“Professionals have a lot of choices in how they work these days. Not only is the workplace environment changing, remote working is also popular. Employees now have the choice to come into work for a traditional day at the office or check into one of the many established coworking spaces in their city. It presents an important choice, which in turn prompts a moment of introspection.” shares Tamara Sheehan, Director of Business Management at SpaceIQ.
Back to the Office vs. Trying Something New
When making the decision to go back to your old office or test out a coworking space, there are many factors you need to consider like your commute, flexibility, networking opportunities and access to meeting rooms, fast wifi and more. The benefits of coworking spaces are endless because they offer the flexibility, low commitment and ease that most traditional office spaces don’t.
Here at HAYVN, located centrally in Fairfield County, we go beyond what a normal coworking space offers giving our community access to enhanced amenities like virtual office services including a professional mailing addresses and package handling, a calendar filled with events (both in-person and virtual) and networking opportunities and incubator programs as well as educational content via HAYVN HALFTIME webinars and our newly launched podcast. Since our opening in 2019, we have focused on supporting women throughout the stages of their career, offering support in launching and growing their business. We also recently became a certified B Corporation and CTNEXT partner and are dedicated to maintaining a sustainable environment for our members to thrive in.
Are you looking for a change from your work-from-home situation or not ready to go back to the office full-time? Here are 10 reasons why we believe coworking spaces are the way of working in the future and how HAYVN can be the answer for you.
1) Flexibility Is Key
Have you ever needed to work but found it impossible to focus with the distractions in your house? Coworking is key for these types of situations. If you are a member of a coworking space close to your home, you have the option of heading into the space for a few hours on a Saturday in your casual clothes and grabbing a cup of coffee in the kitchen while you work. With a dedicated desk or private office membership at HAYVN, you have access to our building 24/7 so you can come and go as you please. For entrepreneurs, the ability to access their workspace at any time and have some peace and quiet, is essential to growing their business. As a member, you have the option to add HAYVN as your business address, and some plans allow you to establish your business on Google and become more discoverable.
For our coworking members, some of our membership levels offer credits to use on meeting room space rentals if they have an important client meeting and the option to book a Zoom Room for an hour or reserve our Podcast Room to record your next episode. We also offer day passes at a discount as options for people who have a coworker visiting and need to work out of our space for the day!
2) Safety First
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers who previously commuted into their offices were told to work from home. With their employees’ safety in mind and having seen the benefits of remote work, many offices are shutting their doors indefinitely or are moving to a hybrid work week. But what to do if you don’t have a home office or find yourself needing the structure of leaving the house to work? Coworking spaces offer a great solution to this problem and have been implementing safety precautions to get you back to work safely. HAYVN has been a Safe HAYVN for our community to work, network, learn and grow. We implemented new technology and adopted the most up-to-date regulations to make it safe and easy to work with team members outside of your home or office.
For those members who prefer to stay home, we have created an array of virtual offerings including our popular HAYVN HALFTIME events, virtual business summits, happy hours, meditation classes, and more. As the world continues to evolve, we know that HAYVN will continue to offer our members whatever they need in the safest way.
3) People Crave Community
Working from home can be isolating. Many people who work at coworking spaces say that the access to a community of like-minded individuals is one of the great perks of being a member at a coworking space. There are so many opportunities to network and build your community with a wide range of individuals, interests and personalities making up our membership. Our coworking space is a community – not just a place to check your email and answer calls, we also encourage a tightly-knit network where members exchange ideas, encourage and advise one another.
Our communal facilities, such as our kitchen, open lobby, fitness center and outdoor deck, our member breakfasts and Slack channel, enable members to effortlessly mingle, strike up a conversation and meet a diverse array of people. In addition, HAYVN’s member programming aims to support business growth, development, and work-life balance.
4) Entrepreneurs Need Support
The benefits of coworking extend past amenities and membership offerings to include programs and events that help entrepreneurs and businesses thrive. In traditional office spaces, you normally interact with your team and leadership on a limited basis. When you are a part of a coworking community, you have access to a whole network of people ready to help you learn, grow and thrive. We believe in the power of thought leadership within our community to empower our members. The HAYVN Mavens and other programs we offer are devoted to mentoring small businesses and remote employees that make up our coworking community. HAYVN members are lawyers, caterers, sustainability consultants, IT experts, adtech, YouTube influencers, marketing consultants, real estate agents, graphic designers, writers, web developers and more.
If you’re looking for input on a project or you lack a certain skill, you are sure to find an expert on hand. Chance encounters with people from other companies and industries can lead your business in new directions, and unexpected conversations can spur fresh ideas and opportunities.
5) Hello, Easy Commute
Commuting is one of the biggest downsides of working in a traditional office environment. Many of our members previously commuted into NYC before the pandemic. Soon they realized that doing away with their long commute opened up the opportunity to fit in so much more in the mornings or at night. As a Fairfield County resident, HAYVN’s location is a huge plus, located directly off the highway, one mile from the Darien Metro North train station and in between major towns like Stamford and Fairfield, CT.
6) The Perks!
Here’s where the fun begins. When coworking first began to pop up, the culture was known for being more fun than the traditional office space. Many coworking spaces got a bad rap for being “bro-like” and male dominated. At its inception, HAYVN was created to cater towards women looking for a comfortable space where they could connect, create and get stuff done. We offer an array of services and amenities – for both men and women – to keep you comfortable, productive, safe, and inspired. Our amenities are available to enhance the work experience, reduce barriers to success, and help HAYVN members achieve their goals. We provide high-speed internet, free printing, professional mail and phone service access to professional business counseling from HAYVN MAVENS if you ever need some expert advice.
You will also always find complimentary snacks and refreshments from our local partners. HAYVN members also get access to meditation walks, our fitness room, massage and yoga, a monthly book group and cooking classes.
7) Work/Life Balance
One of the major benefits of working away from home, even a few days a week, is that it helps maintain a work-life balance many of us have lost when the pandemic hit. While working from home may sound enticing, many people find that the lines between work and life begin to blur when they are constantly jumping in between work calls, cleaning up the house and being interrupted by animals and kids.
Staying at home and working from home may sound great, but it can get tough if there are limitations on conducive workspaces. In an effort to help members who are looking for a more flexible office option, we launched our part-time private office membership this summer. This membership option is perfect for the working parent who doesn’t need full-time office space but is looking for a quiet and private place to work a few days per week. Coworking is the perfect solution if you are looking for an option to work as efficiently as possible without the long commute or overhead of renting an office space.
8) Up Your Professionalism
Worried that working in a coworking space limits you from hosting clients in a professional space? Members feel a sense of pride when inviting their clients to meet them at HAYVN. Our space is safe and impeccably designed with beautiful art from the Rowayton Arts Center on our walls and furnished with ergonomic furniture throughout the seating areas and meeting rooms.
Our meeting rooms feature large screens, white boards, and state of the art technology. Our staff is on hand to help you get set up and greet all guests, offer coffee/water/tea and alert you upon their arrival.
If you are a new entrepreneur needing help making your business more professional, you can attend one of our headshot day events to get a new headshot for your LinkedIn profile or meet with a Maven marketing professional to get a business card produced. Or you can pitch your business during our HAYVN HATCH event or get advice from one of our HAYVN Mavens. Needless to say, HAYVN helps make you and your business look good.
9) Customer/Client Acquisition
One of the best perks about working at a coworking space is the chance to meet new people. With so many members working in all different areas of business, there is an endless amount of opportunity to broaden your professional circle, gain business advice and have the chance to potentially meet new clients and customers.
Connecting members is part of our HAYVN Magic! We often find opportunities to introduce new members to current members that we know can help them personally or professionally. Chance encounters with people from other companies and industries can lead your business in new directions, and unexpected conversations can spur fresh ideas.
As a new HAYVN member, you have the opportunity to reach over 100 new people with your business through our First Friday of the month days where a member can be a featured member and promote their business. You also have the opportunity to host a HAYVN Halftime event, get feedback and potentially new clients and customers.
10) New Opportunities for Learning
Who knew that going to work could also be a chance for you to have fun, learn something new and develop new skills? HAYVN’s event calendar is continuously chock-full of our signature, educational and member programs, including HAYVN Halftimes, HAYVN Hatch, classes, Member Breakfasts, Networking Happy Hours, and our Mastermind series, where experienced marketing, wellness, and coaching professionals meet weekly to share information and strategy. These events naturally bring together and connect like-minded individuals.
Whether you attend a class, sit down to lunch with a stranger or attend one of our happy hours, you never know who you could meet. The possibilities are endless.
So if you are considering trading in your traditional office space or home office for a membership at a coworking space, you now know all of the benefits that come with a coworking space. It is no surprise that 40% of workers said they would consider quitting if forced to go back to the office full-time, as reported in this Business Insider article.
HAYVN Coworking
Founded in 2018, HAYVN is a flexible workspace for enterprising women (and men) to connect, create and grow. Along with a vibrant & engaged coworking community of entrepreneurs and business professionals, HAYVN is a business HUB, offering short- and long-term office space leases, meeting rooms rentals, and events to support local businesses. HAYVN is proud to be a Certified B Corporation™ and a CTNext partner. We believe in using the power of business to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy and have met the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. HAYVN’s workshops and signature programs encourage women of all colors and ages and acts as an incubator for developing skills and pursuing funding. HAYVN Launch incubator is a 2021 winner of the SBA's Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC), and the only 2021 winner in Connecticut.
Visit our beautiful safe ‘HAYVN’ in Fairfield County, CT at 320 Boston Post Road, Darien, CT, 06820. Arrange a private tour today, or to learn more about our health and safety response, read through our detailed guidelines here.
