De-densify is the new word in real estate. Businesses who once paid large sums to fit as many employees as possible into an office setting are now looking for ways to reduce the number of workers in their buildings to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
Some organizations’ employees have said they prefer to work remotely or with less staff in the office until health authorities know more about Covid-19. Employers are listening. Recent reports show King of Freight and Signal Theory are each leaving their large office spaces--both after new and substantial renovations--for smaller offices and remote working.
Traditionally, offices supply employees with the tools they need to succeed: desks, computers, Internet, printers, copiers, restrooms, refrigerators, microwaves, controlled access, heat, air, electricity, and, of course, fellow employees. It is easy for business owners to see that most of these amenities are available at their employees’ homes at no cost to them.
But what about the collaboration that takes place at work? We’ve all been on at least one Zoom call by now. And a Google Meet. Perhaps a few Webexes and Microsoft Teams calls too. Slack notifications permeate our toolbars. Aristotle famously said humans are “social animals.” Are Zoom calls, Meets, and Slack exchanges social enough?
De-densifying can take many forms. In the context that we’ve read it, it means for a business to downsize their office or send employees to work at other workspaces. Groover Labs is a smart choice if you’re looking for someplace to host employees so your business can safely follow social distancing guidelines. We have 37,000 square feet of finished space.
Like the offices mentioned above, we provide members with the amenities of a traditional office, but we also manage services like the Internet and utilities so you can focus on your work. Our gigabit fiber is faster than any other coworking space in town. And our Old Town location has more than sixty parking spaces for the exclusive use of our members.
We regularly sanitize common areas, and we’ve installed barriers between seats in our hotseat area. We’ve set up additional hotseats in other parts of the building to place distance between workers as more members come into the building. And we've increased space between dedicated desks and casual seating as well.
Another way to de-densify is for a business to lease a private office or desk at Groover Labs. Our contracts are month-to-month. If six months from now it makes sense for them to return to a traditional workspace, just let us know. We don’t charge cancellation fees. But while you’re here, rotate your staff through your office or bring them into our board or conference rooms for team meetings and other collaborative sessions.
You never know who or what you’ll find at Groover Labs. We’re building a diverse community of remote workers, entrepreneurs, founders, consultants and freelancers in our coworking area. Our vision is for our members to work together to help solve each others’ problems. Perhaps you’ll find a new client, strengthen your network, or come up with the next big idea.
One more thing: Our makerspace will be online in a few months. If you like to make things, you’ve come to the right place. Shop leads are busy fitting out the space right now to open to the public.
If you’d like more information about Groover Labs, contact us here or schedule a tour.