.

Team members need to be able to see what they’re doing regardless of where they’re sitting. And the best light for that purpose is the natural kind that comes through the windows in your office.

But not every desk, workspace, and office is going to have access to a window. Even so, you don’t have to resign your team to the harsh blue light of compact fluorescent bulbs.

Instead, incorporate lights that emit both the harder blue and green wavelengths and the softer orange, red, and yellow wavelengths.

You can even install lights that change automatically over the course of the day to mimic the transition from blue and green wavelengths in the morning to red and yellow wavelengths in the afternoon.

If that option isn’t feasible, try placing an adjustable-wavelength lamp at each workstation as a supplement for your current lighting system.

7) Bring In The Green

If you’re looking for a way to transform the aesthetic of your office space and bring a softer, more natural touch to the room, there’s no better option than adding plants to your decor.

Bringing the outdoors into your work environment does more than just spruce up the space; it also boosts morale and productivity — two variables that you might find difficult to maintain for long periods of time.

Research shows that teams that work in sight of even a single plant are more productive than their plantless counterparts — even in the lean workspaces occupied by entrepreneurs and startups.

If you’re stuck for ideas on how to green up your office layout, try arranging a few plants on the windowsills in your office or clustering them in a drab corner of the room.

For more suggestions on using plants to improve productivity in your work environment, take a few minutes to read these helpful articles from the Bond Collective blog:

• 11 Low-Maintenance Plants To Transform Your Office

• The 7 Best Office Plants To Enhance Any Workspace

8) Incorporate Active Furniture And Modular Storage

In a flexible office space, active furniture and modular storage give your team members the option to rearrange an area to suit their needs at the moment. That makes for a much more hospitable environment.

Furniture and storage that employees can move around and alter give them more control of the way they work.

Whether you’re thinking about where to situate your quiet space or about what type of tables to include in your collaboration space, the variety and flexibility you plan for in your workplace extend all the way down to the individual pieces of furniture you choose.

For a happier, healthier team, incorporate active and modular furniture instead of relying solely on the standard desk and chair setup.

Active and modular furniture includes the likes of:

• Cafe tables

• Large tables on rollers

• Ergonomic chairs

• Movable ottomans with built-in storage

• Pedestal stools

• Saddle chairs

• Adjustable-height desks

• Rolling file cabinets

• Even treadmills and bike chairs

Having a variety of seating, work-surface, and storage options allows your team members to change positions often to accommodate private and group work while helping them avoid the physical strain that comes with sitting for eight hours every day.

9) Provide Busy Indicators

In more traditional layouts with private offices, team members could close the door when they didn’t want to be disturbed. Not so in the flexible office space.

Sometimes, though, an employee really needs to focus and doesn’t want to take questions or talk to others. But how can they communicate this to their coworkers?

Provide everyone with a “busy” indicator and encourage them to display it when they don’t want to be disturbed. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate — something as simple as a sticker, flag, sign, or light will work.

The purpose of it being to communicate from afar whether or not the team member is amenable to interruptions.

10) Corral The Cords

Few things make your flexible office space feel more disorganized than a messy mass of computer cables.

Simply knowing that a big knot of wires is hanging under your desk or lying on the floor is enough to distract even the most focused person.

Invest in a cable organization system for your workstations so there’s less disarray and consider purchasing furniture with built-in power outlets so team members don’t have to string long lengths of cord from walls to their work surfaces.

Skip The DIY

If you own or lease your own space, it is possible to create a flexible office within that area.

Doing so, though, takes time and effort you may not have — not to mention that it causes significant disruptions — so why not let the professionals at Bond Collective do it for you?

Everything You Need In One Place

At Bond Collective, we offer everything you need in one place — coworking space, executive suites, dedicated desks, and incubator space alike.

Whether you want a private office, a suite of offices, or just a place to set your laptop, you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for at any one of our many locations across the United States.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a digital nomad, a lone-wolf entrepreneur, or a team manager for a large corporation, at Bond Collective, everyone enjoys the same expertly designed interiors and industry-leading amenities, such as:

• Conference rooms for 2 or 20+

• Custom build-outs

• Private meeting and phone booths

• Guest reception and greeting

• Professional image

• Unlimited black-and-white printing

• Fast, reliable WiFi and ethernet

• Mail and package handling

• Porter service

• Nightly office cleaning

• Fresh fruit, snacks, and weekly breakfast

• Complimentary spa water, craft beer, and coffee

All of this (and so much more) makes Bond Collective a true turn-key solution for flexible office space that satisfies all of your business needs.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer.

And while you’re at it, schedule a tour to experience first-hand how the boutique work environments at Bond Collective can benefit your business.

As a Bond Collective member, your office is full of amenities, resources, community–and inspiration. These spaces are a natural environment for creativity to bloom, with film, social media, and print productions taking notice. Global companies have sought out these bespoke common areas for new campaigns, fashion brands have posed models across luxury sofas for stunning editorial shoots, influencers have taken sunny Instagram worthy selfies, and musicians have invited audiences to patios and terraces for intimate performances.

From HBO and Darren Starr, to John Oliver and Lena Dunham, countless creatives and production companies have found unique ways to make these unbranded walls and understated finishes their own. Skyline views? We’ve got them. Does that pendant lamp in an episode of Broad City look familiar? It might be down the hall from your last conference call. 

Some of our locations even have dedicated areas for production, like our studio in Gowanus complete with a built-in psych and recording room.  A seamless load-in from our back street level entrance and with all the amenities that we offer, your set will be happy. Our Bushwick location also has multiple studio-like areas, both daylight and subterranean for whatever your shooting needs may be. In Manhattan, The Mezzanine offers room for large production with 20’ ceilings, concrete floors  and multiple breakout rooms.  Down in Austin we have plush podcasting rooms complete with “On Air” signs.

Dynamic spaces invite dynamic creation and Bond Collective locations are not far removed from a functional film set. From the warm, thoughtful lighting to flawlessly posed accent pillows and bowls of fruit, it’s enough to make anyone feel a little famous. It’s also the perfect background for members who are looking for space to film their own projects, photograph their own products, or invite clients to see for themselves the value of a unique approach to a new idea. Additionally, members have made full use of their office by leveraging the interior design all around them to host stylish and entertaining events to team build and celebrate.

Whether it’s a scene or a happy hour, Bond Collective locations from Manhattan to Austin provide a broad range to serve for a gorgeous way to showcase what you want people to see. Book your tour to see for yourself or reach out to your community manager to plan your own event!

By Bond Collective Staff

More and more businesses are discovering the benefits of flexible work arrangements for their teams. Employees love them because they allow for a healthier work/life balance. Businesses love them because they help maintain productivity and focus.

But are they right for your business?

In this article, we discuss the specifics of this growing trend and provide insight into how you can implement and manage the flexible work arrangements that contribute to success.

What Are Flexible Work Arrangements?

“Flexible work arrangements” is both a theory and a practice that describes when, where, and how team members work within a business.

Of the two, the practice of setting up flexible work arrangements is usually the first thing that comes to mind. But the theory is equally important because it helps your business explain why it’s implementing new practices and the benefits it hopes to achieve.

On the theory side of the coin, flexible work arrangements focus on creating a better work/life balance for employees, reducing stress, while increasing productivity and motivation.

On the practical side of the coin, they are the real-world solutions that contribute to the theory described in the previous paragraph.

These solutions are typically divided into two distinct categories: schedule-specific arrangements and location-specific arrangements. We’ll discuss each in more detail below.

Flexible Work Arrangements By Schedule

1) Part-Time

A part-time schedule — one in which an employee works less than 40 hours per week — is the most common flexible work arrangement in the business world.

The flexibility extends not just to the number of hours worked but also to the days on which the team member reports for work.

In contrast to a full-time employee, a part-time employee might work five hours each on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; nine hours each Monday through Thursday; or any other combination of days and hours that work for your business.

As long as the total time worked per week (i.e., seven days) doesn’t equal 40 hours, you can consider the team member as part of a part-time work arrangement.

2) Flextime

Flextime is unique among this list because team members can alter their workday start and finish times according to their own needs.

Employees are still required to work a set number of hours per day or per week, but they are given the freedom to choose when they will accumulate that time.

To keep the schedules from becoming too random and chaotic, flextime usually incorporates core time — a specific range of hours during which all team members must be present and working.

For example, your business might establish core time between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

With that in mind, one team member might work from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. while another team member might work from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. It all depends on what works best for the employee that day.

3) 9/80

The 9/80 schedule is one of the most complex arrangements on this list. Team members work 80 hours over nine days instead of the normal 80 hours over 10 days (assuming a five-day workweek).

Within the 9/80 schedule, employees work eight nine-hour days and one eight-hour day (split between one workweek and the next).

That arrangement makes it possible for your business to give employees a three-day weekend twice a month.

If the 9/80 schedule sounds complicated, that’s because it is — at least at first. Once you and your team get the hang of it, though, your business may never go back to the typical 9-5, Monday-Friday schedule.

4) Compressed

Another addition to the list of flexible work arrangements is the compressed workweek.

The industry standard for full-time team members is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. (the 40-hour workweek). A compressed schedule, on the other hand, has team members working the same number of hours (40) in fewer days.

For example, your business may choose four 10-hour days, three 12-hour days, or four 9-hour days plus one four-hour day.

As with many of the flexible work arrangements available today, you can customize the schedule to fit the needs of your team and your business.

5) Split Shift

A split shift is a type of work arrangement in which you divide a team member’s workday into two or more distinct parts. By law, those distinct parts often need to be separated by two hours or more.

Here’s an example of a simple split shift:

• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Four-hour break

• 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

In many cases, local law stipulates that during the break within a split shift, employees must leave the business. What they do during that time is completely up to them — they can attend to personal matters, run errands, or go home and rest up for the second part of the workday.

This type of flexible work arrangement provides a better work-life balance for your employees and helps your business control labor costs.

Flexible Work Arrangements By Location

6) Hot Desking

Hot desking is a location-specific work arrangement in which workspaces are assigned or occupied on a first-come, first-served basis.

In contrast to the more traditional office layout in which your business assigns each team member a personal desk or workspace, hot desking means that desks, tables, and chairs have no permanent owner.

Instead, employees use whatever surface is available that fits their needs.

7) Hoteling

While hoteling is similar to hot desking in that there are no permanent assigned seats, this flexible work arrangement allows team members to create a bit more stability in where they work from one day to the next.

In hoteling, individuals reserve workspaces ahead of time for several days, a week, or even a month.

Hoteling is very common for entrepreneurs and other professionals who are only in town for a short time but require access to a desk when and where they need it.

8) Multipurpose Workspaces

Regardless of whether you incorporate hot desking or hoteling into your work environment, your team members will benefit from using multipurpose workspaces.

This flexible work arrangement gives your employees the option to perform a variety of work on their own or in groups as the need arises.

For example, four or five team members may work at one large table. They can decide to work together or by themselves depending on the task at hand.

This is great for small groups that work together on a regular basis because they don’t have to get up, move their stuff to a larger space, interrupt their workflow, and lose focus in order to collaborate.

9) Mobile Furniture

Flexible work arrangements can extend beyond the work schedule and where your team gathers on a regular basis, into all corners of your office.

With mobile furniture that can be easily moved, rolled away, folded up, or broken down completely, you give your employees the ability to cluster together and work as a unit wherever inspiration strikes.

10) Various Seating And Desk Options

When it comes to flexible work arrangements within your office itself, few things are more beneficial to productivity and focus than offering a variety of seating and desk options.

Incorporate ergonomic chairs, stools, couches, adjustable-height desks (a.k.a. standing desks), cafe tables, communal tables, and other seat and surface options so that your team members have a choice of how and where they want to work.

The Ideal Flexible Work Arrangement For Your Business

Setting up a flexible work arrangement can be a daunting and difficult task. But there are ways — and one way in particular — to make it simpler and less intimidating: partner with Bond Collective.

Bond Collective specializes in boutique, turn-key work environments for individuals, teams, and businesses of all types and sizes.

At Bond Collective, you set the schedule and we provide everything else for the perfect flexible work arrangement.

Whether you need a private office, a suite of offices, or just a place to sit and type, you’ll find it at any one of the many Bond Collective locations across the country.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a team of one or 100, you’ll enjoy all that Bond Collective has to offer including industry-leading amenities, such as:

Conference rooms for 2 or 20+

• Custom build-outs

• Private meeting and phone booths

• Guest reception and greeting

• Professional image

• Unlimited black-and-white printing

• Fast, reliable WiFi and internet

• Mail and package handling

• Porter service

• Nightly office cleaning

• Fresh fruit, snacks, and weekly breakfast

• Complimentary spa water, craft beer, and coffee

• And much more

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States — including workspaces in New York, California, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas — to see what the pinnacle of coworking is all about.

Matt Hislop isn’t just Bond Collective’s longest-standing General Manager and April’s Employee of the Month, he’s also a Brooklyn resident and former radio DJ who’s been perfecting his St. Louis Competition Style Ribs! Fellow General Manager Julia Kropf sat down to get to know more about Matt and what his experience has been working at Bond Collective Gowanus.

JK: Tell me about your background and what your journey was like to get to NYC.

MH: I was born in Long Island, NY in Suffolk County, and when I was 12 my family moved to South Florida just outside of Fort Lauderdale. I went to college at Florida State University, and while I was there, I did a lot of working and volunteering with the student union. I wanted to  make friends, so right away I volunteered with the music venue on campus, because I’m passionate about music and learned how to make friends in high school by connecting through music. I managed events and did promotions, which was my first experience with hospitality and operations. That experience also led to a radio announcing gig on campus.

JK: What was the radio announcing gig like?

MH: I started with a 2-6am shift one night a week and ended up doing that for two semesters. It was a nice, quiet time and I got to listen to and experiment with all sorts of different music, and do what I wanted to do. Once I got more daytime shifts, I mostly hosted a specialty soul show called The Saturday Night Fish Fry, but I also hosted some reggae and experimental shows. I hosted a few shows with local bands, and once I got to have my friend’s band play in the studio and interview them afterwards.

JK: What’s your favorite music genre?

MH: I like found sounds or reissues. I like hearing music people may have forgotten that has been rediscovered, which includes so many different genres. My favorite labels are Numero Group, based in Chicago, and Soul Jazz Records, based in London. They find forgotten music, write a story about it, and reissue it. I love finding new music, and it’s a really fun way to do that by keeping the spirit of old music alive.

JK: Well the team always enjoys when you provide new playlists for us to listen to! Tell us how you went from working in music and hospitality in Florida to working at Bond in NYC.

MH: After college I lived in Miami and one of my first big breaks was working for Ritz-Carlton in South Beach. I started as a pool concierge, then worked in the stewarding department at Key Biscayne. I ended up in New York with a sales and events assistant position at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square. I wanted to transition into management, so I ended up working overnight shifts in the housekeeping department, which led to a similar overnight management position at The New York EDITION in Madison Square Park. Coworking seemed neat to me, so afterwards I transitioned into that. The office hours were definitely a factor as well.

JK: And those are definitely skills that come in handy as a General Manager with Bond, too! Tell us your favorite thing about working at Bond.

MH: I enjoy the fact that it’s a newer company and my ideas as a member of the community team are valued. One of my other favorite parts is forming long-term relationships with members. I get to watch teams grow and learn about their businesses. It’s a huge change from hotels because guests are here today and gone tomorrow, so it’s fleeting. With Bond it’s different because there are members who have been here since we opened, and I’ve had the opportunity to develop and nurture long-term relationships. I love to see a company come in looking for a small 2-person office and then two years later they’re still with us with a 50-person roster. It’s also a testament to how great the staff is here at Gowanus, like our porter Miriam and our maintenance worker Israel. It’s easier to succeed when you have outstanding staff to help make it happen. We’re really fulfilling our mission of helping companies grow, and it makes me feel like we’re doing something right.

JK: What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from working at Bond?

MH: How to take more initiative. I’ve realized I’m empowered to do more than I thought I could.

JK: What is your favorite spot in your location?

MH: It’s gotta be the roof deck. I’ve seen some amazing sunsets out there and I find it to be really peaceful. I’ve had a lot of great moments where I’m doing my final walk-through and I step out there and the whole sky is on fire with oranges and pinks and yellows. I like showing that place off.

 JK: Have you taken up any new quarantine hobbies?

MH: I’ve picked up barbecuing, specifically St. Louis Competition Style Ribs, which are my specialty. I also got into home brewing in 5-gallon batches.

JK: What’s the first thing you do in the morning?

MH: I like to check the NY Times app to see what’s going on in the world.

JK: What’s your favorite coffee shop and go-to order?

MH: I’m actually a big fan of grinding and making my own coffee. At Bond Gowanus we just started using Partners Coffee, and I’ve enjoyed brewing theirs. I make it with a little milk and one sugar.

JK: What’s your favorite lunch spot?

MH: Giardini’s Pizza. It’s a neighborhood slice joint around the corner that has just straight-up, regular New York pizza. There might be better in the neighborhood, but it’s my go-to and I’ve never been disappointed. I know everybody there.

JK: What’s an app you can’t live without?

MH: Spotify! I use it every single day and I’ve got like 1,000 playlists. I love that app.

JK: How do you unwind after a long day of work?

MH: I like to take my dog for a walk as soon as I get home, which helps me clear my head.

 JK: Tell me about your dog. Has he/she ever been a Bond Collective Pet of the Month?

MH: I met my dog 7 years ago when I met my wife. He was 3 or 4 when I met him, and it was the first time I had ever had a smaller dog that wasn’t a big labrador. He’s a 20lb sheltie named Willie Nelson who barks a lot. I was skeptical at first, but now he’s my heart and my little angel baby. Bond Collective Flatiron had the honor and distinction of having him as their Pet of the Month, but he’s my personal Pet of the Month forever. My wife is still his favorite, though.

JK: Early or late?

MH: Definitely early. I wake up at 7am every day whether I want to or not. One of my favorite early-morning activities of all time is to take Willie Nelson out to off-leash hours at Prospect Park before 9am. There are dozens of dogs and everyone is in a great mood. You’ll never see more New Yorkers in one spot in a better mood than at off-leash hours. On Saturdays there’s also a farmer’s market at Grand Army Plaza. I’ve run into members out with their dogs there, too!

JK: What inspires you?

MH: The fact that you can be better today than you were yesterday, and there’s always another opportunity for tomorrow.

JK: Name a social media account that everyone should be following.

MH: @inzane_johnny on Instagram, which is run by John Olsen who used to be the front man for the band Wolf Eyes. The page is just obscure indie rock references and is my favorite thing.

JK: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten?

MH: My dad always told me, “Don’t live your entire life in one day.” I have a tendency to overthink sometimes and get ahead of myself, and that advice helps me take a step back and get a new perspective.

JK: If you could squeeze one more activity into your day, what would it be?

MH: I wish I had more time to cook a proper home-cooked meal for my wife.

 JK: So you like cooking?

MH: Yea, it’s my jam! I never knew how to cook until college when a friend got me a job as a short-order cook for Aramark. I didn’t have any training – they just told me to follow directions and figure it out, so I did! The experience demystified cooking for me.

JK: If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

MH: Black. It’s not flashy, but you can’t do much without it. It’s the most pragmatic and reliable crayon of all. 

JK: Who is your biggest cheerleader?

MH: Definitely my wife. She’s the one that alway has my back.

JK: What’s your favorite book?

MH: One book that really captivated me was by Robert Fisk called The Great War for Civilisation. He was a journalist that went throughout the Middle East and shared a lot of human and personal stories that changed my perspective on a lot of things when I read it in college.

JK: Name 3 people (dead or alive) you would invite to a dinner party.

MH: David Bowie, Teddy Roosevelt, and Prince.

JK: Anything else you’d like to share about yourself, or any message you’d like to share with your fans?

MH: Be kind to each other!

By Bond Collective Staff

As businesses evolve to meet the changing times and the needs of their customer bases, workplace trends evolve as well. Gone are the days of row after row of cubicles and a homogenous workforce that reports to the office in-person every day.

In this article, we discuss the workplace trends your business should embrace in 2021 to keep itself strong and profitable.

Workplace Trends

1) Flexible Work Environments Make An Entrance

Another of the many trends to keep an eye on in the 2020s is that of the flexible work environment.

This trend goes by many names — hybrid workplace, coworking, shared workspace, and many more — and is a powerful way to give your team the space they need to get the job done right while at the same time saving money for your business.

“Flexible work environments” is an umbrella term used to describe a variety of workspace types that differ from the traditional office model of one business, one space.

In the flexible model, numerous businesses, individuals, and teams work side-by-side in a large, communal space with multiple seating options.

To learn about the benefits of flexible work environments, take a few moments to read these articles from the Bond Collective blog:

• How To Take Advantage Of Flexible Office Space To Grow Your Business.

• Flexible Workspace: 8 Benefits For Entrepreneurs

2) Company Culture Goes Virtual

Company culture has always been an important part of the day-to-day activity in your business. Whether managers and owners realized it or not, company culture was largely a component of the face-to-face workforce.

If the last few years taught us anything, it’s that businesses need to be flexible in how and where their employees work — be it in the office or online.

As more and more businesses turn to the remote option, they quickly discover the importance of maintaining their company culture online as well.

But don’t worry. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

Many of the face-to-face activities you conducted to cultivate team unity and company culture are also effective via a video-conferencing app.

You can organize and run everything from a virtual happy hour to a virtual meeting with remote employees from around the world.

All of these “extra-curricular” activities contribute to a smooth transition of your company culture from strictly face-to-face to virtual.

3) A New Generation Enters The Workforce

One of the most prominent workplace trends to come along in recent years is the entrance of a new generation into the workforce.

The oldest members of Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2010) have graduated from high school and college and are now actively looking for a career.

But Gen Z is like nothing the business world has encountered before.

They’ve never known a time when the internet didn’t exist, and they expect the businesses in which they work to embrace technology just like they do.

Successful businesses will find ways to adapt to the new mindsets and skills that Gen Z brings with them into the workforce.

4) Flexible Schedules Shake Things Up

Workplace trends continue to move further and further away from the standard 9-to-5 workday of the last century.

Both businesses and employees alike recognize the benefits that come with a flexible work schedule, including:

• Better work/life balance

• Increased productivity

• Improved task completion

• Fewer unplanned work interruptions

A flexible schedule even acts as an incentive for potential employees during the hiring phase.

When you offer a flexible schedule right from the start — rather than as something they earn after X years on the job — new team members can achieve a work/life balance that fits their unique situation on day one.

That’s an attractive benefit that can significantly improve your recruiting.

5) Mental Health Benefits Become Crucial

Leading the list of workplace trends to embrace in the 2020s is the mental health benefit.

Employee burnout is an all-too-common occurrence these days — especially in light of recent world events that have changed the way teams of all sizes do business.

Whether you’re managing a handful of employees all working from home or a team of 20 or more in a central location, you need to be on the lookout for indications that one or more individuals need some time off.

Including mental health benefits as one of your standard perks for new and long-time team members alike is a great way to help your employees maintain their engagement and productivity and avoid such negatives as:

• Chronic daytime fatigue

• Increased reliance on caffeine or other stimulants

• Difficulty focusing

• Personalization of work-related frustrations

Many businesses are even implementing the mental health day — time off from work that an employee uses (even though they’re not physically sick) to relieve stress and recover from burnout.

6) A More Inclusive Workplace Abounds

Businesses that promote a more inclusive workplace are on the rise as team members demand that their voices be heard.

At its most basic, workplace inclusion emphasizes the fact that the ideas, perspectives, and thoughts of all employees matter and that teams — and businesses — are better off when they consider every point of view before making a decision.

7) Diversity Takes Center Stage

As more businesses go global — be it selling internationally or marketing to peoples of all nationalities — workplace trends are moving more toward a focus on a diverse workforce.

Diversity is about bringing people from different cultures, backgrounds, personalities, and viewpoints together to work as a team.

Whether you run a large corporation or a small business, diversity will help your team be more productive and your business stand out from its competitors.

8) Innovation Continues

Any list of workplace trends would be incomplete without the technology that makes the world go round.

Businesses have always been on the cutting edge of technology, and the innovation will no doubt continue in the 2020s. Will your business be on the frontlines, or will it be left behind to play catchup?

For more on new technologies that will transform the way your team works, check out this article from the Bond Collective blog: 8 Futuristic Office Ideas For The Modern Workplace.

9) Focus Shifts To Include Soft Skills

While hard skills such as computer knowledge and proficiency with technology are still extremely important, workplace trends are now highlighting a shift to soft skills as well.

Businesses large and small are realizing that written and verbal communication, analytical skills, and leadership are just as important as the technical proficiency that dominated during the last decade.

Soft skills, more than anything else, facilitate person-to-person connection and help your team members build strong relationships with each other and your business build strong relationships with its customers.

10) Remote Work Becomes The Norm

Remote work tops the list of workplace trends thanks to its practicality, its flexibility, and, as many businesses discovered in 2020, its productivity.

Just to be clear, remote work is an arrangement in which an employee or a group of employees works mainly from an alternate location and communicates with the company via email, telephone, or other digital medium.

Employees may report to your physical office two or three times a week and then work from somewhere else (home, a coffee shop, a coworking space) the other days.

Some employees may never report to the office in person but work with the rest of your team via work-sharing apps, video conferencing, and the internet.

It’s a brave new world, and one that many businesses can benefit from.

For more information on remote work, take a few minutes to read these helpful articles from the Bond Collective blog:

• What Is Remote Work And How To Operate As A Remote Team

• How To Manage A Remote Workforce From Anywhere With Internet Access

• Distributed Team: What It Is And How To Manage It

Workplace Trends And Your Business

Many of the workplace trends on this list will take time to implement in your business. Flexible work environments, however, are something your business can embrace right away.

With the help of Bond Collective, you can take advantage of coworking spaces, dedicated desks, and private offices for a few individuals, a team, or your entire business.

And with Bond Collective’s many locations across the United States, you can even set up temporary office space, a remote office, or a satellite office, for a fraction of the cost of doing it on your own.

Whether you’re a solopreneur nurturing a startup into existence or you need space for a team of 50 or more, at Bond Collective, you’ll enjoy interiors and industry-leading amenities, including:

• Guest reception and greeting

• Conference rooms for 2 or 20+

• 24-hour access

• Private meeting and phone booths

• Custom build-outs

• Nightly office cleaning

• On-site kitchens

• Professional image

• Porter service

• Unlimited black-and-white printing

• Fast, reliable WiFi and internet

• Mail and package handling

• Fresh fruit, snacks, and weekly breakfast

• Complimentary spa water, craft beer, and coffee

All of this (and so much more) makes Bond Collective the easiest way to embrace the workplace trends of the future.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including shared workspaces in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas.

Or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer. And while you’re at it, schedule a tour to experience first-hand how the boutique shared workspaces at Bond Collective can benefit your business.

Joshua Boncosky is a representative for Concord Terrazzo Company, also known as Terrazzco. Josh, in collaboration with our amazing in-house Design team, managed every step of the process in producing the pink and blue terrazzo that lines the stairs, walls, counters and tables throughout Bond Collective Bushwick. Today we’re speaking with him about what went into the production process and about what makes Terrazzco such a unique manufacturer.

Words: Emmett Bragdon-Hess

Images: Amanda Kirkpatrick

Emmett: What got you into the terrazzo industry and how did you find Terrazzco?

Josh: My best friend growing up had family in the industry and hired me at his company, Terrazzo & Marble Supply Companies in Illinois. What first drew me in was the unique artistic aspect of the terrazzo and how customizable it was. About 12 years later, Peter, the owner of Terrazzco, brought me into his shop and I was blown away by their manufacturing process and how it differed from others. They were the first company I’d seen who covered the entire process, from creating their own aggregates (small bits of material that add color and shape to terrazzo) to making their own precasts and even handling installation work.

E: Our terrazzo here at Bushwick is truly one of a kind. What makes up the colored pieces (aggregate) in our terrazzo?

J: The job at Bond Bushwick was like no other in terms of sourcing the aggregate. Bond’s design team wanted something completely unique and we went through dozens of samples and materials to find ones that fit. After lots of back and forth, we finally settled on some select products that we decided to outsource from around the globe. We found Cactus Canyon Quarries out of Marble Falls, TX  to source the “Pink Rosado” and “Texas Blue” marble that appear as angular chunks. We then went all the way to Greece to source the “Snow White” marble for the small, truffle-shaped pieces in the terrazzo. Even the tread for the stairs was a custom “Smoke Grey” quartz-coated granule, one that we don’t typically use.

E: Once the aggregates were chosen, what were the next steps in production? 

J: Once we settled on these materials and colors (we even were considering green at one point), it was time to pour. Before pouring the epoxy over the aggregate, we made massive 10ft custom built molds for the terrazzo to set in. Each piece of aggregate was hand placed so it didn’t sink directly to the bottom and cause uneven distribution. We’d pour a bit of epoxy, place a few chunks of aggregate, pour some more epoxy, and then repeat until the mold was full. It took a lot of precision and calculated randomness to find the perfect dispersion of aggregate, a process that was difficult to replicate during future orders. Once everything was hardened and cured, we used a massive diamond tip blade to cut the terrazzo block into slabs for walls, countertops, etc. After that, it was polished smooth and finished with a coat of sealant. It’s a painstakingly long process that requires so much iteration, but it’s essential to producing the highest quality terrazzo. We’re really happy with the way it came out!

E: We are too! It’s such a defining aspect of our space and you can tell how much work went into every piece. Terrazzco also has done some other seriously complex projects for other companies, including NASA and The University of Alabama Athletics Department. What are some of the most complex jobs you’ve ever worked on?

J: Right now we’re working with Nvidia, a producer of graphics processing units, at their Santa Clara, CA headquarters on a massive spiral staircase that’s completely encapsulated in terrazzo. Each stair is completely unique in shape and size and has self supporting treads, which opens up a whole range of tricky engineering feats that we’re taking on.

We’ve also done a really cool project for Mango’s, a nightclub in Orlando, FL, that calls for photoluminescent aggregate that glows in the dark, to be dispersed throughout the terrazzo. It’s incredibly eye-popping and we’ve actually used similar material for stair treads in a children’s hospital that required it for safety purposes.

It’s always fun to work on projects like these because it really stretches my imagination and pushes me to think outside the box. Bond Bushwick was definitely one of those as well!

E: Who knew that a nightclub and a children’s hospital would prove to be such similar jobs for Terrazzco! As you described, given that these products are in areas where the highest level safety and sanitation must be upheld, can you speak a bit more about how Terrazzco ensures that their product is environmentally responsible and safe?

J: Absolutely. Terrazzco is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, which means we use the most sustainable possible epoxy; free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and we use the highest possible amount of recycled materials in our terrazzo. Additionally, all of our products are Greenguard Gold certified, which means they don’t emit any toxic chemicals into the air after production. For us, creating a safe product for our clients and our planet is an essential aspect of our business and we don’t see any other way. You can rest assured that all of the terrazzo that you and your members work around every day is held to the same safety standards as what’s used in the hospitals that we’ve provided for.

E: So great to hear. We’re so fortunate to have worked with you and the team at Terrazzco and couldn’t be happier with how it’s added such a unique touch to Bond Collective Bushwick. Thanks so much for sharing all of these interesting details about the production process and we’re looking forward to working with you on future projects!

By Bond Collective Staff

Virtual retreat ideas are one of the best ways to bring your employees together and to foster a sense of cooperation and engagement.

And with more and more business being conducted online by a remote workforce, it’s more important than ever for owners and managers to make every effort to keep their teams unified.

In this article, we discuss the best virtual retreat ideas and how you can organize and run an event that everyone will enjoy.

What Is A Virtual Retreat?

No list of virtual retreat ideas would be complete without a brief overview of what, exactly, constitutes a virtual retreat.

To get a clearer picture, it’s useful to compare a virtual retreat to a more familiar event: an in-person retreat.

An in-person retreat (a.k.a. corporate retreat, company retreat, and business retreat) is a gathering that focuses on providing opportunities for team members to bond in a non-work setting while still maintaining a professional atmosphere.

You may spend a bit of time discussing topics such as your business’s mission or vision statement, how to stay organized at work, or how to keep productivity high, but, for the most part, the objective of a retreat is to improve teamwork, collaboration, and morale.

The same is true of a virtual retreat. The only difference between the two is how and where they’re run.

Virtual retreats — as the name suggests — take place online via a video-conferencing app that allows a large number of individuals to connect and interact.

Even though participants are not actually physically present, the goal remains the same: give team members the opportunity to take a break from normal work responsibilities, socialize, learn new skills, and boost engagement.

With that in mind, we now turn our attention to the meat and potatoes of this article: virtual meeting ideas and how to get started.

Virtual Retreat Etiquette

Whatever virtual retreat ideas you choose to include in your event, it’s always good to start things off with a brief review of good video-meeting etiquette.

You and your team are going to be spending a lot of time together online, so take a few minutes to establish a set of best practices that everyone can abide by to make the experience enjoyable for all.

Include such topics as:

• How to troubleshoot the meeting software (keep it as simple as possible)

• Basic software controls

• Acceptable behavior during the meeting

• Dress and grooming for the virtual meeting

• Minimizing distractions

• Silencing cell phones and landline phones

• Keeping track of mute status

• Turning video off if you need to get up

Keep in mind that the items above are just suggestions and that you can customize your virtual retreat etiquette to fit the way your team works.

And whatever topics you do address, try to keep the review to 30 minutes or less so you can get into the meat of the program — your virtual retreat ideas — sooner.

For a more in-depth discussion of how to convey a professional image online, take a few minutes to read this article from the Bond Collective blog: Virtual Meeting Etiquette: 9 Rules Every Professional Should Follow.

Virtual Retreat Ideas

1) Field Trip

A favorite on our list of virtual retreat ideas is the field trip.

This might seem impossible given that your remote team may be joining the retreat from different cities, states, or even countries.

But with modern technology, it’s easy to take a virtual tour of the British Museum, the Louvre, or even the Great Wall of China.

You can even invite employees’ family members to attend for a bonding experience like no other.

2) Bingo

The second of our virtual retreat ideas — Bingo — is a tried-and-true favorite both online and off.

Your team is probably familiar with the short version of the game that is popular at virtual happy hours around the world.

Virtual retreat bingo, however, works best as an ongoing game that lasts throughout the entire event.

Challenge attendees to get to know their teammates and to connect five squares across, down, or diagonally (without using the same coworker’s name twice in one line) by learning facts such as:

• Built a website

• Appeared on TV

• Owns stock

• Runs a blog

• Climbed a mountain

• Bilingual

Get creative and make up your own Bingo board or download a template from the internet.

3) Awards Show

An awards show is one of the best virtual retreat ideas for combining fun and recognition.

Your awards show can be as fancy or as simple as you like — even going so far as to require dresses, suits, hairdos, and makeup.

Come up with a variety of awards that range from the humorous — best child or pet interruption during a video call, best remote work location — to the serious and thoughtful.

4) Meal Gift Cards

The food at the in-person company retreat is a major draw for most employees (unless you’re doing survival training in the wilderness).

The virtual retreat makes gathering together for a meal impossible. But, while you can’t take your team to a fancy restaurant, you can send the fancy restaurant to them.

Provide your team with meal gift cards so they can have food delivered to their door and invite everyone to eat together online.

5) Prizes

When considering which virtual retreat ideas to use during your event, take into consideration how much your business is saving on expenses such as travel, room rentals, and entertainment.

A great way to make your retreat special is to spend some of the money you saved on prizes for attendees.

Offer items such as equipment for the home office, time off, or bonuses as door prizes or rewards for random-raffle and game winners.

6) Murder Mystery

Murder mystery games have always been popular at in-person retreats, so it’s no wonder that we included them on our list of virtual retreat ideas.

Whether your team members play the role of the deceased, the suspect, or the sleuth, everyone will have a good time trying to figure out whodunnit.

A simple search online reveals a long list of virtual murder mystery options to choose from.

7) Escape Games

If you thought the murder mystery was fun, escape games are right up there on our list of virtual retreat ideas.

In an online escape game, teams compete in a timed contest to complete puzzles and solve riddles with the goal of escaping the room before the other team.

Along the way, team members must rely on teamwork and communication if they hope to be successful.

Again, a simple search online reveals a long list of escape games teams of all sizes will enjoy.

8) Inclusion Exercises

As virtual retreat ideas go, inclusion exercises are the perfect way to make everyone feel appreciated and valued.

Schedule time to discuss workplace inclusion with your team and to express how much you value your employees’ thoughts, ideas, and perspectives.

For more information on how to foster workplace inclusion, check out this article from the Bond Collective blog: Workplace Inclusion: 8 Ways To Build An Inclusive Work Environment.

9) Trivia

One of the simplest virtual retreat ideas on this list is the trivia game.

You can use an online source, the Trivial Pursuit board game, or make up your own questions for hours of good, healthy fun.

There are so many different ways to incorporate a trivia game into your virtual retreat, that, with a little creativity, we’re sure you’ll find the right fit for your team and your event.

10) Brainstorming

When the majority of your employees are part of a distributed team, it is difficult — if not impossible — to brainstorm solutions to problems.

Use your virtual retreat to remind all your remote workers just how powerful a tool brainstorming is.

Come up with a topic, break into small groups, and challenge attendees to work together to come up with a solution.

Reconvene as one large group and designate individuals to present their group’s solution to the rest of their coworkers.

Virtual Retreat Ideas Done Right

Another fundamental piece of a productive virtual retreat is the space from which you run said event.

The best option is to conduct all your virtual retreat ideas from a conference room or professional workspace.

The coworking spaces at Bond Collective are the perfect places to make your virtual retreat ideas manifest.

Bond Collective provides everything you need to host your next team gathering:

• Conference rooms

• Private offices

• Private meeting rooms

• Private phone booths

• Fast, reliable WiFi and Ethernet connections

• Unlimited black and white printing

• Access to other portfolio locations

• And other industry-leading amenities

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, California, Tennessee, and Texas. Or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer.

And while you’re at it, schedule a tour to experience first-hand how the boutique work environments at Bond Collective can benefit your business.

By Bond Collective Staff

Searching for a way to maximize your team’s productivity? Consider integrating hoteling into your workflow.

The popularity of hoteling has been on the rise lately as businesses of all types and sizes discover its many benefits.

But what exactly is hoteling? And how can your business take advantage of this unique trend?

We discuss those questions and everything else you need to know to make the right decision for your team and your business.

What Is Hoteling?

Hoteling is a seating arrangement wherein an employee reserves a specific desk for several days, weeks, or months. The employee then has exclusive access to that desk for the duration of their booking.

The hoteling seating arrangement gets its name from — and is very much like — the process of reserving a room in a hotel for your exclusive use.

In fact, hoteling and making a reservation in a hotel share many of the same processes and procedures.

For example, when you reserve a hotel room, you can customize the size of the room (single vs. suite), the number of people it will sleep (queen-size bed vs. king-size bed), and how long the room is yours.

The same applies to the hoteling arrangement in your business. Employees can request a single desk, a group of desks together, or even a suite of private offices for a specific period of time.

All of this — both the work seating arrangement and reserving a room in a hotel — is, of course, dependent on what is available when you need it.

If you need three desks two weeks from now and there are only two desks available at that time, you’ll have to decide whether to take what’s available, look somewhere else (in the case of coworking spaces), or try another time frame.

If you’re using this arrangement in your own office space, you’ll have to decide how to move things around to accommodate the needs of your team.

To understand hoteling better, it helps to compare it to other common business seating arrangements. We’ll do that in the next section.

Hoteling Vs. Hot Desking Vs. The Traditional Office Model

The traditional office model hit its stride in the latter half of the twentieth century and revolved around assigning each team member their own workspace (usually a cubicle or small desk) based on what was available on their first day.

Employees worked from these assigned desks until they moved to a different position or department, they left the company, or HR rearranged the furniture.

The shift from the traditional office model to the coworking office model in the early part of the 21st century introduced a new kind of workspace allocation: hot desking.

In hot desking, workspaces are occupied on a first-come, first-served basis. Desks, tables, and chairs have no permanent “owner,” and workers use whatever is available that fits their needs.

Hoteling takes the hot-desking (first-come, first-served) concept and makes it a bit more permanent.

While this may seem like somewhat of a return to the traditional office model, it’s actually very different.

The traditional office model allowed for little variation in an employee’s workspace — their first desk was usually where they remained (sometimes for years) until they were promoted or they left the business.

With hoteling (and hot desking), there is much more opportunity for team members to change places, get a new perspective, and be inspired by the office around them.

At the same time, hoteling offers a slightly more stable option than the open office concept embodied by hot desking.

Benefits Of Hoteling

1) Improved Collaboration

Hoteling allows members of the same team to reserve suitable workspaces in close proximity (often adjacent) to one another.

Working in the same vicinity facilitates teamwork and collaboration while, at the same time, forging bonds between coworkers that survive even after they switch to more distant desks.

This arrangement isn’t always the best option for large teams — a private office or suite would be better in that instance — but groups of two or three can usually set things up so that they can work together in a coworking environment.

2) Control Over Work Environment

One of the main benefits of hoteling is that your team members have more control over their work environment. It allows them to reserve a specific space for any length of time.

So, if they know that they’re going to need two weeks of intense focus to start a project on the right foot, they can reserve a quiet, out-of-the-way desk for that period of time.

They’ll gain a valuable sense of security and stability and not have to worry about where they’re going to sit when they arrive at the office. Their desk will be open and available regardless of the time of day or night they choose to work.

3) Support For Remote Team Members

Remote team members are often neglected when it comes to the office seating arrangement because they normally work from home, a satellite office, or another location.

The lack of an adequate place to set their laptop may deter them from ever coming into the office to work with their team face-to-face. That can harm team unity.

Hoteling allows off-site and distributed team members the opportunity to reserve a desk of their choice when they know they’ll be in the office and makes them feel more like a part of the group.

4) Lower Costs

Modern office spaces require a lot of capital to maintain. Furniture, decor, technology, repairs and maintenance, cleaning — these costs add up quickly and can put a serious dent in your bottom line.

But when you set up hoteling in a coworking space such as Bond Collective, all of the infrastructure and overhead is taken care of for you.

Your team can walk in, find their reserved desks, focus on their work, and then leave for the day.

They don’t have to worry about changing the toner in the copy machine or restocking the snacks in the refrigerator — all for a low monthly fee that is considerably less than you would pay if you maintained your own office.

5) Enhanced Productivity

Productivity is, in large part, about motivation. And motivation can change for better or worse without warning.

Hoteling, whether in a collaborative workspace or your own office building, helps maintain a more positive atmosphere that lends itself well to enhancing your team’s motivation.

Positive atmosphere and motivation of this type can inject new life into your team’s productivity and help them maintain it at high levels for longer.

6) Flexible Workspace

Flexibility — in all aspects — is an essential characteristic of a successful business. That’s especially true when it comes to your team’s workspace.

One month your business is humming along with 14 employees, and the next you suddenly need double that. Then, a few months later, your business could handle even more team members (or it may need to go back to 14).

One of the many nice things about hoteling is the ease with which you can expand or contract your workspace footprint.

Start with 14 in September, expand to space for 28 in November, then continue to expand or contract as necessary from then on.

Hoteling makes upsizing or downsizing easier than ever.

How To Set Up Hoteling For Your Team

The simplest and most cost-effective way to set up hoteling for your team is to partner with a coworking space in your area.

Bond Collective, for example, offers hot desking, hoteling (dedicated desks), conference rooms, and even private offices (or suites) in all of their beautifully decorated work environments.

With Bond Collective, your business will have the space to take on any job, large or small.

Bond Collective also offers industry-leading amenities you can’t get anywhere else, including:

• Lightning-fast WiFi

• Photo and sound studio (Gowanus only)

• Guest reception and greeting

• Regular on-site cleaning

• Mail service

• Complimentary beer, coffee, tea, water, and fresh fruit

• Other food and beverages for sale

• Office showers with towel service

• Bike storage

• Rooftop lounge area

• Mothers’ rooms

• Pet-friendly environments

• Curated and networking events

Whether you’re a solopreneur, an entrepreneur, a digital nomad, a startup, a small business, or a team of 100 or more, Bond Collective can accommodate all your hoteling needs.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, California, and Texas. Or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer.

And while you’re at it, schedule a tour to experience first-hand how the boutique work environments at Bond Collective can benefit your business.

BC Project Coordinator, Lucas Keefer, recently sat down with Emmett Bragdon-Hess, General Manager of our Bushwick space, to chat about life, work and Emmett (who was just named our March Employee of the Month!) Lucas lives around the corner from Bond Collective Bushwick and has gotten to know Emmet quite well over the last year as a result of the pandemic. Read on to learn how a simple “Easy Bake Oven” sparked Emmett’s creativity, his career and lead him to join our team!

L: What was it like growing up as Emmett? 

E: I was born in Cambridge MA. When I was a kid I used to be really into baking. I actually got an Easy Bake Oven from my parents one year and I loved it! I used to bake all these little cakes and cookies. So in highschool, I took some specialized technical culinary classes and started working at 15 as a busboy for a restaurant in Boston called The Daily Catch. My best friend’s family owned it, really cool sicillian seafood place that’s been around for over 40 years now.

L: Where did you go to school and what did you study? 

E:  I went to college at University of Massachusetts where I got a degree in hospitality and tourism, so when I moved to New York I managed a place called Two Hands Cafe in NOLITA. After that I went on to start two new places from the ground up called Banter. 

L: When did you Join the Bond Collective team? 

E: In November of 2019! It’s definitely a different pace but the whole hospitality aspect definitely carries over.  

L: What led you away from the restaurant industry? 

E: I think I realized that I liked eating food more than I liked making it! I had been working in the industry since I was 15 and I just needed to switch it up. I love cooking and because I was working at restaurants I found myself hating it. 

L: I’ve found that this year with the pandemic that cooking has sort of become a form of therapy, is that the same for you?

E: Yeah 100%. It used to not be therapeutic. It used to be that working in the industry kind of took away this therapeutic aspect for me so it’s nice to have that back. My girlfriend bakes all the time, too, she actually made babkas this weekend. I do more of the cooking. 

L: Is there anyone else in the family or your parents in the restaurant or hospitality industry? 

E: No. I’m actually the only person. My Mom, (I actually have two moms) is a technical writer and the other is a nurse. So it’s completely out of the blue! Also, my friend, whose family owns the restaurant that I first worked in, is one of seven brothers. So for me, growing up in a family of all women, going into this situation where it’s all these guys, I was like holy crap what is this?! 

L: Do you still go back to Boston pretty often? 

E:  I do! My parents actually live in Peaks Island Maine right now. They moved two years ago from Cambridge but I still visit every now and then and it’s always nice going back to see the friends.

L: How do you compare Boston to New York? 

E: Someone once said that Boston isn’t a city, it’s a large town, and I completely agree with that. I think once you think of Boston as a city, you’ll be really underwhelmed. Especially if you’re coming from New York. Also I think that the people are nicer in New York.

L: The pandemic, how did you ride it out? 

E: I mean it was crazy, but then it got really monotonous. A lot of cooking, a lot of baking. I did get on the sourdough wave. I also picked up learning how to edit videos, which has been pretty cool. That was something that’s really therapeutic, if you’re interested in going into granular details. I definitely took a lot of time to reflect. 

L: Have you been particularly inspired by anybody working out of the Bushwick office?

E: Oh yeah, I’ve met tons of cool people! Denise Francis actually is one of my favorite members here. She helps run this company called Foot Soldiers. They offer cleaning and maintenance services for apartment buildings. Her job sounds absolutely relentless, she’s constantly busy, she’s here late at night all the time, but she is always so easy going and chill. She has such a warm smile every time she comes in that it just gets my day going.

L:  Is there a favorite spot of yours or even a favorite office at Bond? Doesn’t have to be Bushwick! 

E: I would say that the little spot at the top of stairs to the roof is the best spot. You can see from the rooftop down into the second floor. Plus with the way that the stairs are designed, you’re surrounded by this glass tower that looks out so you can see the manhattan skyline and the train. It feels like another world!

L: What would your dream workspace look like? 

E: It would probably have easy access to nature. Ideally a beach. Lots of sunlight and minimal stuff. I think it would need to be the perfect amount of stuff to make it feel cozy without being cluttered, but definitely somewhere with big windows and easy access to nature so I can take a walk and get outside.  

L: Is there anything you’re really looking forward to after the Covid era? 

E: Going to the movies. I love going to the movies! Obviously seeing friends, going to dinner and all that is what I really miss the most, but more often than not, if I’m having a down day, going to the movies is just the best thing in the world!

L: What do you see in the coming year or so for your office? 

E: I think we’re doing really well already. We’ve got a great community here. Everyone is super chill and nice. Some of them have had offices in the city and now I think people are more interested in working closer to home without having to work from home. Plus we offer all sorts of flexible spaces, so I think it’s a really good place to come. It’s definitely a bright future! 

L: Couldn’t agree more!

It’s no surprise that we at Bond Collective are taking the time to celebrate International Women’s Day. Not only do we have some of the most talented and witty female members on our team, we also have a strong and vibrant staff that is over 60% female! 

Words: Ashleye Espinal, Bond Collective Community Director

Our small team consists of some of the most independent, passionate, and talented women that I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. They are truthfully one of the many reasons that make Bond Collective the vibrant company that it is, which helps to foster the same atmosphere in each of our spaces. Aside from our day-to-day responsibilities of helping our awesome team grow and become the best they can be, we realize that the foundation of what we do and who we are, not only has a strong female presence behind it, it has women who actively work on lifting each other up and supporting each other each and every day.

Make no mistake, we are acutely aware of how much has changed since this time last year. Looking back, we could not have anticipated all that has changed since then. Women were forced to have two full time jobs while others have been forced to exit the workforce. That’s why today, we are celebrating not only the women of Bond Collective, but those that came before us, the ones standing with us and the women of the future. We open our arms to those women that need that extra push, those extra words of encouragement to feel free in their lives and choices, because if we don’t encourage and uplift one another, we as a whole, will not succeed. Now is the time for us to hold hands, speak up and continue moving forward.

And if I dare say so myself, the future is definitely Female.

Need a daily pick me up? Check out a few of my favorite female driven podcasts below:

Podcasts

– Play It Brave

–  On Being with Krista Tippett

–  What I’ve Learned, with Arianna Huffington

–  Call Your Girlfriend

– Trailercast

– The Lively Show

– Oprah Super Soul

– Beyond My Title

By Bond Collective Staff

Searching for a fun and effective way to engage your employees and encourage team-building? Office games may be the answer.

Teams of all sizes benefit from taking a few minutes out of the workday to come together for a bit of good, clean fun that also serves to reinforce the bonds of cooperation and collaboration.

In this article, we discuss the best office games you can use to create a cohesive and productive team for your business.

Office Games To Engage Your Team

1) Possibilities

Here’s how the game of Possibilities works:

1. Pass a unique item around the group so that everyone can get a look at it.

2. Set a time limit (two or three minutes works well).

3. Give the item to one person and ask them to stand up and demonstrate a use for the object without speaking.

4. At the same time, the rest of the team has to guess what the person is demonstrating and what the object is supposed to be.

5. After the team guesses the correct activity or the time runs out, pass the object to another person and start again.

If you want to make it even more competitive, divide into two teams and award points for correct guesses.

2) This Instead Of That

This Instead Of That is a fun way for your team to exercise its creative muscle on a problem that doesn’t apply to work.

The rules are simple and you can run this office game as one unit or divide into smaller teams for a more competitive feel.

1. Make up a long list of random items and distribute a copy to the team(s). If you want to go the extra mile, assemble all the items on your list in a tote or large crate and present the collection to your team during the game.

2. Present them with a novel situation (e.g., they’re stranded on a desert island, they have to lift all four wheels of a car off the ground, etc.).

3. Then challenge them to pick four items they would use to solve this problem.

4. Ask them to explain what they would do with the four items and why they chose those over the other items on the list.

In some versions of this game, you can tell the team that they have as much or as many of the four items as they want.

3) Silver Lining

This office game helps your team learn how to reframe negative situations in a positive light and trains them to always look for the silver lining.

1. Divide the group into teams of two.

2. Task each group of two with describing a negative event in their lives (two individuals and two events per team). The event can be personal or work-related.

3. Then ask each team to share the same story again from a positive point of view (e.g., what they learned, how they grew as a person, etc.).

4. Give everyone 10 minutes to prepare both versions of their story, and then come back together and share.

For a shorter version, ask for one event from each team (instead of two). You can also schedule time for group discussion after each story.

4) Scavenger Hunt

Among the many office games you can play with your team, Scavenger Hunt is one of our favorites.

Here’s a simple version you can play anywhere.

1. Divide all the individuals playing the game into two or more teams. It’s best to settle on the total number of teams before you play the game so you can assemble enough items for everyone.

2. Hide all the items around the office.

3. Set a time limit (e.g., 10 minutes).

4. Challenge the teams to find as many items as possible and get back to the starting position before time runs out.

5. The team with the most items wins.

There are so many different ways to customize this king of the office games that we don’t have room to list them all here.

Get creative with your scavenger hunt and it will quickly become one of your team’s favorite activities.

5) Puzzle Race

Another of our favorite games is the puzzle race. It’s super simple:

1. Purchase several copies of the same jigsaw puzzle (300 pieces or less works well).

2. Divide into teams.

3. Challenge the teams to be the first to assemble their puzzle.

Award prizes to the team that does it the fastest.

6) Negotiations Office Game

Negotiations is a variation on the puzzle race described above. This time, teams receive different jigsaw puzzles and are tasked with assembling theirs before the other team.

But there’s a twist.

1. Before the game begins, switch a few pieces from one puzzle with pieces from the other puzzle (mark the back so you can return the pieces to the correct puzzle if the teams can’t do it).

2. Tell the teams that they have to negotiate with each other in order to get their pieces back and finish the task.

3. Set a time limit and begin.

Sit back and watch the fun.

7) Top 10 Items

Divide into teams and pose the same hypothetical situation to all (e.g., they’re stranded in a lifeboat, lost in the desert, alone in the wilderness, etc.).

Ask them to create a list of the top 10 items they would take with them.

Go around the room and have each team describe their list and why they would want those 10 items.

Be sure to leave time for discussion.

8) Over The Fence

With rope, string, or — if you’ve got the knowledge, know-how, and equipment — lasers, set up an “electric fence” and task teams with crossing the barrier without touching it.

To make it even more difficult, you could have the teams hold hands or tie ropes onto their wrists so they have to use their heads and work together as a unit.

This takes a bit of planning and time to set up, but the results are well worth the effort.

9) Human Knot

As office games go, the human knot is one of the more familiar. The concept is simple but the execution is hard:

1. Everyone stands in a circle facing each other.

2. Everyone puts their right hand into the circle and takes a hold of another hand.

3. Then everyone puts their left hand into the circle and takes a hold of another hand.

4. The team must work together to undo the human knot without releasing hands.

10) Describe And Draw It

This office game is a variation of Pictionary that everyone is sure to love.

1. Sit two people back to back.

2. Give one person an object.

3. Give the other person a pad of paper and a pencil.

4. The person with the object must describe it without saying what it is.

5. The person with the paper must draw the item based on the other person’s description.

Award points for the most accurate drawing.

Workspace Affects Your Office Games And Engagement

While the office games themselves are an integral part of engaging your employees, there is another factor that affects how your team works together — the workplace.

In fact, the office environment you provide for your employees is one of the most effective ways to foster team unity.

Your employees won’t be playing a game every day — there’s just not time.

But they will be interacting with each other within the space you provide for a good portion of their time at work. That’s where the engagement and team-building truly begins.

If your workspace is drab, uninspiring, or poorly laid out, no amount of office games will raise your team’s productivity past a certain level.

The simple act of basing your team in an inspiring workspace removes all limits and makes engaging your team much easier and more successful.

That’s where the benefits of coworking spaces at Bond Collective come into play.

Bond Collective provides everything from communal work environments to dedicated desks to private offices. You even have access to plush conference rooms to suit all your business needs.

Add to that Bond Collective’s many amenities, such as:

• Lightning-fast internet

• 24-hour access

• Custom build-outs

• Private label mail service

• Daily on-site cleaning

• Bike storage

• Concession food market

• Guest reception and greeting

With all those benefits available at each and every one of Bond Collective’s many locations across the country, it’s easy to see how their coworking spaces draw your team members together in a cohesive unit and give them the ability to succeed at any problem, task, or project that comes their way.

For more business advice and to learn about the advantages of coworking spaces for startups, digital nomads, remote workers, and enterprises of all types and sizes, visit BondCollective.com today.

Words: Brooke Smith

Artwork: Robert Longo, Men In The Cities

I’m sure we all know that colleague that can’t function in a completely silent workplace. Well, truth is, they may be onto something. There are actually many benefits to listening to music in the workplace. It has been proven that music can actually improve your mood, reduce stress, and increase your productivity levels.

Walking on Sunshine

Think about it. Have you ever turned on the radio and your favorite song was on? I bet your mood instantly improved and you started to sing along to your favorite tune. This is because when you listen to music that you enjoy ,dopamine is released in your brain and that chemical makes you happy. The same is true if you put music on while you are sitting at your desk trying to get through a long research project just given to you by your boss. Although you want to be careful not to become distracted by the music, having it on to improve your mood will absolutely improve your work. With an improved mood, chances are you will get through your work more efficiently and with better results.

Now, keep in mind that the opposite can also be true with music. If there is music blaring in your office that you do not like, dopamine will not be released in your brain and you will actually become more irritated. So, with that being said, be mindful of those around you in case they aren’t into your music tastes. Headphones for everyone are definitely the way to go!

Under Pressure

This connects closely with the improved mood because obviously when dopamine is released in the brain and you are happy, this naturally lowers your stress levels. It has been proven that chronic stress can actually lower your natural dopamine production. So adding music into your work day could be a key way for you to add some of that dopamine back into your brain to boost your mood and lower those chronic stress levels. Typically, softer more classical music is great for calming and relaxation, but be sure to be true to yourself when making your music selection so it is something you enjoy.

Takin’ Care of Business

You probably aren’t surprised that with a better mood and lowered stress levels, your productivity will sore. When you are listening to music, part of your frontal cortex is activated, and the frontal cortex of your brain is responsible for your higher cognitive functions, such as problem solving. Therefore, with the frontal cortex of your brain activated, your in a more efficient state to problem solve and be productive with your tasks at hand at work. 

All in all, music can absolutely be a positive influence in your workspace. Just remember to choose songs that you like so that more dopamine is released in the brain, and be respectful of your colleagues around you that may have different music tastes. You wouldn’t want to be the cause of agitation on their end! Also, feel free to experiment with this. For you, certain genres of music might be distracting while others really get you in the zone. Once you figure out the music that gets you in your zone, build yourself a Work playlist and jam through all of your projects! You will enjoy it and your boss will be grateful for the positive attitude and efficiency!