Staff Training Solutions For Businesses Of All Sizes

Date: Tue Apr 26 Author: Chelliah Nakeeran

Staff training is critical for the success of your business operations. After all, a company is only as good as its employees. Yet the performance of your employees largely rests on the quality of training they receive.

Whilst most companies may not have an issue with their training program, more and more businesses are finding they don’t have the right environment to deliver the program as effectively as they might.

With more companies switching to hybrid working, the space issue for HR & Training Managers has been exacerbated. Office closures and downsizing has meant even the largest firms don’t have the luxury of space they used to.

This poses a problem for training managers on a number of levels. In the first instance, a trainer may not have the scope to book a meeting room for an entire day. Other members of your company will still need to have meetings.

Then there is a question of space. Do you have a room on-site that is large enough to accommodate the number of people you’re training and allow them space to move around?

Another option most training would float is online training. With employees working from home, this may feel like the most logical and cost-effective solution.

But is virtual training really that effective to coordinate, deliver and understand? There have been at least 10 disadvantages identified when it comes to e-learning.

Another issue for businesses is that training new starters remotely doesn’t make a good impression. They will feel isolated, intimated and confused. It’s far easier to train staff in person – especially if they are new to the company.

Fully-Equipped Meeting Rooms

The best solution for a large percentage of HR & Training Managers is to hire fully-equipped meeting rooms. Whether you’re looking for your own staff or you provide external training courses as a service to third parties, BluDesks‘ cost-effective pay-as-you-go facilities provide a solution every time.

The primary goal of a training program is to deliver the material via appropriate formats. That could mean you need an overhead projector, a whiteboard or a sufficient amount of room to conduct role-plays.

Whether you need a meeting room for a small group of five or a large group of 20+ delegates, BluDesks provides a one-stop solution. With a corporate membership and single sign-in, you have access to multiple meeting rooms all over the city you live.

With the capacity to search and find a meeting room that serves the demands of your training program, you will dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes to scour the internet and sign up for dozens of co-working spaces that hire meeting rooms.

The meeting room we provide access to is equipped with adequate power points, projection systems, HV/audio, whiteboards and more. Whether you’re hosting a small training session, workshops, or a multi-day training course for a large number of people, BluDesks provides the staff training solutions with your business is looking for.

How Coworking Space Improves Productivity

Date: Tue Apr 12 Author: Chelliah Nakeeran

Today’s project managers and heads of sales face challenges pulling a distributed workforce together for collaborative projects. Communication and ideas suffer, staff, become demotivated and there is a disparity between cross-functional teams.

The goal for project managers is to focus on the profitability of a project and foster the well-being of your team. A fully-functioning team is more productive which translates into more profit.

In the past year, studies have shown that managers are struggling to meet project goals with remote working teams. There has been a number of reasons for failure, but three of the key factors have been breakdowns in communication, a lack of motivation and incoherence.

On the flip side, a decade of research focusing on the correlation between happiness and success has shown that a happy workforce can increase productivity by 31% and sales by 37%.

Whilst remote working gives enterprises the scope to downsize and cut overheads to invest in other areas of the business, productivity and profits are increased when team members sit together on collaborative projects.

Improve communication

Communication is the glue that holds a project together. Seamless communication is pivotal to promoting creative ideas that tackle complex problems.

More ideas breed more discussions, and ultimately more solutions. When collaborative experiences are coherent and efficient, the team is better equipped to achieve goals and boost productivity.

Brainstorming and exploring ideas are clearly more effective in an office environment. Moreover, a team is more effective when the members are sitting with one another.

Improve co-ordination

Sharing the same office space also makes it easier for project managers to coordinate the project in its entirety. It also saves time having to shoot off emails when you can simply turn to the person next to you and ask a quick question – “how are you getting on with that…” etc.

Projects between cross-functional teams often fail in multi-departmental companies because the team members are confined to their relevant departments and are thus separated.

Companies typically create silos in which IT teams sit in the IT section, sales personnel sit in the sales sections and so on. This is usually due to a lack of space in the office.

With more companies downsizing to smaller offices or dispensing with office premises altogether, renting co-working space is an affordable solution that fosters the well-being of your team members, and the collaborative process and ultimately increases productivity.

Motivate staff

Remote workers report feeling disconnected and lonely working from home. Demotivated team members have a negative impact on productivity levels and can be damaging to mental health.

During the Covid lockdowns, managers were trying to overcome this issue by motivating staff with virtual lunches and virtual coffee breaks. It is clear that the solution is bringing the team together.

Renting co-working space and meeting rooms is a cost-effective way for companies to get the best out of a collaborative project. At BluDesks, we make it managing your projects even easier by giving you access to multiple offices in your area with one pass. What’s more, the hourly rate pay-as-you-go solution means you have complete control over your budget.

Flexible PAYG Office Spaces Provide Hybrid Model Solutions

Date: Tue Apr 5 Author: Chelliah Nakeeran

As we ease into living with covid, UK businesses are pivoting from remote working to hybrid models. According to a report published by McKinsey, 9 out of 10 executives plan to embrace hybrid working.

Last September The Telegraph reported the hybrid model had brought renewed hope to almost a quarter of the companies that expected to close their doors following lockdown.

The upheaval is prompting corporate purchasing departments and facility management teams to find cost-effective and practical solutions.

BluDesks goes a long way to solving problems that businesses face right now – at least on the in-office side of hybrid working. Our flexible pay-as-you-go platform provides businesses of all sizes with easy access to office space and meeting rooms all over the world

Flexible working should offer convenience

Flexible working offers employees more convenience. They said. Flexible working was supposed to offer employees more work-life balance. Oh yes, that old chestnut.

Reports show that the reality of remote working has not quite panned out as promised. Juggling the demands of work and home life in one hand increased stress levels. Burnout followed. Productivity and motivation took a nosedive.

Facility management teams need to acknowledge that individuals take a different approach to flexible working. Everyone has different needs, but all needs need to fit into one model.

Companies that have downsized will face the most problems. Employees that prefer the office environment or cannot concentrate at home and need private space need a solution.

This is where BluDesks trumpets the cavalry bugle. We provide access to thousands of flexible office spaces from one single platform. That means you only need to register once but can book hotdesks, meeting rooms and co-working spaces anywhere you like.

Now is convenience and lends a helping hand to employees looking for the coveted work-life balance.

Cost-effective co-working spaces

Lockdown put the future of 250,000 small businesses in a noose. Thousands of companies are now scrambling to save their business by heavily cutting costs.

Renting co-working spaces has proven to be a life jacket, but not every workspace provider offers cost-effective solutions to corporations. If you have a distributed workforce, you have to pay multiple registration fees to hire hot desks and co-working spaces.

What’s more, most co-working spaces tie you into monthly contracts. This means that you end up paying for office space when you’re not using it. In a time when you need more control over your purse strings, you need a company that really does provide cost-effective solutions.

We don’t insist on rolling monthly contracts. You simply book a desk, private office space or meeting room and let us know how long you want it for. Fees are charged hourly.

In other words, you pay as you go. It’s flexible. It’s convenient. It’s cost-effective.

The single-pass also gives you options. For example, if you assign access to our portal to a handful of users in facility management and accounts you have more control over your spending.

Moreover, we have a wide range of offices to choose from all over the UK so you can choose the amount you are prepared to spend on each level of personnel.

For example, you can assign department and cost-centre codes and different applications forms by employee type which enables accounts to track spending and pay invoices.

If you need flexible working space where you get to control the costs, check out the office space we have to offer and sign-up for a universal BluDesks pass today.

Interviewing In Coffee Shops? Really!

Date: Thu Mar 31 Author: Chelliah Nakeeran

Conducting an interview is something of a trend these days. And as more businesses and start-ups pursue remote working, the trend is likely to increase.

But is interviewing in coffee shops a good idea?

Edward Avila, the vice president of talent acquisition at Alation suggests recruiters to “try to avoid” interviewing in coffee shops.

On the other hand, coffee shop interviews can be a useful pre-screening opportunity. If you’re interviewing for a critical position, a casual chat over a coffee can help you evaluate candidates you would like to move on to the next stage.

The noisy environment of a coffee shop can also help you to determine whether a candidate can concentrate in the vibrant atmosphere of an office. Or evaluate how they operate under pressure in a chaotic environment imbued with distractions.

However, none of these screening strategies actually translate into a worthwhile interview.

How do candidates feel about coffee shop interviews?

Opinions on the topic of interviewing in coffee shops are divided. Some candidates may like the casual approach and a free coffee, whilst others can’t understand why recruiters think it’s a good idea.

Depending on the type of interview you intend to conduct it may not be a good idea at all. As a matter of fact, interviewing in coffee shops may not even be ethical.

Interviews should be private and confidential. Candidates would prefer not to discuss personal things and may feel uncomfortable answering some questions when they know the person at the next table can hear them.

Meeting a stranger in a coffee shop can also create an awkward greeting. In an already tense situation, recruiters invite unnecessary stress and pressure on themselves and on candidates.

Interviewing in coffee shops does not create a good impression

Millennials are known for being choosy about the type of company they work for. They want to know about the culture of a company to determine if the job is a good fit for the lifestyle they want.

When you hold interviews in a coffee shop, you deny candidates the opportunity to get a feel for the environment they will be working in and assess where they will be spending their days.

They do not have the opportunity to see your office, experience the atmosphere or meet the people they could be working with. All these things are decision making factors for some people – especially top talent who will no doubt have more than one job offer coming their way.

It’s worth considering that at the time of writing, the number of vacancies in the UK job market is at an all-time high. With more opportunities open to more people, the onus is on recruiters to make a good impression on the candidates they want to recruit.

Wrap up

Coffee shops are rarely the best choice for conducting an interview. They are fine for casual interviews with a view to assess whether the personality of a candidate is a good fit for the team and company culture.

However, casual interviews should come after you have already interviewed the candidate to assess how qualified they are for the job. And serious interviews should take place in a professional environment.

If you need a private room to host interview candidates, BluDesks can help. We have hundreds of meeting rooms available near you. And they’re easy to book with one simple login and a wide choice of locations.

How Renting Meeting Space With BluDesks Can Help Your Business

Date: Tue Mar 22 Author: Chelliah Nakeeran

The nature of the digital world has changed the way we work. Remote working and collaborative projects with off-site contractors were becoming prominent even before the pandemic.

Companies of all sizes are changing their business models to focus on collaboration rather than individualistic work. As a result, people are spending more time in meetings.

Surveys show that upper management spends around 50% of their time in meetings. Even middle management and operational teams spend more time than they need having meetings.

As a result, there is a shortage of meeting rooms. This has been exacerbated by companies downsizing and switching to a hybrid office. Remote workers spend 25.3% more time in meetings, but there are fewer rooms.

Even with sophisticated booking systems, meetings can run over and you either have to leave the room and finish the meeting with your client elsewhere, or you’re left waiting for the meeting room to become available and you keep a client waiting.

Either scenario is not ideal.

Nor is a zoom meeting at your desk where you annoy your colleagues, team meetings in noisy cafes, or cancelling a meeting altogether because C-suite executives have pulled rank to have crisis talks.

There is another option. Rent a meeting room with BluDesks!

Because BluDesks have multiple options you have more chance of finding the ideal meeting room whether you book well in advance or last minute.

1. Professional Setting

Coffee shop meetings can be okay for one-to-one and a change of scenery. But public places are not good if you’re brainstorming or having a meeting with a group of people. You will also be competing against the noise.

Meeting rooms provided in office settings are usually more appropriate for a variety of reasons. They are quieter, ambient, and fully equipped with video conferencing amenities, whiteboards, plug sockets and TV/audio equipment etc. Some offices even provide refreshments gratis, so renting meeting rooms can be more cost-effective than coffee shops as well.

2. Multiple Locations

One of the biggest benefits of having a BluDesk pass is that you can book a meeting room anywhere in the world with just one registration. This gives you access to thousands of meeting rooms in the most convenient location.

For example. You could meet a client halfway or wherever is most convenient for them. Likewise, if two colleagues are working from home and live on the same side of town, there is little point in travelling to the office to have a meeting when there is an office within 10 minutes walking distance.

3. Privacy

A common issue for people in meetings these days is privacy. You either get interrupted by people popping their heads round the door to check if the room’s free or you’re in a public space.

Renting office space gives you more privacy and you’re less likely to be interrupted – providing you book a sufficient amount of time. BluDesks provide a pay-as-you-go service so you pay by the hour. This makes booking meeting space with BluDesks convenient and cost-effective.

Avoid The Hassles of Booking Meeting Rooms in London

Date: Tue Mar 15 Author: Chelliah Nakeeran

Booking a meeting room in London can be time-consuming. If you’re among the hordes of freelance workers, work-from-home-employees or start-ups that don’t have easy access to meeting rooms in a convenient location, browsing the net is a frustrating waste of time.

That being said, even if you do have access to meeting rooms, there’s no guarantee that booking one through your company’s internal room scheduling software will turn out well.

Have you had any Outlook headaches lately?

If you regularly need space for a variety of meetings, you’re probably familiar with the following scenarios:

You’ve booked the meeting room from 10 – 11. It’s 10:05 and your anxiety levels are bubbling because the previous meeting has overrun and you can’t get in. It’s eating into your meeting time. The anxiety is even worse when a client’s waiting!
You’ve booked the meeting room from 10 – 11. It’s 11:05, you’re frustrated because you’re running the meeting with important clients and need another 15 mins but have to close the meeting room early as someone else has booked the room at 11 and pressing you to get out. All the more annoying because you knew the meeting would take 1 1/2 hours and the space wasn’t available.
You’ve booked a meeting room for 11, but when you arrive, another manager has booked it for the entire day. How did that happen? The room was showing that it was available on Outlook – but the person that booked the room did select the right options to book the “New All Day Event” option. D’oh!

BluDesks can help by enabling meeting rooms to be booked when and where you want – even when all the rooms in your office of fully booked.

Book a Meeting Room on BluDesks

BluDesks has teamed up with hundreds of co-working spaces that offer meeting rooms in London. As a matter of fact, we give you access to over 1500 co-working locations all over the world.

The beauty of using BluDesks is that you can book a meeting room in London that is convenient for you to reach. So let’s say, you experience any of the common scenarios mentioned above. Simply log into your BluDesks account and see if there’s a meeting room within five or ten minutes of your office. There’s a strong chance there will be!

BluDesks also make booking a meeting room in London easy for freelancers, start-ups and work-from-home employees. If you want to impress a client, why not book a meeting room in a co-working space to give your client the impression you run a successful business. Fake it till you make it – every other successful has!

If you’re working from home and need to meet up with a colleague to brainstorm, it might be more convenient for you to meet in the middle instead of travelling all the way to the office.

BluDesks simply removes all the hassle of booking a meeting room in London by giving you access to hundreds of co-working spaces. It only takes a matter of minutes to find and book a meeting room. Plus you only pay for the time you use so it keeps the costs down as well.

Hop on board. Who knows where the BluDesks journey will take you!

Quiet Meeting Rooms – They’re Better Than Noisy Coffee Shops

Date: Tue Mar 8 Author: Chelliah Nakeeran

The workplace has experienced massive upheavals of late. And the ‘new normal” looks set to continue. According to a report published by McKinsey, 63% of businesses plan to continue remote working, either fully or by adopting a hybrid model.

Whilst working from home has advantages for some people, for others, it can be a distraction. Consequently, remote workers looking for a change of scenery by working in cafes.

However, there are arguably more problems in cafes than at home. You’re not guaranteed a seat in a coffee shop and if you connect to the internet there’s no guarantee the connection is stable or secure.

Holding a zoom meeting in a cafe can also be distracting for other people. When there is music playing and the drone of conversation in the background, it’s not always easy for people to concentrate or hear what is being said.

Meeting up with colleagues and team members also throws up the same challenges. For example, it’s common for regional sales teams and operations staff to hold meetings in cafes – only to find they’re too crowded, noisy and messy.

Staying focused in a cafe is fine when people are working on their own. It’s easier to turn your attention towards your work and shut out background noise when you’re on your own. But trying to listen to what someone is saying when there are conversations on surrounding tables vying for attention challenges people’s ability to stay focused and connected.

Book quiet meeting rooms

If cafe-based meetings are not working out for you, why not book a quiet meeting room in a co-working space. With BluDesks, you can book a wide range of meetings room all over London, the UK and the world in a matter of clicks.

With a network of co-working spaces offering affordable meeting rooms all in one place, finding a meeting room in a convenient location is simple. It takes a matter of minutes to find, choose and book a meeting room through our website or app.

There is also a wider choice of meeting rooms to accommodate all types of meetings. We have small meeting rooms for one-to-one or brainstorming in small groups or large meeting rooms that enable you to fit in the entire team.

If you’re hosting clients or delivering a presentation, you will be able to find meeting rooms in London that are fully equipped with whiteboards, projectors, TV/audio equipment and various sockets.

BluDesks also provide a flexible service that keeps your budget in mind. You can book meeting rooms by the hour so you only pay for the time you use them.

Our pay-as-you-go and meet-up anywhere model has proven to be highly popular with businesses that deploy distributed workforces. It’s convenient, cost-effective and constructive.

With a single BluDesk Pass you have access to over 1500 meeting rooms the world over, and hundreds of quiet meeting rooms in London. Check out the meeting rooms you can choose from here and book a quiet space for your next meeting today.

3 Problems Hybrid Models May Face Booking Meeting Rooms

Date: Tue Mar 1 Author: Chelliah Nakeeran

Working from home proved pretty popular during the pandemic. According to one study, nearly half the UK’s professional workforce want to continue with flexible working in the post-pandemic era.

And that’s exactly what is happening. According to the Office of National Statistics, 85% of businesses intend to pivot to a hybrid model. But flexible working is not without its challenges.

Throughout the pandemic, the issues experienced due to lack of human interaction and in-person collaboration was well documented. Now employees are returning to the office, people are also facing drawbacks with holding meetings or booking a meeting room.

Here are three key issues.

1.Insufficient facilities at home

Not everyone’s home environment is suitable for meeting. For people living in rural areas, a poor broadband connection can be an issue. A bad connection is disruptive and frustrating for everybody listening to you sound like Norman Collier (one for the younger generations there).

A more common, and arguably more annoying issue, is background noise. How many times have you been in an important meeting when your three-year comes crashing in pretending to be a power ranger or the cat walks across your keyboard and blocks your camera?

Yeeaaah…we’ve all been there.

2.Emergency meetings are a no-go

Sometimes you need to call an impromptu meeting. Start-ups, in particular, can hit a snag that needs immediate brainstorming. If your team of collaborators are not all in the office, you can’t simply call an emergency meeting. Even if you are all in the office, there may not be a meeting room available.

This is where BluDesks rises out of the water like the sword Excalibur. If one of your team members is faced with the problem in scenario one or there are no meeting rooms available, you can book a nearby meeting room in a matter of minutes on the BluDesks website or app.

3.The meeting rooms are too small

Companies pivoting to a hybrid working office have been taking advantage of co-working spaces in London to cut down on overheads. The convenience is great – until you book a meeting room that’s not big enough to accommodate everyone.

It can work the other way around as well. Small groups occupy a large meeting room because it comes fully equipped with a digital whiteboard or TV screens that are ideal for video conferencing.

BluDesks gives you access to hundreds of fully-equipped meeting rooms in London. They are easy to book and give you the option to book a meeting room that is the ideal size for your needs.

What’s more, you can book a meeting room anywhere in London – or the world for that matter. We’ve teamed up with a network of over 1500 co-working spaces so you can conveniently book meeting rooms wherever you are.

Our business model is also designed to help you save costs. We charge affordable fees and you only pay by the hour. The minimum booking is one hour, but you can book the same room all day, all week or all month if that’s what you need – providing you get your booking in first of course.

Avoid problems when trying to book meeting rooms. Sign up to BluDesks today and access hundreds of co-working spaces with meeting rooms near you.

Feeling Lonely And Isolated Working From Home?

Date: Tue Feb 22 Author: Chelliah Nakeeran

Working from home has been called “a recipe for loneliness”. Several studies reveal that feeling lonely and isolated can have a negative impact on mental, physical and emotional health.

Mind.org notes that some studies have shown that losing the social contact you had in the workplace can harm your mental health. When people feel isolated, they feel lonely which plays into their state of mind.

People that don’t feel part of a group or that they belong, are most prone to developing mental disorders. At the very least, people don’t feel the relationship with their colleague has any meaning – and that can disrupt the rapport and harmony among colleagues.

During the lockdown, reports of waning mental health reached a peak. And researchers think the estimates are conservative. The most common disorders of loneliness are anxiety, insomnia, digestive problem and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Loneliness could even lead to depression which will make you become even more isolated because you don’t have the motivation to go out and socialise with your friends.

One study published by Brigham Young University showed that a lack of social connection also increases health risks in smokers – because they use more cigarettes – and can also lead to alcohol abuse.

Company makes you more creative

People are more creative when they interact. Even a casual chat around the water cooler can trigger a spark of inspiration or stroke your emotional wellbeing.

Who can forget Marissa Mayer recalling remote workers back to the Yahoo office because she believed the small interactions colleagues have can lead to the biggest ideas. If you want innovation, you need interaction.

Multiple studies show that when people get together they are more creative because they inspire one another. But creatively works best when employees are given the flexibility to collaborate with colleagues and be given alone time to process.

There is little doubt that creativity in the workplace leads to positive outcomes, increased job satisfaction, less absenteeism and better talent retention.

Co-working spaces and meeting rooms

Companies that have taken the decision to work remotely should take advantage of co-working spaces to bring your team together. Because you can rent flexible co-working spaces and meeting rooms by the hour, you can manage your budget and your time more effectively.

With BluDesks, you’re not limited to one location either. We have co-working offices all over London (the world actually) and don’t tie you into long-term contracts.

We find that modern businesses prefer flexible arrangements because it allows their employees to meet up and collaborate where and when they like. Some people use our services just to hang out with their workmates to prevent feeling lonely and isolated.

With the growing focus on mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, co-working spaces provide businesses of all sizes with a cost-effective opportunity to show your employees how much you care and appreciate them.

Booking co-working spaces or meeting rooms are straightforward. And with a BluDesks pass, you have access to over 1500 co-working spaces all over the world all in one place. Why not take a look.

Moving Your Cost Structure Needle with Hybrid Working

Date: Tue Nov 2 Author: Chelliah Nakeeran

With workforces spending far less time in the office than ever before, there is simply no need for the large and expensive office spaces that many businesses manage.

But when considering ad-hoc needs for additional space, and issues of cultural and work practice, is it realistic to embed this strategy and the significant potential cost savings into next year’s Annual Operating Plan and Budgets?

With strong leadership to drive coherent work practices for Hybrid Working. And with access to real Flexible Workspaces, the answer for most organisations is ‘yes’.

It is significant

Current (indicative example)	Hybrid	Saving
150 desk-office in Central London at 1 desk per employee & 2-3 meeting rooms	Employees work in the Office for team culture / building for 1 day per week -> 30 desk office & 1-2 meeting rooms	Employee morale Carbon footprint Administration
Annual cost at £500-600 per employee per month: £ 1 mn p.a.	Approximate annual cost: £ 200,000 p.a.	Space saving: £ 800,000 p.a.

It is feasible

Hybrid Working: The lockdown proved that managers in most organisations can modify work practices to adjust for home working. The end of lockdown therefore brings with it the realization that home working can be blended with the benefits of office working into Hybrid working arrangements.

Real Workspace Flexibility: Ad-hoc needs for workspaces that result from downsized offices can be met without spending a significant amount of the office space cost savings. For example, BluDesks solutions include high quality meeting rooms and coworking spaces on a PAYG basis throughout the UK from just one-hour upwards (without any call for monthly commitments).

What next?

BluDesks would be more than happy to speak with you. Please drop a line to us at hello@bludesks.com for any enquiries.

Or visit our website at: Remote Working Corporate Membership | Pay-As-You-Go| BluDesks