Balancing Work and Wellness

Integrating Wellness into the Modern Workspace

Many people spend most of their day at work, meaning that the workplace significantly impacts their physical and mental health. If the environment is unhealthy, it can cause stress, anxiety, depression, and physical symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and digestive issues. This is often due to poor management, outdated policies, and damaging work culture. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy work environment. They can also promote individual health and wellness. Unhealthy work environments can cause absenteeism, job dissatisfaction, and poor performance. A toxic workplace can reduce productivity by up to 40% and has a 50% higher turnover rate than a healthy workspace. 

A survey by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that 25% of employees feel undervalued, and 50% are unsatisfied with their job. 41% of employees experience adverse health effects due to workplace stress, leading to burnout and other psychological issues. A survey by Comparably found that 71% of employees who worked in a hostile environment reported being less productive. The Professional Centre is committed to creating a healthy work environment. Our health-focused features help individuals balance work and wellness. A supportive and healthy workplace leads to happier, healthier, and more productive employees.

It is then incredibly vital that workplaces integrative wellness programs that support their employees and thus encourage enhancement in work performance and positive workplace culture overall. The key to transforming a toxic work environment into one that is wellness-centred is identifying the common signs that managers and bosses can easily observe, according to Michaela Luyt:

• High levels of stress among employees 
• Increased absenteeism and turnover rates 
• Low employee morale and job satisfaction 
• Unhealthy competition among employees 
• Poor communication between employees and management 
• Lack of recognition and appreciation for employees’ efforts and achievements 
• Micromanagement and lack of trust in employees 
• Discrimination and harassment 

The next step in applying change is to address the various problems and to create encouraging and helpful new policies. The rest of this article will explore how wellness-focused programs and initiatives prioritize their workers and thus cultivate an environment rich in opportunities rather than limitations. We will also examine how the Professional Centre nurtures this incentive within their coworking spaces. 

Wellness at Work: Health-focused amenities and programs at The Professional Centre

A healthy worker is a productive worker. The Professional Centre knows that and works hard to fulfill the needs of the workers who have rented their spaces full-time, part-time, within a meeting room, and even on demand. Their reputation thrives on professionalism and human response to fundamental human needs while being profoundly aware that their offices act as the fertile ground for success. The Professional Centre believes it is crucial to reduce overall stress, which encourages the workers to be accessible to apply their form of creativity and productivity and, thus, increases profitability. Here are some of the amenities freelancers or small companies can look forward to when renting at TPC:

Technology 

A smooth application of workplace technology will help workers get work done. The fastest internet, hardware upgrades, wireless charging, and access to knowledgeable and practical IT support are the best ways to ensure that. Choice and flexibility are essential for modern workers—millennials and Gen Z benefit most from a tech-forward workplace. 

Sustainability

A survey done in 2016 called The Deloitte Millennial revealed that millennials expect their work to focus less on profits and more on purpose. Workspaces tailored to have a low effect on the environment in general and high social impact are generally more favoured. A sustainability program is a great way to enhance a worker’s desire for something meaningful, enhancing their work consciousness and productivity. 

Accessible Food Options

According to Nielsen research, Gen Z and the millennials prioritize healthy foods within the workplace more than any other region. A variety of food options and amenities to help prepare sed food will aid the workers in keeping in good health and good spirits. 

Purpose Driven Events

The modern worker values meaningful work, whereas older generations were more likely to apply the keep-your-head-down-and-get-home thinking. A purpose-driven workplace will positively impact the employee-worker experience and their sense of satisfaction. LinkedIn’s Purpose at Work Global Report stated that 73% of purpose-driven professionals are satisfied with their jobs.

Wellness Initiatives 

Applying wellness programs and initiatives is an integrative approach to overall workplace health. Some examples of this interaction are weight management programs, medical screening, health education, coaching, and more. The following section will dive deeper into the holistic approach of initiatives. 

Holistic Approach: Physical, mental, and emotional wellness initiatives

Essentially, instituting a wellness initiative integrates a company’s employees’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Employers are now aware that there are more problems for an employee to deal with outside of physical limitations, like financial strain, mental health problems, and relationship issues. The holistic approach doesn’t necessarily seek to remedy all of these issues within the workplace but is applied with the awareness that if a worker is well, they will perform well.

Here are some examples of employee wellness programs that have successfully boosted employee satisfaction and well-being:

• Flexible Work Hours: Everyone has something going on in their lives, whether it’s parenthood, a sick parent, debt payment problems, etc. Younger companies have realized that the old 40-hour workweek isn’t the standard anymore, as it is no longer sustainable. Accepting flexible working hours allows employees to work around their lives so they are not exhausted. It makes more sense statistically that a calm and collected worker will be more productive than one who is not. Raytheon, a defence contractor and cybersecurity company, recognized their employees were concerned about work-life balance. They began to apply the modified workweek, allowing their workers to work hours that fit their schedules. 
• Remote Working Arrangements: Most organizations have some roles that can be handled remotely. The COVID-19 pandemic proved that remote work can be successful, and it is because of this that various studies observed high employee happiness rates. People are less likely to spread illness at work or miss work due to bad weather. That means less stress, and we know now that less stress means more productivity from the workers. Anthem, a health insurance company, has a long-standing remote work program. They have found that remote work attracts and retains the most consistent and quality workers. 
• Financial Education: Financial stress is a burden and a very common one. Providing financial education helps ease this stress. This will aid people of all ages as they learn to budget and plan for retirement. Wegmans is a US-based east-coast supermarket chain that offers assistance programs that help plan for dependent and elder care costs. 
• Give Autonomy: Giving employees decision-making power empowers them and encourages critical thinking. Staff being trained on how to take initiative will continue to do so and, thus, enhance the experience at work. The Ritz-Carlton allows team members the authority to spend up to 2,000 dollars per guest to resolve customer problems. This will empower them to continue making self-directed decisions within the job. 
• Require Work-Life Balance: Workers obsessed with work are less beneficial than they once more. Skipping lunch, fogging vacations, and not taking breaks are bad habits and can quickly brew resentment against employers. Making work-life balance a priority lets workers know that they have value outside the office—guilting them to have a life outside of work will always backfire. Complete Contact, an app developer, has an unlimited vacation policy and encourages workers to take time off when needed. They are so dedicated to helping a work-life balance flourish that they offer a $7,500 bonus for taking time away from work.
• Celebrate Employee’s Successes: Meeting a company’s goals should be a cause for celebration. Acknowledging achievement will incentivize workers to work harder on the next project. No acknowledgment will do the opposite. Celebrations can be parities, local outings, monthly newsletters shout-outs, or press releases. Cisco has a fun fund, where money is allotted for parties and other activities in the name of positive milestones. 
• Offer on-site Fitness Accommodations: Let’s face it, the gym is expensive. So are weights and other machines. Companies in the past would offer discounts at local gyms, but this was only problem moderately successful because most employees had a membership. Offering gym amenities on-site will encourage physical fitness, which aids in decreasing stress and enhances general physical wellness. Give employees time during work hours with policies where they can work out during the day rather than driving somewhere else after work. Finish Line, the athletic apparel retailer, offers an onsite gym, some even with a basketball court.
• Add Collaborative Workspaces: The act of working in close physical proximity to others has been proven to foster engagement and creativity. Allowing a team space to move out of their isolated cubicles to work in an open space and changing their surroundings is suitable for their mental health. Giving options helps, as some workers need to work better in collaborative spaces; the choice is vital. Citibank has started using collaborative workspaces, as does Google, when working on shared tasks. 
• De-Stress Activities: Reducing stress means finding a way to release that dress healthily. Classes in yoga, meditation, tai chi, and even deep breathing are ways to boost engagement and reduce stress all at once within the workplace. Hopefully, the work environment doesn’t stress out the employees, but some parts of their lives are likely stressful. Prioritizing mindfulness and these de-stressing techniques shows employees that their company cares—Wegman’s offers on-site health and wellness screenings and customized yoga plans that are available to all members. 
• Parent Coaching and Support: Parenting is stressful. Offering parent coaching keeps employees happy in their home lives, which will make them more engaged and content within the workplace. Culture Amp has an ERG camp called Camp Carebears, which empowers employees with caregiving responsibilities. 

Future of Wellness: Expanding Health Initiatives in Coworking Spaces

The future wellness resides within the coworking spaces as hybrid and completely remote companies seek out spaces for their workers to collaborate. Taking care of your mental and physical health is becoming more accessible as companies, including coworking spaces, prioritize the well-being of people renting their spaces. The global wellness market is worth over $4.5 trillion, according to Optix. 

While permanent offices and workspaces may offer onsite amenities, so do your coworking spaces. These spaces, such as The Professional Centre, will either incorporate elements of health and wellness into their offerings or at an additional cost. Here are some examples of some of the most popular coworking amenities that are offered within these spaces:

Incorporated offerings in the space (included as part of a membership and incorporated into the cost)

• Standing desks
• Lots of natural light
• Air-filtering plants
• Filtered water on tap
• Alpha wave soundtracks or soothing music
• Complimentary healthy food and drinks

Wellness offerings are available at an additional cost

• Morning yoga or fitness classes
• Registered massage therapist on-site
• Mental health counselling on-site
• Infrared sauna booking is available
• Health and wellness-focused events
• Smoothie bar or vegan café on-site

Creating a wellness-focused workspace is a business-savvy choice, whether you are in a coworking space or a full-time office. There are several ways that business owners and entrepreneurs can benefit from choosing a wellness model: 

1. Differentiate yourself from other spaces
2. Develop a community of like-minded individuals who share similar values
3. Create additional revenue streams with add-on amenities
4. Charge a premium for pricing of incorporated offerings
5. Create a space that is on-trend and in-demand
6. Improve member retention

Centering wellness within the workplace is a modern approach, but it has been proven to be maximally beneficial to both employers and employees alike. According to Gitnux, companies with workplace wellness programs report a 66% productivity increase, a 67% increase in employee satisfaction, a 63% increase in financial stability, and a 50% decrease in absenteeism. The choice, then, seems obvious. 

Located in the heart of Toronto’s downtown financial district, The Professional Centre (TPC), is committed to aligning evolving work dynamics with high performance teams and professionals.  Become a member at TPC to increase employee performance, wellness and satisfaction while enjoying the vibrancy of a community that thrives on innovation and collaboration. Explore TPC’s holistically designed and flexible workspace solutions here. 

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Bridging Minds: Navigating Mental Health in a Digitally Evolved Workplace

The Interplay of Mental Health, Public Speaking Fears, and New Work Dynamics in the Post-Pandemic Era

In March of 2020, the entire world was put on pause. Something unprecedented happened, and we were all forced to move into our homes 24/7 due to a worldwide health emergency. It was a source of great anxiety due to job uncertainty, anticipatory grief, and increased depressive episodes. Even before the pandemic hit, at least 500,000 Canadians were missing work due to mental illness each week, and it was the leading cause of disability in the country. 

The prevalence of the two most common mental health issues (anxiety and depression) continues as of 2023. Specific populations felt the sting more, such as those experiencing job loss, who reported symptoms of anxiety/depression at a 53% increase. An unpredictable future brought on a new wave of mental health issues, for both adults and children alike. The COVID-19 sickness and accompanying strains also gave people psychological symptoms, such as brain fog, anxiety, and depression, and are on rare occasions, seizures and suicidal behaviour. This also goes for long-term health complications from COVID-19 (long COVID) and post-traumatic symptoms of dealing with COVID-19 in hospital settings. 

With mental health issues having steadily risen since 2020, the workforce continues to be altered and affected we are left with one crucial question: what now? And what kind of impact will these mental health issues have on the workplace?

It is vital now to realize that when it comes to the workplace and mental health during the pandemic, everyone carries a heavy burden of personal memories associated with it. It is an aspect of a worker’s life that can no longer be ignored. All organizations must approach a mental health policy with empathy, flexibility, and support. New mental health challenges compounded by the turmoil of COVID-19 have “rewritten the rules about how, where, and when we work” writes Christina McCarthy, executive director at One Mind at Work in a recent Medium article. “There can be no “back to normal” that disregards employee mental health.”

What that will look like for each industry and organization depends upon many factors. Experts encourage companies, whether remote, entirely in the office, or a hybrid of the two, to embrace the challenges that life after COVID will present. Start with mental health initiatives and open a dialogue with your workers, allowing them to feel more comfortable expressing themselves when anxiety and depression arise.

And, all of these post-pandemic anxiety and mental health issues will connect to one of the most common fears worldwide: the fear of public speaking. 

Many jobs will ask you to present information and/or findings, whether it be in person or over Zoom. For many people, being the sole person speaking and presenting ideas is a massive source of anxiety. A study posted in September of 2023 in fact, stated that around 15 million people deal with glossophobia, the fear of public speaking. 75% of the population of the United States has some kind of fear of public speaking, which means that nearly 200 million people in the US feel nervous when speaking in front of others.  And those with social anxiety, which is 89.4$ of the population, report some kind of fear of public speaking. 

These numbers are relatively high, and it is safe to hypothesize that one of the most common fears in the world increased due to the pandemic. Not only do most workers have new expectations about remote vs. in-person work and have adopted a different work-life balance, but they have also experienced acute mental and behavioural problems. Employers simply have no choice but to respond with empathy, thus altering decades of stigma.

Before 2020, public speaking skills were largely centered around the physical elements of delivery–maintaining eye contact with your audience, taking up space on the stage, and adapting your content in accordance with the response of the listeners. The physical space became, quite literally, virtually stolen away from us once the pandemic hit.  We could no longer physically reply to the cues of those listening to us. We were forced to adapt to a world of meetings that were virtual; the entire landscape of public speaking changed right before our eyes. 

Now, three years later, we find ourselves having to do presentations physically once again, or, continuing to adjust to a more hybrid working lifestyle, where presentations are continuously done through Zoom or other online platforms. Having to return to work in person has caused an increase in social anxiety for many people, some of whom had the disorder before the pandemic, and many of whom did not. 

Let’s talk about the difference between in-person presentations and Zoom presentations. As we have stated, and you likely know personally yourself, being able to present information from the comfort of your own home, versus needing to do it in front of people in person is vastly different. Let’s explore the ways that each can manifest in presentation anxiety.

Zoom Performance Anxiety: A Modern Anxiety Problem

According to Eleni Kelakos, who wrote an article about the growing commonality of Zoom Performance Anxiety (ZPA), several presentations and executive presence leadership coaching clients, old and new, confessed to the off-putting fear of speaking while using online platforms like Zoom. Most clients will say that they experience ZPA when they are given virtual training and featured as the main speaker. They also say that they are hit with anxiety like a ton of bricks when they are asked to unmute themselves to answer a question. All eyes, virtually, are on them; they tend to freeze in the face of it; shutting down emotionally and physically.

All of this makes sense, because Zoom, and communicating virtually, isn’t very natural. Think about it, remember it—most of us have had an experience where technology goes awry while adjusting to communication through a screen or felt strange about speaking to a collection of thumbnail faces, all silent in their responses and challenging to read, any body language. We typically sit at our desks, kitchen tables, and beds, shoo away our children or pets, and try to interact with people who aren’t in the room. That can sound off-putting, even to the most confident person you have ever known. 

So, if you are someone who works from home, or occasionally works from home and still has to do presentations via Zoom, here are five ways you can beat your Zoom Performance Anxiety: 

1. Get Loose: It’s easy to get self-conscious when the camera is on us. And our bodies are more likely to freeze up once we become aware of ourselves being looked at in a way, that as we said before, isn’t natural. It takes work to communicate in a body that is shut down, so you must ensure your body is relaxed before you even begin. Try playing music, dancing around, doing yoga, or stretching. Shake your arms and hands, roll your head around your neck, and tense and release your feet, hands, and hips. Once this is finished, commit to staying loose through the session—some things you can do that are out of the camera frame are tensing and releasing your feet, and gently rotating your hips.
2. Use your Breath to Stay Centered: Your breath is the primary tool to keep your mind from worrying. Mindfulness is one of the best ways to keep yourself centered, through the simple act of breathing. You can start before the Zoom call, after loosening up your body, by closing your eyes and watching (mentally) your belly rise and fall. Mentally, or even aloud, say, ‘breathe in, breathe out.’ Do this until you feel settled. You can also do this during the Zoom call, by pausing and taking a deep breath. 
3. The Camera is Your Friend: We feel that whatever we say or do is being overly analyzed when we speak into a camera, in a very robotic way. To counter this, practice when you aren’t on a call, and look into the camera; not at the screen where you can see yourself, but at the camera itself. Talking to it, like it is your best friend. If you talk to the camera as if it is one person, the entire audience will feel intimate, and at home with your presentation. The more you practice, the more comfortable you are going to become.
4. Invite Active Interaction: This may feel counterproductive, but try it out for one session. Encourage people to stay unmuted and visible. That makes it feel more like an in-person conversation. Break down the fourth wall of the screen by keeping people talking, so you don’t feel like you’re talking to yourself the whole time. 
5. Let go Of the Need to Be Perfect: Many anxious people think they must be perfect, especially when presenting. It is nearly an impossible task to be utterly flawless in every single thing that we do. So, if you want less performance anxiety, know it will be easier to let go of trying to be perfect. It is always going to be a little strange. It feels different, because it is, different. The more authentic you are, the more people are likely to listen.

Now, let’s talk about improving your public speaking in person after years of doing it over Zoom. It is an extreme change, so give yourself some wiggle room. Employers will likely know about your fears, as most, if not all, will feel it as they adjust to an in-person setting (or a hybrid version of it). Stay open and honest with them about it, and you will surely start to feel better about your new reality:

1. Shift your Mindset: The way that we think is going to affect how we feel. That is a proven, scientific fact. Thoughts about how terrible you feel about the presentation, and how uncomfortable you are, will only snowball the anxious feeling. Try to replace these thoughts with more positive affirmations, like “I know what I’m talking about,” “I’m more capable than I think,” etc. Physical power poses in conjunction with this self-talk have proven effects as well.  (A power pose is a certain stance that athletes and professional presenters take that changes one’s body chemistry, inhibits cortisol, the stress hormone, and releases testosterone, which increases confidence.) 
2. Practice Positive Visualization: Visualization is a mindfulness method of seeing the entire presentation going well from start to finish. See yourself entering the room with confidence, taking some time to pause before you start speaking, greeting your audience with firm handshakes, warm eyes, and smiles, and speaking with articulation and passion. When you visualize how things should go in your mind, you are setting up a neural network in your brain that will trigger the moment you step into the situation physically. Practice settling your nerves with deep breathing as you imagine the situation. Then, you can easily apply it when you have to do the real thing. 
3. Take up Space: Get your body feeling confident if you feel small and subdued. There’s a part of your brain called Broca’s area that helps formulate speech and lights up when you use gestures. So start freeing your body, and you will encourage your brain to think of the right words. You can try holding your hands at the start near your navel, rather than by your sides; this will allow the gestures to flow more freely and naturally from the outset. 
4. Read the Room: Reading the room is easier in person than over Zoom. You can see people’s body language when you are in the room, and it can help build rapport. Apply active listening by maintaining eye contact, nodding, and responding with enthusiasm and curiosity. This will show that you care, and if you show you care, they will show they care about you.
5. Record Yourself Speaking: Practicing for a speech will help you get into the rhythm easier than if you don’t practice. Practice aloud, and stick to a timeframe. Watch yourself back if you can, so you can see the reality of how you look, rather than how you perceive how you look. This may mean slowing down, moving around more, or taking more pauses when you need to. 

The bottom line is that mental health needs are at an all-time high, and there are good reasons for that. Don’t feel alone in your suffering or anxiety about presentations; make it known, and expect more from your employers. Your mental health deserves it!

At The Professional Centre (TPC), we prioritize creating an environment where mental health is acknowledged and nurtured. Our facilities are equipped with serene mindfulness zones and state-of-the-art digital communication tools to ease the anxiety around public speaking and foster mental well-being.

Nestled in the bustling downtown Toronto core, TPC offers a sanctuary for professionals to tackle the challenges posed by the digital evolution of the workplace. With the provision to avail tax deductions on rental fees, we provide a financially viable solution for companies and self-employed professionals alike.

Is the digital anxiety of the modern workplace affecting you or your team? Explore our holistic workspace solutions designed to navigate the interplay of mental health and new work dynamics, offering a sanctuary for growth, connection, and overcoming public speaking fears in this digitally evolved era.

Discover our flexibly designed and fully managed workspace solutions.

References: 

https://www.crossrivertherapy.com/public-speaking-statistics#:~:text=75%25%20of%20the%20population%20has,it%20comes%20to%20public%20speaking.

https://covid19.nih.gov/covid-19-topics/mental-health#:~:text=In%20a%202021%20study%2C%20nearly,the%20beginning%20of%20the%20pandemic.

https://theelenigroup.com/2020/06/5-ways-to-beat-zoom-performance-anxiety-zpa/#:~:text=It’s%20near%20to%20impossible%20to,up%20and%20then%20release%20them.

https://blog.londonspeechworkshop.com/power-poses-the-body-language-of-winners

https://blog.londonspeechworkshop.com/how-to-manage-post-pandemic-public-speaking-anxiety

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Hybrid Horizons – Exploring Fluid Work Dynamics

Merging the Conventional Office Sphere with Remote Work

The presence of COVID has in one way or another changed everyone’s lives. The concept of the traditional work environment was flipped on its head, exchanged for a delicate balance between what became colloquially known as the hybrid work model. This means that there aren’t many big enterprises that apply a single model anymore. While some companies continue to thrive under complete remote work after migrating there during the pandemic, you will have difficulty finding an organization that once worked exclusively under an office setting pre-COVID that has fully returned as of 2023. 

The monthly online Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes reported that less than 5% of days were worked at home before the pandemic, rising to a high watermark on May 1, 2020, with fully 61.5% of full-paid working days worked at home, then a decline to 37% by the end of the year and 29.5% by August 2022, holding steady since. There have been changes to work dynamics and culture ever since COVID hit, making both employers and employees reconsider the financial climate around keeping workers remote, moving back to the office, or finding a way to fuse both in harmony. 

The only option left really, is the blending of the two. A workforce where some higher-ups come onto campus a certain amount of days a week, others fewer days a week, while some stay completely remote, means that both a virtual and in-person approach must be applied. Businesses have to adapt to the concept of the physical space as well, which will sometimes host a certain amount of workers, and will sometimes host more for weekly, even monthly meetings. These spaces have to be fluid, adaptable, and cost-effective.

If you are wondering what kind of hybrid options would best suit your operating scheme for your business, you are in the right place. According to Tango Analytics, Let’s review the various forms of the most popular and trending workspace models.

Hybrid

First, all hybrid workplaces will have virtual and in-person options. But there are various ways in which your business can structure that. You may want greater control over how your space gets used to optimize use and/or flexibility to maintain employee satisfaction. That again, depends upon your company, the number of people you have employed, and your work-from-home policy. Make sure you always have enough support of space whether the demand is one single number or it flutters throughout time. All of these differences are defined within the boundaries of either a fixed or flexible hybrid mode:

Fixed

A fixed model of the hybrid model is where you decide who works remotely and when. Your virtual employees may have a schedule for when they work remotely, and when they may need to come into an office setting. There also may be workers who are always on-site. This is more common for companies where roles aren’t able to be delegated to a work-from-home setting, or the workforce is more evenly distributed.

Flexible

A flexible hybrid work environment gives employees more control over their own setting. They may have a number of days to work remotely each week or month, or they have complete freedom to decide what days they come in. It is possible too that they don’t come in at all, due to their own choices. Workers can also set their own hours. This level of work involves quite an amount of variance, as each day will be different in relation to the number of people present in the office.

So now since you know what model you are personally working with it is time to see what options are available as a flexible office workspace. We will dive deep into the various definitions and the physical aesthetics of said workplace, to allow you to explore the options that will be best suited for a free-flowing and conducive environment for productive working.

Flexible Workspace Options and Definitions

You have encountered various words and definitions if you have researched flexible office spaces. Some may sound confusing at first, and oddly similar, but we are here to lay them out for you. First of all, there are three general definitions of the flexible off spaces that each set of aesthetically defined areas will fall under: 

1. Coworking Office Centre: This option offers a creative and collaborative atmosphere. It usually has an open workspace with well-distributed desks, where each desk or group of desks is rented to its own business. Flex work centers can also offer a lounge area and access to meeting rooms and private office spaces, giving employees privacy and autonomy.
2. Serviced Office Centre: This space has open-plan workstations and break areas, but most of the space is usually used as individual offices, meeting rooms, and boardrooms. A serviced office also includes a reception team, support services, and IT, which makes it attractive to companies looking for seamless workplace management without having to commit to renting a permanent space.
3. The Shared Office: This space offers a shared arrangement, where one company rents out its spare desks and offices to other companies, who will benefit from the optics of having a commercial office address. This is the most affordable office center because you only pay a portion of the rent. It is also ideal for businesses needing space to set up and work in a professional-looking environment.

Now, here are the specific individual workstations that fall under the umbrella of the previously explored workspaces:

—Dedicated Desk: This is a workspace that is just for you. If it is an open area, you will share the common areas with other members, but the desk and chair are exclusively for you. It will also usually come with a lockable cabinet you can use throughout the day and the amount of time dedicated to that specific workspace. This will make the desk a bit more expensive than a hot desk.

—Hot Desk: A hot desk is similar to a fixed desk, except you don’t have an assigned workstation. When you rent one of these or a group of desks in an open space, that space can change daily. You will always have a space to sit and do your work, continuing to use the on-site amenities like the meeting rooms, the kitchen, and break areas. Your area will change daily, on a first-come, first-serve basis.

—Private Office: This office is exactly the opposite of the one described above. A private office can range from a single room/office to an entire floor of multiple offices, depending on your needs. It is lockable, and only you as the renter can access it. Private office space is great for confidentiality and security. You can include additional services like mail handling, phone answering, and other administrative support should it be a requirement for your organization.

—Virtual Office: A virtual office provides business support and a reputable address without needing a physical office space. These are great for small businesses needing an address at a cost-effective price. They also work for businesses expanding into new markets, as the address can help build trust with locals.

Now that you know the difference between the definitions of various workspaces, let’s talk about the physical elements of each area and how/who it would benefit most without your company. 

Flexible Workspace Designs

—Shared Resources: Shared resources have the greatest impact on satisfaction within these office spaces. The resources may include fully stocked cafes, comfortable lounges, and open areas where employees can stretch and move around. Regardless of who works where, everyone must be able to have access to them. 

—Breakout Spaces: The collaborative nature of these flexible offices is intentional, but despite that, employees still need the ability to work in smaller groups or work alone. For company morale and mental health, they also need to be able to take a break, away from generally noisy, fast-paced, agile environments. Quiet zones are necessary, allowing privacy for focused thinking and rest.

—Mobility Support: Your employees should be able to work from anywhere, not just their desks. Make sure there is reliable wireless connectivity throughout the building you are using. It would be a bonus if the chairs the workers are using have a power source or a power source nearby so they can charge their devices.

—Activity-Based Workstations: The most effective office spaces are designed to meet the varying desires and physical needs of their employees. Everyone is different.Some may need a simple desk and ergonomic chair with back support, while others like to stand and improve circulation, avoiding sedentary work.

—Flexible Furniture: Furniture that is flexible and movable greatly encourages collaborations. They are more likely to collaborate and brainstorm if they can quickly move their chairs and tables. Look for modular sofas, stools, and a large table that can be used for games during lunch breaks.

—Open Plan Layouts: Flexible workspaces usually feature a basic open connect. On the other hand, long tables with people packed in close is not ideal, especially after the pandemic. Noise pollution leads to work not being done and employees getting distracted more easily. That will ultimately cost your company money. Look for open-space offices with workstations for two to four people, depending on how many employees you have.

The Future of Work Report Findings: Preferences and Challenges

Tango Analytics dug into what matters to the modern office worker in a report published in early 2023. Workplaces worldwide have embraced the remote worker due to a global emergency, which continues today when most of the pandemic restrictions have gone. Productivity increased while work-life balance was of the utmost importance. This concept filled an ongoing conversation about the relevance of the physical workspace and how much it really contributes to workflow.

Here is a summary of the most common preferences and challenges that come from applying a seamless hybrid model of working in 2023:

Preferences: The conflict between employee and employer preferences was explored in a study that Tango overlooked. They asked about how appealing remote work was to entirely in-person employees, how appealing access to company office space was to remote and hybrid employees, and how often employees would ideally like on-site working. Here are the results in summary: 

—All three groups wanted their employer to provide access to an office

—Most employees claimed hybrid work is their ideal model

Challenges: An office is optimized for work, whereas a home or office isn’t. So, a common thread against the argument for office space is that working remotely would only amplify common workplace challenges. Tango asked fully remote and entirely in-person employees to rate common workplace challenges on a scale of one to seven, with one indicating that it was not at all challenging and seven indicating that it was very challenging. Here are the results in summary:

—In-person employees reported having more interruptions and less privacy than remote workers.

—Remote workers reported having a (slightly) easier time connecting with coworkers.

—Remote workers found other workplace challenges less difficult than entirely in-person workers.

It is clear that whether they are shared or private office spaces there is a benefit to the hybrid model of work structure. It is the way of the future and is not going away anytime soon. So, embrace and tailor it to your workers, mission mandate, and industry standards. 

At The Professional Centre (TPC), we are committed to aligning with the evolving hybrid work dynamics. Our spaces are meticulously designed to offer both the structure of a traditional office and the freedom of remote work. From high-speed WiFi to a variety of private suite and open floor designs, we ensure a seamless transition between different work modalities.

Located in the heart of Toronto’s downtown financial district, TPC provides a conducive work environment and opens the gateway for networking with like-minded professionals. Take advantage of our location to lower your operational costs while enjoying the vibrancy of a community that thrives on innovation and collaboration.

Is your organization ready to explore the hybrid work horizon? Embark on a journey of discovery with our tailored workspace solutions that bridge the conventional and the remote, enabling a fluid work dynamic that propels you toward success.Discover our flexibly designed and fully managed workspace solutions.

References:

https://www.yarooms.com/blog/what-is-flexible-office-space-6-flexible-workspace-design-ideas

https://tangoanalytics.com/landing/future-of-work-report-2023/ 

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Work From Home Tax Credit: Everything You Need To Know To Save

How’s that saying go again? Nothing Is certain except for death and taxes? Well as it seems Canadians are no exception to this rule, which is probably why you are here reading this. While the COVID Pandemic brought a lot of negatives there were some positives, one of the notable ones being the shift to a work from home culture that hundreds of thousands of businesses have adopted. This cultural shift has inspired change from a policy standpoint, encouraging the government to implement tax credits and breaks tailored to the modern day work from home professional. So if you are a professional working from your home, whether it may be part or full time, keep reading this article to learn about all the opportunities you have at your disposal.

Home Office Expenses Claim

Over the pandemic the government of Canada released a Home Office Expenses for Employees option for those who work from home. This is a 500$ tax deduction for work from home employees. Below are the requirements and how to claim this deduction.

To claim home office expenses, the following criteria must be met:

• Worked from home during 2020, 2021, or 2022 due to the pandemic (if employer provided choice to work from home, CRA will consider individual to have worked from home)
• Worked more than 50% of the time from home for a continuous period of at least four weeks in the year (2020, 2021, 2022)
• Only claiming home office expenses and not any other employment expenses on line 22900
• Employer did not fully reimburse individual for home office expenses (partial reimbursement still allows use of method if eligibility criteria are met)

Flat Rate Method

To claim the deduction for home office expenses, one must take note of the following steps:

Firstly, the total number of days worked from home in the year due to the pandemic must be calculated and multiplied by $2 per day. Any additional days worked at home during the year due to lockdowns can also be claimed.

It is important to keep in mind that the maximum amount that can be claimed is $400 per individual in 2020 and $500 per individual in 2021 and 2022.

The temporary flat rate method, specifically “Option 1 – Temporary flat rate method” on Form T777S, must be used to enter these amounts, which must then be attached to the income tax return for the year.

Afterwards, the deduction can be claimed by entering the amount from line 9939 on Form T777S to line 22900 “Other employment expenses” on the income tax return.

Lastly, a detailed guide on how to claim the deduction through the temporary flat rate method can be found on the government of Canada’s website.

Detailed Method

If your eligible home office expenses exceed $500, you have the option to claim them using the CRA’s ‘detailed method.’ The detailed method enables you to claim various office supplies, phone service plans, work-related long distance phone charges, and a portion of many of your household bills, based on the percentage of space of your home that is used for your office. The CRA website provides guidance on calculating the percentage of your home being used for your home office.

A portion of your household expenses that can be claimed as an office expense includes electricity, heat, water, home internet, maintenance and minor repairs, and rent paid for your home. Commission employees may also claim home insurance, property taxes, and lease of cell phones and laptops that reasonably relate to earning commission income. However, you cannot claim any of these expenses on your tax return if your employer reimbursed you for them.

Note that you cannot claim mortgage interest and principal payments, internet connection fees, furniture, or capital expenses such as new windows, flooring, or a furnace. If you choose to use the detailed method to claim your home office expenses, you will need to obtain Form T2200S or T2200 from your employer and complete Form T777S or T777 in your T1 personal income tax return.

Using the detailed method requires you to track all eligible expenses, retain documentation, and keep original receipts (credit card receipts are not accepted) for three years.

For more information visit the Canada website.

Can I Write Off The Professional Centre Expenses?

As per Helena Swyter, a seasoned CPA at Sweeter CPA, a firm specializing in accounting services for creative professionals, the answer is a resounding “yes” – you can indeed deduct a coworking membership when it comes to your tax obligations. This renders the rent-based approach of coworking spaces financially advantageous in two distinct manners. Firstly, members have the benefit of cost savings by only paying for the duration they actively utilize the coworking space. Secondly, they can subsequently claim deductions during the tax season.

While numerous expenses incurred at a coworking space are eligible for deductions, such as renting conference rooms, printing costs, or networking event fees, it is crucial to note that the IRS explicitly excludes commuting and parking expenses from deductible items. Therefore, the routine commute from your residence to the coworking space, as well as parking fees incurred at the coworking facility, do not qualify as business expenses and cannot be deducted. However, exceptions exist, as is the case with various tax deductions. If you do not regularly rent space at a coworking office, you may be eligible to deduct the commuting costs from your regular or home office.

Navigating tax deductions requires careful consideration and expertise, and it is advisable to consult with a qualified professional to ensure accurate and compliant reporting. With Sweeter CPA’s specialized assistance, you can confidently optimize your coworking-related deductions while adhering to IRS guidelines, ultimately maximizing your fiscal benefits.

At The Professional Centre, we are dedicated to providing our self-employed and entrepreneurial members with the necessary resources for success. Our offerings include top-notch amenities like high-speed WiFi, keyless access, and 24/7 video surveillance, carefully curated to foster comprehensive growth opportunities.

The Professional Centre, situated in Toronto, Ontario, offers the added advantage of allowing members to claim their rental fees as deductible expenses. This strategic move not only reduces your tax liability but also ensures a more favorable financial position.

To note: This is not professional financial or accounting advice. Please consult a registered professional for any of your accounting needs.

Rethinking your organization’s meeting space or workspace? Discover our flexibly designed and fully managed workspace solutions.

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6 Tips For Presenting That Will Help You Crush Your Next Meeting

Presenting comes with the territory of business. It’s something we’ve been forced into since our early school days and as we graduate into the professional world we see that it isn’t one of those things that just “goes away”. So whether you excel while presenting or dread it, we have a few tips that can make that big showing you have coming up go off without a hitch. Quarterly presentations are just around the corner and we  want to make sure you have some extra tools in your arsenal to crush it.

Strategize Your Presentation Delivery

Once you have established a solid framework, it is crucial to turn your attention towards the delivery of your presentation.

• When delivering a presentation, there are three main approaches to consider: reading from a script or teleprompter, using bullet points to guide your speech, or memorizing the entire talk.
• Reading directly from a script or relying on a teleprompter should be avoided, as it creates a noticeable distance between you and the audience, diminishing the intimate connection and making the talk feel more formal.
• TED generally discourages reading approaches during presentations, as it hampers the overall reception. An exception was made for a speaker who used a monitor discreetly positioned at the back of the auditorium, but the ratings suffered due to the perceived detachment.
• Many successful TED Talks have been memorized word for word, which requires significant time investment in rehearsals. Jill Bolte Taylor, a renowned speaker, memorized her talk after crafting her story, practicing extensively, and delivering it multiple times in front of audiences.
• Memorizing a talk follows a predictable learning curve, often accompanied by a “valley of awkwardness” where the speaker has not fully internalized the content. If delivered in this stage, the audience can sense the detachment and discomfort, resulting in a weakened connection.
• Overcoming the “valley of awkwardness” entails diligent rehearsal until the words flow naturally. Once achieved, the focus can shift to delivering the talk with genuine meaning and authenticity.
• It is important to recognize that not every presentation warrants the extensive time investment required for memorization. Assess the significance of the talk and allocate rehearsal time accordingly, keeping in mind the desired level of mastery.
• At times we don’t have time to pass through the awkward valley of memorization, it is advisable to utilize bullet points on note cards instead. Direct your attention to remembering the smooth transitions between each bullet point, maintaining a cohesive flow throughout your speech.

Establishing a Strong Start

Craft an engaging and straightforward introduction to captivate your audience’s attention towards your content.

Contemplate incorporating a brief icebreaker activity.
A well-placed, tasteful touch of humor, relevant to the subject matter, can prove impactful.

Convey the purpose of your presentation concisely, utilizing clear language devoid of industry-specific jargon, while emphasizing the benefits participants will acquire.

Commence with a natural pace, striking a balance between not rushing and not dragging, to forge a compelling and positive impression. Conclude with a resolute statement that reinforces the presentation’s objectives.

Crafting An Engaging Presentation

When your audience derives enjoyment from and retains your presentation, it is a testament to your ability to deliver it in a dynamic and captivating manner.

• Engage in a conversation with your audience rather than delivering a monologue.
• Effortlessly convey your enthusiasm for the topic, avoiding a sermon-like tone. Remember that the majority of communication occurs through nonverbal cues, so pay careful attention to your appearance and vocal delivery.
• Structure your material in a well-organized manner, while remaining adaptable to cater to your audience. Inform participants whether you welcome questions during or after the presentation.
• Adapt your language to match the knowledge level of your audience, ensuring that unfamiliar terms are defined.
• Select your key points judiciously and reinforce them through compelling examples or anecdotes.

• Encourage audience members to contribute their experiences, using these examples to illustrate essential points or address inquiries.
• Leverage natural gestures and vocal inflections to augment the interest and impact of your presentation.
• Cater to diverse learning styles by employing a variety of instructional methods that appeal to different senses, such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic approaches.
• Repeat audience questions to ensure that everyone hears and comprehends them.
• Guide the discussion back on track if it veers away from the intended topic.
• When faced with unanswered questions, commit to finding the answers and following up with the individuals involved. Alternatively, suggest appropriate resources that can provide the necessary information, or invite suggestions from the audience members themselves.
• Incorporate demonstrations to enhance understanding and engagement.
• Articulate your thoughts clearly and modulate your voice appropriately. Steer clear of speaking too rapidly, softly, or loudly, and ensure that your sentences do not trail off.
• Maintain eye contact with your audience, conveying confidence, transparency, sincerity, and genuine interest. This also allows you to gauge the audience’s response. In larger groups, mentally divide the room into sections and rotate your eye contact among different individuals in each section.
• Employ natural and graceful hand gestures to emphasize key points, allowing your hands to rest naturally by your side when not gesturing. Avoid fidgeting with clothing, hair, or presentation materials.
• Occasionally move to different spots while speaking, pausing briefly before continuing. Avoid excessive pacing.

Creating a Compelling Narrative

In the realm of presentations, storytelling stands as the cornerstone. Seasoned presenters often advocate beginning with a captivating story even before opening a single slide. This approach not only allows for the development of a robust narrative with the most significant information but also helps avoid the pitfall of overcrowded slides.

• Daniel Goldberg suggests starting with a brain dump to explore connections and find the storyline. Explaining main points in a simple manner and incorporating metaphors and anecdotes enhances relatability and memorability.
• Colby Zintl emphasizes the importance of ensuring the presentation can be understood even if someone reads it randomly. It should work as a “leave behind” document that maintains clarity and comprehension over time.
• Crafting a compelling narrative involves refining the presentation to make it visually impactful and memorable, leveraging the power of stories to leave a lasting impression.

Promote Interactivity in Your Presentation

Steer clear of solely delivering lectures to your audience. Instead, actively engage them in meaningful discussions.

• Encourage interactions and exchanges among audience members, fostering a collaborative environment.
• Pose an accommodation challenge to the audience, inviting their input on how they would approach the situation.
• Thoughtfully mirror back individuals’ attitudes, rationalizations, and entrenched patterns of thinking and behavior, while maintaining respect and sensitivity.
• Allocate ample time for questions, ensuring that all inquiries raised within the presentation are thoroughly addressed or appropriately directed towards relevant resources.
• Offer practical demonstrations or hands-on experiences with assistive technology, enabling participants to gain first hand exposure to its capabilities.
• Engage the audience in experiential learning activities, as people tend to retain information better when they actively participate in the learning process.
• Facilitate group interactions and collaborative problem-solving exercises, fostering collective engagement and shared solutions.

Promote fruitful discussions that enable participants to synthesize key themes and concepts, facilitating a deeper integration of knowledge and understanding.

Crafting Easily Digestible Presentations

Delivering a captivating story is essential, but ensuring it is easily digestible by your audience is equally crucial to maintain their engagement. To achieve this, it is imperative to create meaningful and clean slides. A general principle to follow when designing slides is to embrace the notion that less is more. Can your audience readily discern the main point of each slide? If not, it is necessary to reconsider the structure of your story.

According to Frykman, the success of presentations hinges on their ease of digestion by audiences. This entails creating clean, concise, and aesthetically pleasing slides. She offers valuable tips to achieve professional and polished slides, including:

• Use text sparingly, emphasizing main points through your spoken delivery rather than overwhelming the slide with excessive copy.
• Incorporate focused and engaging images while ensuring the slide does not become visually cluttered.
• Adhere to the company’s designated template, avoiding unauthorized modifications that deviate from the established branding guidelines.

Final Words

Presenting is just a part of life. For most, it is impossible to get away from. So if you have to present at one point or another it is best to be prepared. Book a meeting room with The Professional Centre to make sure you have a clean and professional space to deliver your presentation. Impress your peers with a space as sharp as you and book yours today!

Rethinking your organization’s meeting space or workspace? Discover our flexibly designed and fully managed workspace solutions.

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10 Best Productivity Tips to Improve Your Life and Your Work

Let’s not procrastinate this, shall we? You want to be more productive, we’re here to show you how. We’ve got ten productivity tips for you to start using right away. Ready? Go.

Tip 1: Do it. Now.

Did you think that intro was short due to lack of space? No, we’re making a point. 

Maybe you’ve got a lot of stuff on your plate – emails, messages, correspondence, and   a few projects that need your attention. On top of just doing your job, you should focus on reducing the number of things on your plate. If it can be done in less than 2 minutes, do it. Right now. Get the quick things done first, and move on.

Kinda like we just did. There’s a long road ahead, but with a clear plate, you’re in the best position to get things done.

Tip 2: Minimize Distractions

Prevention is the best medicine, and if you can reduce the number of things that could distract you in the future, you’ll inevitably end up with fewer distractions in the present.

As you can expect, this has been studied thoroughly. One study looked at the effectiveness of application and website-blocking software, and the results were exactly as you’d expect: “We discovered that with blocking software, participants assessed their productivity significantly higher and could focus significantly longer.” (Mark, 2017).

What’s more interesting, though, is that not all distraction-blocks are the same. According to the study, “People who benefited the most from the software were those who were most distracted by social media.” So, not only is this section of special interest to you if you’re a social media user, but if you’re looking for a few select things to block, you should put social media on the top of your list.

The study also found that, for some, complete distraction removal had the side effect of increasing stress. Stress is already known to reduce productivity, so it’s important to strike a balance that works for you. Breaks of 5-15 minutes should serve as stress-relieving distractions, without eating too much productive time.

Of course, distraction-elimination goes beyond those oh-so-enticing devices and apps. This process is multi-faceted, covering just about everything that exists around you – even job-related things, like email notifications, coworkers, and more. Each of these topics will have unique tactics for distraction-elimination. Perhaps you’ll turn off all notifications, physically distance yourself from distracting workers, or put up a do-not-disturb flag on your desk. 

The important thing is, once you start working, do everything you can to ensure that you keep working, potentially reaching a ‘flow’ state. And once you do, try not to let anything break your focus!

Tip 3: The 5 Minute Rule & Finding your Flow

Objects at rest tend to stay at rest, and objects in motion tend to stay in motion, until acted upon by an outside force. It’s true for physics, and as it turns out, it’s also true for productivity. And luckily, we already eliminated those “outside forces” in our last tip!

The hardest part of accomplishing a big task is the beginning. Whether it be lingering instincts towards procrastination holding you back, or difficulty “task switching” into a new mindset, there’s always some hangup making this difficult. While we can’t remove all hurdles, we can make the effort as minimal as possible. 

Can you mentally set aside several hours to complete a task? Maybe not. But how about 5 minutes? Everyone has 5 minutes to spare. You won’t finish the job, obviously, but you’ll at least have gotten something done. This is the 5-minute rule – you can probably guess how it got its name. And, if you were paying attention to that intro, you probably know the trick to this technique. 

If you can dedicate just 5 minutes of time to something, then before you know it, you’ve already overcome your mind’s biggest obstacle: starting the task to begin with. Once you get some momentum going and get into a “flow” state, continuing the task is as easy as maintaining the status-quo.

Tip 4: Make it a Habit

Once you find your groove, keep going. This advice may sound obvious, but there’s a trick to it you may not be aware of. “Keep going” doesn’t mean you should work until you exhaust yourself! Work for a regular amount of time, on a regular amount of projects. Tomorrow, you should match that pace. Keep the streak going day after day, and each one gets a little easier.

Getting something done at regular intervals, even if it’s a small amount, contributes to one of the most powerful psychological forces the mind can use: habit formation. Get familiar with your current workload, and if you want to increase the amount of work you can handle, do it little by little. According to studies, variation in workflow actually has a negative impact on productivity, so sudden spikes/lulls in the amount of work you need to do should be avoided. 

“The results indicate that the key for productivity improvement is not to complete as many tasks as possible or to maximize workload, work output, or work hours without following the work plan. Rather, the key is to focus on maintaining a predictable work flow and thus be able to match the available workload with capacity.” (Liu et all, 2011).

Working long days isn’t good for anyone – neither for you, nor for your work quality. The secret to success here is a long-term plan of discipline and pacing yourself, developing the habits and skills needed to be more productive overall. If “just thirty minutes a day” is all you can manage, that’s excellent. Get it done, and before you know it you’ll have a consistent path to success.

Tip 5: Avoid Burnout!

There’s another benefit to pacing yourself, besides assisting habit formation. You should never load up a ton of work at once – that’s a surefire way to create burnout! 

Passion is an extremely powerful motivator, and its loss alone is enough to send productivity down the drain (Dewa et al, 2014). Couple this with a general lack of energy stemming from mental exhaustion, and you create a recipe for disaster. The mental and physical toll just isn’t worth it.

Avoiding burnout for yourself is a good way to keep things running smooth, but this doesn’t have to be a solo job! In fact, one study recommends turning away from that perspective entirely, and viewing burnout more like a collective responsibility. “Faculty stress should not be viewed as a personal problem. Instead, it should be viewed as an organizational issue.” (Bruce, 2009).

Learn how to recognize signs of burnout in others, and help them to ensure they’re not taking on too much work at once. This can involve taking on some of their workload if need be, or talking to project managers about work allocation. ‘Do unto others as you would have done to yourself’, after all. If each person does their part, burnout can be avoided for everyone.

Tip 6: The 15 Minute Rule & Improving Problem-Solving Skills

Turns out, there’s more than one minute-based productivity tip!

You are going to hit a roadblock eventually. No matter how hard you prepare or how many resources you think you have, you’re only human. At some point during your job, you’ll run into a problem that you don’t know how to immediately solve.

So, you find yourself at a crossroads. On one path, you dig around your bag of tricks, you examine the problem in more detail, and hopefully, find a solution. The risk here, though, is that this costs a lot of time – and that investment might not pay off. If your instincts tell you that you don’t have an answer to this, they might be right.

On the other path, we have something that seems faster and easier for you, but comes with another downside: getting assistance from someone else. Here, if your instincts are telling you that this route is just wasting someone else’s time, or that you’re forgoing a possible learning opportunity, they may be right.

But if you know the cheat code – the 15 minute rule, you unlock a third path. Here, you have the upsides of both while minimizing the consequences. And it’s incredibly simple: give yourself a time limit of 15 minutes to fix the problem. If that doesn’t work, go find a helping hand.

15 minutes doesn’t seem like a lot of time. And that’s because it isn’t. But have you ever spent 15 minutes stuck in traffic? Now that’s a long wait. Getting stuck in a task isn’t that different. 15 minutes offers you plenty of time to determine if you’re dealing with a speed bump or a mountain, and with a time limit, there’s no chance of you wasting more time than necessary – you only spend a speedbump’s worth of time either way.

And as an added bonus, you’ll learn a lot about the process of problem solving this way! The first time you invoke this rule, you might not reach your goal in the time limit. But how about the 3rd time? The 10th? Eventually, you’ll get to a point where you won’t need this tip at all – your skills surpassing it completely. And when you do, congrats! You’ve been made way more productive.

Tip 7: Exercise

If you ever find yourself losing focus on any productive day, that’s ok. You can take a quick break. That restlessness you feel – it’s perfectly natural. Your body is telling you what it needs, and it’d benefit you to listen.

Every so often, consider leaving your desk to just walk around. Maybe do some stretches, if you’re so inclined. You can even pair it with a light snack. Your body is an expert on its own needs, and if you spend just a couple minutes listening to it, you’ll be able to return to your work with a revitalized sense of focus. The research is clear: “By performing exercise regularly, users can attain better physiological states and achieve higher work productivity.” (Kwok et al, 2021).

Tip 8: Avoid Multitasking

Be warned, this next paragraph might seem incoherent. Trust the process: there’s a reason why it’s structured this way.

A lot of articles like this will tell you that multitasking is impossible. Focus is something we’ve talked about before, as is the need to shut out distractions. Multitasking used to be a major focal point of discussions around productivity, first cropping up when computers were developed that were purpose-built for multitasking. Distractions, or really anything that diverts attention from the current task, is going to negatively impact the thing you’d much rather be doing. Computers are not people – the human mind is just not built for multitasking, it contradicts the way we work on a fundamental level. So, it’s almost always best to finish your current task before starting a new one.

If you had trouble following that first paragraph, then congratulations, you’re part of the 98% of people who cannot effectively multitask. If you want to read it properly, skip every even-numbered sentence, then go back and re-read the lines you skipped as if they were a separate paragraph.

Multitasking isn’t just a way to take perfectly-functional tasks and turn them into unworkable messes, though. It’s also a guaranteed way to stress you out, or worse. If that paragraph frustrated you, then you’ll have felt this process in action. Be grateful it’s not a daily task.

“Multitasking contributes to the release of stress hormones and adrenaline, which can cause long-term health problems if not controlled, and contributes to the loss of short-term memory.” (Rosen, 2008). The data on this is extremely clear – do not multitask if you can avoid it. It’s just never worth it.

Tip 9: “Perfect” is the enemy of “Good”

The desire to get each detail right is understandable; near-mandatory in some jobs. But perfectionism can also be a curse. If it takes you 50% longer to create some product, but that extra time only returns a 25% increase in quality, the gap in output between yourself and your coworkers will rapidly widen over time.

One little trick to working around perfectionism is to reframe how you look at a given task. With this lens, the task is not something that’s just worked on and shipped out. It’s a process of iteration, where you ‘finish’ one thing to test the waters, get some feedback, make the next one better, and repeat. It doesn’t have to be the best possible product the first time, and with the help of feedback, you’ll increase your skills much faster than without. After enough cycles, you may even be able to create that perfect product with minimal time lost! But that takes work, and if you’re a perfectionist, well, you’re no stranger to putting in work for the best possible reward.

That’s exactly what you’ll be doing here, just in a slightly different way than you’re used to.

Tip 10: Find Your Centre

This next subject is fairly complicated, and not something we can fully cover in a single subsection of an article. Luckily, we don’t have to – a whole article on this exact topic already exists on this site!

In short, the physical location where you do your work can be as important as the skills and habits you take with you. Not just in terms of minimizing distractions, but also in employing little psychological tricks to put your mind exactly where it needs to be. 

Often, just having a space that’s completely separate from all your other usual duties can work wonders for mental focus. And such a space, if built properly, can accomplish so much more. It can be a place with enough natural light to avoid feeling cramped. It can have the walls painted exactly the right color to center certain emotional states. It can feature other coworkers all working on the same task, offering advice and networking opportunities, among other things.

A space like this is something you can create yourself, or you find a professionally-made space that’s suited to your needs. Each route has its own pros and cons – but if you find a space that resonates with you, stick with it.

Book a meeting room in Toronto

If you want to test out a variety of working spaces, The Professional Centre has plenty of options to fill your exact niche – on top of providing options and technology for meetings, group work, and so much more.

Pick up all the benefits of a centralized workplace, without any of the firm anchors keeping your business rooted in a single method. Whether you need to service a large team or a small meeting, The Professional Centre can supply the exact kind of space you need to enhance your team’s productivity.

The 15 Minute Rule & Improving Problem-Solving Skills

You are going to hit a roadblock eventually. No matter how hard you prepare or how many resources you think you have, you’re only human. At some point during your job, you’ll run into a problem that you don’t know how to immediately solve.

So, you find yourself at a crossroads. On one path, you dig around your bag of tricks, you examine the problem in more detail, and hopefully, find a solution. The risk here, though, is that this costs a lot of time – and that investment might not pay off. If your instincts tell you that you don’t have an answer to this, they might be right.

On the other path, we have something that seems faster and easier for you, but comes with another downside: getting assistance from someone else. Here, if your instincts are telling you that this route is just wasting someone else’s time, or that you’re forgoing a possible learning opportunity, they may be right.

But if you know the cheat code – the 15 minute rule, you unlock a third path. Here, you have the upsides of both while minimizing the consequences. And it’s incredibly simple: give yourself a time limit of 15 minutes to fix the problem. If that doesn’t work, go find a helping hand.

15 minutes doesn’t seem like a lot of time. And that’s because it isn’t. But have you ever spent 15 minutes stuck in traffic? Now that’s a long wait. Getting stuck in a task isn’t that different. 15 minutes offers you plenty of time to determine if you’re dealing with a speed bump or a mountain, and with a time limit, there’s no chance of you wasting more time than necessary – you only spend a speedbump’s worth of time either way.

And as an added bonus, you’ll learn a lot about the process of problem solving this way! The first time you invoke this rule, you might not reach your goal in the time limit. But how about the 3rd time? The 10th? Eventually, you’ll get to a point where you won’t need this tip at all – your skills surpassing it completely. And when you do, congrats! You’ve been made way more productive.

Rethinking your organization’s workspace? Discover our flexibly designed and fully managed enterprise office solutions.

Works Cited:

Bruce, S. P. (2009). Recognizing stress and avoiding burnout. Currents in pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 1(1), 57-64.

Dewa, C. S., Loong, D., Bonato, S., Thanh, N. X., & Jacobs, P. (2014). How does burnout affect physician productivity? A systematic literature review. BMC health services research, 14(1), 1-10.

Kwok, R. C. W., Leung, A. C. M., Hui, S. S. C., & Wong, C. C. K. (2021). Virtual trainer system: A tool to increase exercise participation and work productivity. Internet Research.

Liu, M., Ballard, G., & Ibbs, W. (2011). Work flow variation and labor productivity: Case study. Journal of management in engineering, 27(4), 236.

Mark, G., Iqbal, S., & Czerwinski, M. (2017, September). How blocking distractions affects workplace focus and productivity. In Proceedings of the 2017 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing and Proceedings of the 2017 ACM International Symposium on Wearable Computers (pp. 928-934).

Rosen, C. (2008). The myth of multitasking. The New Atlantis, (20), 105-110.

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The Secret Power of the Personal Office

Are workers more productive in a personal office? If they are, how should that office be laid out? Really, what makes a good working environment anyway? All of these questions have answers, sure, but each one leads to yet another cycle of questions.

If you work from home, you’ve no doubt had to face this idea head-on. Because there, you have a lot more freedom over where you get your work done – and that means, you’ll have to optimize it. You look left – should that window be there? Do I keep it open or closed? You look right – there’s a lot of non-work things on your desk. Is it really worth the time investment to clean it all? Or maybe, you should just switch spaces altogether. There’s a lot of questions that need answering – whether you’re an employee working from home, or an employer trying to optimize a space’s layout. And in finding those answers, we will need a map. Something to guide and frame our thinking, so that we can best recognize any answers that come our way.

Now, the idea of a “personal office space” can be read in a couple different ways. First of all, there’s a more easily recognized idea of an individualistic space. Something like a personal room or a cubicle – something that is reserved only for one person and their work, and in some cases, can be customized to the occupant’s liking. The advantages of the space like this are fairly obvious: on top of the ideas of personal agency and independence inherent to the concept, a personal space will inevitably remove any distractions found in a busier space.

The other way of looking at it, though, is the idea of a separated space. And this may require some elaboration. A separated space is a space that is in every sense (geographically, materially, everything), a distinct area that serves no other purpose but productivity. This idea may be obvious or not depending on your history, but in either case the true depth of this idea can be lost on many.

Spaces are not just simple boxes, and the act of building a space does not stop when the construction workers leave the site. Human psychology is a funny thing – we have the power to keep that constructive process going long past the finish date, by marking sites as “special.” And within this process, we can find an unexpected tool towards making a productive space. Something that personal office spaces are uniquely positioned to take advantage of.

This may seem unintuitive to some, but to any religiously-inclined readers out there, you may have already experienced something like this. You already know that a space can be marked as “sacred”, rendering it distinct from anything secular or profane. In a place like that, it’s as though the very air has changed. Stepping inside a worship site changes not just the superficial layer of the space, but impacts what people will and won’t do there. It affects how they view the space on a core, fundamental level – something much more powerful than a sign that says to do/not do something. Signs can, and often are, disobeyed. But here, to disobey the soul of this room becomes an act of sacrilege. It applies a cultural weight that operates within the self, and is far more persuasive than a sign could ever hope to be.

And to anyone looking to pin the blame on theology for this process, dive into any non-theological religion – you’ll find this practice to be universal. It’s not just a “because my God said so” thing, it’s because all people and cultures are capable of this, religious or otherwise. It’s not theological, it’s human – which means it’s something we can use to empower ourselves, should the need arise. And given this article’s topic, that need has indeed arrived.

Bringing things back to a more concrete example, talk to those who often work from home. Do they have a home office already? If they don’t, would they like to have one? Do they leave their house entirely to work at, say, a public library or internet cafe? You’ll likely find a “yes” there, if not multiple.

What would make someone dedicate a whole room of their house just to work, if they’re just as physically capable of that work from a bedroom or kitchen? Why would they walk (or drive) all the way to a library, if one of the main benefits of work-from-home is the lack of a commute?

The answer is easy. Because rooms that are dedicated to a specific goal are powerful, and these powers don’t like to overlap each other. Try getting work done from the comfort of your bed – sure, you’ll get some work done, but you’ll inevitably find yourself drifting towards the things you typically do in that room. You’re in a bedroom, and your brain is going to try and make you do bedroom-esque things – relaxing, leisurely, restful things.

What you need to maximize productivity is a productive space, plain and simple. Not just something that has all the materials to get work done – someplace, somewhere, whose primary existence is facilitating the action, the habit, of work. You’d be in a work space, so just as in your bedroom, your brain will try to get you to do work-esque things. Like working. 

Because to the brain, spaces are special. They’re not done being built until they’re filled with people, and with actions. The room and its materials can define the nouns and verbs of a space, but it is the people who add the adjectives and inflections that skew how a space is perceived. Sure, a space can provide the location and the tools to get work done, but if all its occupants ever do is slack off, then the space is not respected. It becomes a space where slacking off is the norm. But if the space is marked as special, distinct, and sacred, then its goals become the occupant’s goals. Productivity wins.

A common workplace practice serves to reinforce this idea. Workplace humor is not just a temporary distraction from work, it has a transformative effect that alter’s the worker’s perception of the space. It blurs the line between a dry, boring, but productive space into something more intimate and personal (Kim & Woo, 2021), but still fundamentally productive.

Humor can serve a purpose of increasing productivity through the removal of stress. High-pressure, confusing, and isolating environments are all known to cause stress in workers, which in turn can nosedive an employee’s productivity (Petreanu et al, 2013). By fostering a space that actively combats stress in a way that does not contradict productivity, you will end up with a far more efficient workforce. All it takes is a shift in attitude prompted by a special kind of space.

We can contrast this against the increasingly popular work-from-home strategy that many companies (and workers) find appealing. Many will claim that work-from-home actually leads to greater productivity – which is actually true, but not in all cases. For low-skilled labor like call centers, many studies point to increased productivity. But for higher-skilled knowledge work like IT services, the amount of work completed remained the same, despite an increase in hours worked (Galloway, 2022). 

There really is no one-size-fits-all solution to workplace efficiency – it will change between industry, the types of workers you want to hire, local culture, the physical layout of the space, everything. If you aim for perfection, you’ll need to find a model that works for you, or find someone with plenty of options to pick from. But in all cases, a space that facilitates work is mandatory. It must be a place where the act of working is a sacred action, fundamentally linked to the room’s soul. Something built-in and irrevocable. It can’t just be any old space.

Switching gears a bit, there’s one question that still needs to be answered. We can discuss how to optimize a personal office space all we like, but how do we know that this route is even worthwhile – from a worker and an employer’s perspective?

One study’s findings may be of note here: in general, workers in crowded workplaces feel much less appreciated by their employers. The study examined attitudes and behaviors in sparse vs crowded areas – those who worked in the crowded option were far more likely to scan wanted ads during work hours, and those hours were perceived to be longer by those experiencing them. Workers were even more likely to offer a helping hand to a coworker in the sparse setting (Terence, 2001).

And how about that all-important productivity? Sparse workplaces win here too, on that per-worker basis. Not only were the studied workers able to get work done quicker, they were less likely to need to go back and re-complete existing work, following a distraction by a coworker or another’s personal item (Terence, 2001).

What relevance does this have? Sparse-ness and crowded-ness are two metrics inherently tied to this idea of a personal space, which another study reinforces. This next study, aiming to discover key factors in determining how “personal” a “personal space” feels, found that those factors consistently increased a room’s “personal space satisfaction score”. Other factors included having a separated office (instead of an open-plan layout), and having a view outside the office itself (Jicol et al, 2019).

So, if we aim to create an optimal kind of working space, not only does it need to be marked as a working-esque space through that funny quirk of human psychology, the “personal” factor should also be optimized – and to achieve that, we remove clutter and replace it with a feeling of distinct separation.

That separation does not have to be all-encompassing, though, as the presence of others can lead to reductions in stress, and therefore increased productivity.

The workers themselves benefit here too – not just in terms of productivity. Even if they are enjoying themselves and have a productive day, what incentives do they have to actually stick around, financially?

There are many factors, but the main ones are twofold. Workers that actually go to an office setting, to any extent (they can still have a majority work-from-home experience and still get this), can more easily establish personal connections and build career networks with associates. Additionally, workers who are physically seen by their bosses are more likely to get promoted (Galloway, 2022). Physical presence builds relationships and connections, both of which can be leveraged into career success.

So, what have we learned? How valuable is that whole “personal office” thing, really? Turns out that answer is “pretty valuable” if you know what to look for. If you’re more interested in a single-occupant situation – be it in working from home, or if your business model just suits it better – it’s worth doing anything possible to mark that space as a distinct, personal, and productive space. When getting other people involved, there can be great benefits to all parties involved – both the worker and the employer – so long as things don’t get too crowded. Maintain that “personal” feeling in all situations, and according to the data, productivity will surely follow.

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If your business works best with a separated work/home space, but doesn’t need it to be a permanent fixture, The Professional Centre has plenty of options to fill your exact niche.

Pick up all the benefits of a centralized workplace, without any of the firm anchors keeping your business model rooted in a single method. Whether you need to service a large team or a small meeting, The Professional Centre can supply the exact kind of space you need to enhance your team’s productivity.

Works Cited:

Petreanu, V., Iordache, R., & Seracin, M. (2013). Assessment of work stress influence on work productivity in Romanian companies. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 92, 420–425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.08.695 

Jicol, C., Taulo, G., GOLDIE, C., Esenkaya, T., Hynes, R., Paradise, C., … de Sousa, A. A. (2019, November 2). Exploring the Effects of Environmental Cues on Perceived Personal Space in the Virtual Workplace. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/9jqby

Kim, H., & Woo, SH (2021). Fun Space or workplace? The Role of Humor in Navigating Work-personal Space in South Korean Organizations. The Journal of the Korea Contents Association , 21 (9), 666–683. https://doi.org/10.5392/JKCA.2021.21.09.666

Terence M. Murphy (2001) The Effects of a Crowded Workplace on Morale and Productivity, Journal of Histotechnology, 24:1, 9-15, DOI: 10.1179/his.2001.24.1.9

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