If you were asked to make a list of the biggest distractions at work, it’s likely that email, social media, and unnecessary meetings would top your list. But what about the work involved with running and managing your office space?

Things like ensuring mail is delivered to the correct people in a timely manner, managing supply vendors, and maintaining and continuously updating technology are just a few of the activities involved in running an office successfully. And even if you have team members dedicated to these functions, you still have to manage (and pay) for these team members, which ultimately requires time that you could otherwise spend focusing on running and growing your business. As more and more people move away from traditional office space, they are finding that working in a managed, shared environment includes far more benefits than just flexibility and shared overhead - it includes a reduction in distractions.

Technology And Innovation

Even if you’re not directly involved in the tech industry, it’s still likely your business relies on technology all the same. You can appreciate that pretty quickly the moment your internet or phone service goes down - suddenly work comes to a near standstill as you wait to be reconnected to your customers, vendors, and colleagues. Managing and maintaining your technological infrastructure is therefore crucial and unfortunately oftentimes time consuming. And that’s not even considering the time you’d need to spend staying adequately on top of trends and changes in available service providers and products.

One of the benefits of working in a managed office space is that the technology is not only included but also managed for you. In this setting, there is an entire team dedicated to staying on top of trends, managing tech vendors, and providing quick resolutions when tech invariably breaks down.

Innovation in the office place doesn’t stop with technology. Researchers studying things like the effect of lighting and air quality on health and productivity are regularly finding new ways to increase productivity in the workplace. But unless you happen to be in a related industry or are an office / work productivity enthusiast, it’s likely you aren’t staying on top of such findings. In a managed office space, the company managing your office space is in the industry and therefore far more likely to remain abreast of such innovations.

Managing The Human Distractions

Other people are one of the biggest sources of distraction when working. And while it’s unlikely that we’ll ever find a way to completely eliminate this distraction, working in a managed office space can attenuate this issue dramatically in a number of ways.

First of all, managed office spaces will typically have someone always at reception in order to greet anyone stopping by - whether planned or unplanned. If you have a 2pm meeting and your guest shows up at 1:40pm while your in a deep concentration on a big project, you don’t need to worry about having to break your focus to greet them and make sure they’re settled comfortably until your meeting. Instead, you can remain focused, trusting that the person at reception will see to your guests’ comfort while they wait. Along the same vein, many managed office spaces will offer a phone answering service. With this service, anyone calling for you will be professionally greeted and they will take a message or route them to you depending on your preferences.

Finally, another way working in a managed office space can mitigate human distractions is by having someone available to be the ‘bad guy.’ Even if someone isn’t interacting with you directly, they can still be a distraction if they are being too loud or inconsiderate. In a managed office space, if a situation like this occurs, you can alert your onsite team and they will tactfully address the situation. Being able to avoid such interactions not only equates to fewer distractions but also to less stress.

Supply And Service Vendors

From copy and toilet paper to coffee and snacks, there are a lot of ‘little’ things you need to keep an office running smoothly. If you run out of any of these things, though, it quickly becomes a ‘big’ issue, so tracking inventory, placing orders, and maintaining vendor relationships are all critical tasks. But again, you likely aren’t in the business of running an office, so any time spent on these things is less time you can spend actually working on what matters for your business. Having a team to manage these vendors and to stay on top of supply levels (not to mention ensuring there’s always fresh coffee available) is a simple but compelling benefit of working in a managed office space.

Interested in learning more about what it’s like to work in a managed office space? You can read about what is included with Work Better’s private office membership below or schedule a tour at one of our locations to meet one of our onsite teams of office space experts.