Follow the Yellow Brick Road: Find Your Thrive at a Coworking Space

It’s feeling a bit like Oz around here with Spring in the air in Fairfield County, CT. The weather is beautiful, the forsythias are in bloom, and the crocuses and daffodils are gracing us with their magnificent colors. With over 30% of the local population fully vaccinated, you can feel a new energy at our coworking space as people talk about their plans. They are ready to spring forward, and we are excited to help get things rolling with lots of safe activities as we emerge from hiding like the Munchkins in Oz and continue to build community and learn from one another.

Follow The Yellow Brick Road

Like the Munchkins, many of us are cautiously emerging from hiding as covid restrictions are being lifted. While we wish COVID could be completely wiped out by a tornado just like the Wicked Witch, we are rejoicing with the progress we’ve made so far, after a long and hard year. We see a light at the end of the tunnel. Things are looking up.

We hope that all of our members “come out from wherever you are” to our flexible office space (with social distancing precautions still in place, of course!). It’s the perfect work environment for small businesses and remote employees in need of a part-time or temporary office.

People around Fairfield County are increasingly optimistic.

Recent research, provided by member Todd Scallen, shows that while people may want to return to a more open lifestyle, “the pace of consumer and worker reemergence will be highly regional. The local landscape is influenced by interrelated factors, including working-from-home, distance learning, culture, politics, income, and case counts.” Todd works at a leading location data company in New York that allows for a “hub and spoke” remote work arrangement for employees.

Of course, we also know that with facilities reopening, loosened CDC restrictions and the shift in our schedules can seem a little overwhelming.

“For some, the promise of a return to these spaces is a step toward long-sought sign of normalcy. But others, still hesitant to congregate with people outside of their households and bubbles, are in no rush to socialize so soon — a reluctance that could have significant long-term consequences,” a recent Bloomberg article noted.

Coworking spaces like ours are the ideal solution for your safe workplace, especially as the world opens up. At HAYVN, we are prepared to uphold social distancing requirements, continue to offer virtual office plans and ensure that our indoor and outdoor spaces are work for all levels of comfort and safety.

Not Going Back to the Office Full Time

It has become clear that most people do not want to go back to a strict nine to five office schedule. The flexibility and productivity that so many people have experienced working from home this past year has changed the way we view working at an office.

In a New York Times article entitled “Remote Work is Here to Stay,” we learn that even large companies like Spotify, Salesforce and Target are giving up some or all of their large urban corporate office spaces, and only a small percentage of employees will work in-house every day.

We Need Social Connections

However, working from home full-time during this past year has left so many of us isolated and without the ability to socialize. We are missing chance encounters and small moments of connection with strangers at communal spaces, like coffee shops, the gym or walking down the street.

“Connections with others are a big reason why people pay to work in a communal space, as opposed to working from home for free or renting a nondescript office,” as recently reported in the Harvard Business Review.

“At our coworking space, we are all about building community,” said Felicia Rubinstein, HAYVN’s Founder.

“We’ve been building a virtual community since the pandemic hit and have now grown to almost 200 members. Our team at HAYVN is now working hard to incorporate new programming at our physical location for members as they create the “new normal” by providing a safe, productive and fun environment online and off,” she added.

Activities to Drive Connections

We have planned an array of new activities that can be experienced both in-person and virtually. We are creating events to facilitate new connections, and we are here to assist with planning meetings, conferences or parties for your team or your company.

Here are some of the programs we are most excited about this season:

1. Connect with other coworking members and join us for HAYVN Coworking’s Open House on May 6th. Perfect for those new to Fairfield County, come and enjoy a cup of coffee from Espresso Neat, learn about the local community and meet women like you.
2. Get outside and smell the flowers in bloom each Tuesday for our weekly morning meditation with Maria Allen of BeeBrilliant with a follow-up walk through Sellecks Woods! This is a perfect way to stay on top of your health and wellness practice in the company of others. 
3. Our upcoming HAYVN Half-Time is not to be missed. On April 29th, Elizabeth Ann Stribling-Kivlan, HAYVN Member and Senior Managing Director at real estate giant, Stribling & Associates, will take us through how she built her business, how she sold it to Compass, and what she has learned from the experience.
4. Break bread with us at our Members Breakfast or say Cheers at our socially distanced Happy Hours, and get the latest HAYVN updates and meet our new members! Check our calendar for these weekly sessions.
5. Stay on your business A-game this Spring! For those entrepreneurs who are eager to build their resume and learn new skills, we have a host of opportunities for you. Check out marketing mastermind group, our business workshop series, and our HAYVN Worksprints, offered sporadically throughout the next few months.

Our mission through our programming is to help our members engage in new ways, learn from each other, and blossom like the Spring flowers.

Get your THRIVE On this Spring

Welcome to Oz! Come out from hiding and get your THRIVE on!

“The combination of a well-designed work environment and a well-curated work experience are part of the reason people who cowork demonstrate higher levels of thriving than their office-based counterparts…” concludes Harvard Business Review.

It’s true. We will all THRIVE when we come together, and HAYVN’s curated events and experiences will help you transition into a post-covid world with grace. Join us in any way that suits you as we spring forward into this next chapter at HAYVN.

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.