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What Exactly Is Hot Desking and Is it Right for You?

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For many freelancers, it can be a real challenge finding a suitable working environment. The lack of facilities and social interaction can make working from home a non-option for some freelancers. Not to mention the many unhelpful distractions present at home.

With working from home ruled out, what options are left? Renting office space when you’re a one-man band is out of the question. Fortunately, there is an increasingly popular solution for freelancers who find themselves in this predicament. As you’ve probably guessed from the title of this blog, we’re talking about Hot Desking.

Hot Desking is the perfect compromise between working from home and working from rented office space. It has the benefits associated with working from home and from an office without the negatives of either. There are no contracts that require a lengthy commitment, it’s affordable and completely flexible.

What is a Hot Desking service?

The term ‘Hot Desking’ originates from an old naval term ‘hot racking’, meaning to save space. Hot Desking is based on this principle of saving space; providing you with the space you need, but nullifying the excess space you don’t.

In short, to ‘Hot Desk’ is to hire a desk as and when you need it. The main benefits being the affordability and flexibility it provides.

What other benefits does Hot Desking provide?

As well as being an affordable way of working in a productive environment, Hot Desking also provides fantastic learning opportunities. This is because you’re surrounded by other professionals much like yourself who will likely possess skills and experience you do not, and vice versa. This is why hot desking is often a popular choice for those just starting out, as on arrival you become part of a diverse business network. Some of the connections you make may prove useful later down the line.

Here at The Union Building, in addition to providing Hot Deskers with a professional environment in which to work (and network), our service includes a number of additional perks. These perks include access to our secure underground car park and super-fast Wi-Fi, as well as the option to make use of our creative breakout area, equipped with tea and coffee making facilities.

There is also a range of amenities within the building itself, from meeting room space to a rooftop bar & restaurant. Our Hot Desking service is available on either a half-day or full-day basis, meaning how you use the service is completely flexible.

To find out more about our Hot-Desking service, enquire today!

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Can a Virtual Office Service Enhance Your Business?

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A business is usually associated with a specific location, and the truth is, the address of your business leaves a lasting impression on potential clients. You will inevitably be judged on the address of your business as it is one of the main pieces of information we use to gauge size. The more prestigious your address is, the more likely people are to use your services. However, as a result of the current economic climate, finding a suitable business address is becoming increasingly tricky and expensive. If you want a premium business address that’s not at a premium price, a virtual office service might be for you.

Not heard of a virtual office? Virtual offices (as the name suggests) are not a physical place of work; which consequently means they may not be the solution for every business; however they can be perfect for others. For example, if you’re a freelancer, start-up, or own a business where your employees work remotely, obtaining a physical location for staff won’t make sense – but having access to a professional admin/reception service and a space for client meetings does.

Here at The Union Building, we offer a variety of different virtual office packages to suit any size of business. Standard services include the use of our prestigious Norwich address across all company communications and marketing collateral, as well as administrative support from our team of experienced administrators who can undertake a vast array of tasks including dictation, letter-writing, and paperwork processing.

We also provide additional support in the form of bookkeeping, to offer assistance for a variety of business and accounting requirements. All of these things combine to provide a complete package service for the user, which adds a professional finish to any business.

To find out more about our virtual office service, please get in contact.

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How Meeting Rooms Can Make Or Break a Business

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As I’m sure most will agree, in the world of business, meetings play a crucial role in the smooth running and future success of a company. Whether it’s meeting with existing clients or initial meetings with new ones, they are extremely important. The vibe a client gets from having a meeting with you has a profound impact on their impression of you and your business, so meetings should always be carefully considered.

The question is, how can you ensure all your meeting’s go smoothly? While everyone has their own approach to meetings, there are certain things you can do. Most importantly, prepare for the meeting. Be sure to give off positive body language, and of course, good old fashioned politeness. However, these are not the only factors that make a business meeting a successful one.

What your client sees, smells and feels can prove to be just as important as your own performance within the meeting. The reality is, you can be as well dressed and polite as possible, but if you hold your meetings in a dark, cramped and dingy little room, your clients will associate negative connotations with your business. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to hold your meetings in a space that reflects the standard of the service you aim to provide. A place that is bright, airy and has all the necessary furniture, equipment and facilities to make your client feel welcome will leave a lasting impression.

Here at The Union Building, we offer spacious and stylish meeting spaces available for booking. Each is specifically designed for business professionals to meet and communicate with their clients in an environment that will positively represent their company. With a stylish urban outfit, impressive interior and fantastic location, The Union Building is the ideal place to meet with your clients.

For more information on our available meeting space, please get in contact.

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Why Co-Working Might Be Right for Your Business

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When you’re an entrepreneur, it is important to have a creative space in which to work that can also double-up as a place you would be proud to invite clients to. To acquire such space in the heart of Norwich can be expensive, often too expensive for small or start-up businesses. A great way to avoid these costs, while reaping other additional benefits, is by renting co-working space.

This is a fantastic idea for any entrepreneur to consider, and not just for the financial benefits. One of the many advantages to co-working is that you work alongside individuals who have unique skill sets. This is highly beneficial to any business, but especially start-up businesses, as it can help to build up a diverse range of contacts at a stage when it is most vital to do so. This is backed up by ‘Deskmag.com’ who found during their research that individuals who opted to work in co-working spaces were more likely to be motivated, have higher levels of interaction, and work within supportive teams. A good co-working space provides the added bonus of offering a location which has the potential to attract new clients, as well as impressing your existing ones.

A location which can give you this, as well as providing you will all the other benefits associated with co-working space is The Union Building. We boast large, bright and stylish co-working spaces ready for rent in the heart of Norwich city centre; a short walking distance away from the city’s train and bus stations. Our co-working spaces are all fully furnished with a polished, professional finish and have all the necessary equipment ready for you to use. Rent some of our space now, and give your business a location it can be proud of.

To find out more about our available co-working space, please get in contact.

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Why Having Good Fitness Facilities Makes Good Business Sense

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It’s well documented that leading a healthy active lifestyle can provide an individual with many health and social welfare benefits. However, the benefits of having a healthy active workforce in the world of work are largely overlooked.

Some of the benefits of leading a healthy active lifestyle include;

  • Reduce the probability of contracting illnesses
  • Reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression
  • Improve self-esteem and self-confidence
  • Improve sharpness and clarity of mind
  • Improve sleep
  • Make someone better able to cope with stress

These benefits, whilst being highly beneficial to the individual, can also be so for a business. There are a number of reasons for this, such as a reduction in employee absenteeism, which in turn reduces sick pay costs. Employee production is also increased, as employees are happier and healthier, which helps to promote a better attitude towards work, and greatly improve team morale. Which of course, must sound incredibly appealing to any business owner, large or small.

From this, it’s fair to conclude that providing a workforce with the best opportunities to lead a good lifestyle makes perfect business sense. This can be done through access to healthy foods, access to fitness facilities, or simply making employees aware of the personal benefits of leading such a lifestyle.

Here at The Union Building, the importance of these factors has not been overlooked. As well as being bright and airy, the building boasts the rare facility of an onsite gym, providing any employee based in the building with every chance to keep fit. Opportunities for employees to eat healthily have also been catered for through the opening of the fantastic new restaurant and bar ‘Rooftop Gardens’, which serves healthy snacks and meals, both hot and cold, throughout the working day. These facilities make the Union Building a hub for improved productivity and employee welfare, making it a perfect place for any business to grow into.

To reap the rewards of the fantastic facilities on offer here at The Union Building, please enquire about available office space.