[Now sing this to the tune of Rainbow Connection in your best Kermit the Frog voice]
Been working at home since 2020? The freedom of staying home and avoiding the one-hour average time spent commuting daily started as a revelation on how mobility and work could change. As the pandemic drags on, many working at home have drifted into a cycle of loneliness and lost productivity.
Fortunately, there is a way out of this vortex and back into productivity. It’s called community, and it is how people have always accomplished things—together. This is why SOMO exists in the first place. Coworking provides a sense of community while preserving the benefits of working remotely.
<h2>Good Vibes Only</h2>
Have a look at the discussion of loneliness in one of the first SOMO Cowork <a href="https://www.somocowork.com/blog/coworking-fights-the-loneliness-epidemic/">blog posts</a> sounding the charge in coworking’s fight against loneliness. How people feel during their work day is an ongoing problem with real consequences. In fact, <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/10/20/us-surgeon-general-releases-new-framework-mental-health-well-being-workplace.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Health and Human Services</a> says that “76% of U.S. workers in a 2021 survey reported at least one symptom of a mental health condition, … an increase of 17 percentage points in just two years.”
Giving up twice daily commutes does a lot to improve life-work balance, not to mention the reduced energy and environmental impact of all those lonely car hours. After all, each person gets to choose how to spend that regained time.
A recent Federal Reserve Bank of New York <a href="https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2022/10/what-have-workers-done-with-the-time-freed-up-by-commuting-less/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> found that one thing people are doing with the hours gained by not commuting is sleeping more. Lack of sleep is <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/depression-and-sleep-understanding-the-connection" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strongly correlated</a> with depression. This is another way of saying that changes in work routines have real impacts on our ability to get work done.
But just working at home is not enough for many. If you are reading this, you already know that.
A <a href="https://www.smallbizlabs.com/2015/05/coworking-spaces-are-human-spaces.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> by Small Biz Labs found that 84% of coworking respondents reported that their “coworking space improved their work engagement and motivation. Most also reported being able to concentrate better due to fewer distractions compared to working from home or in coffee shops.”
<h2>What is Community Anyway?</h2>
The Harvard Business Review <a href="https://hbr.org/2015/05/why-people-thrive-in-coworking-spaces" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently listed “community”</a> as one of the key reasons why people thrive in coworking spaces. But what is a community, and why is it the main ingredient in coworking? Community is a word that gets thrown around a lot, yet what it looks like can be hard to pin down. Especially when your success at work is at stake.
According to the <a href="https://nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/November-2019/The-Importance-of-Community-and-Mental-Health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Alliance on Mental Health</a>, “Community is not just an entity or a group of people, it’s a feeling. It’s feeling connected to others, feeling accepted for who you are, and feeling supported. Having connections can help us feel wanted and loved.” Even introverts who may rarely speak to others at work benefit from feeling connected.
If you’ve spent enough time in a coworking space, we can likely cue that “aha” moment now…
Another way of looking at community and its power to support individual achievements is the African notion of ubuntu. Ubuntu says, “I am because you are.” That is, people are always shaped by each other; we need others to be fully ourselves. <a href="https://blog.apaonline.org/2021/01/08/genealogies-of-philosophy-m-onyebuchi-eze/?amp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read the discussion</a> of ubuntu with philosopher Michael Eze: “A person is a person through other people.”).
This is where the dynamic community that thrives in coworking plays a key role. Sharing space and knowledge amongst a broad range of fields and perspectives open the door for extraordinary and sometimes unlikely collaborations and friendships. Not to mention that built-in support network (a.k.a community) that isn’t easy to manifest via Zoom.
If you’ve ever logged time on a therapist’s couch (and we all should), the words support network should also ring the “aha” bell. That’s because having a team of people rooting for you when you’re winning and there to eat carbs with you when you lose is essential to your emotional health.
<h2>Community in the Cup</h2>
Another <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/08/rekindling-a-sense-of-community-at-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HBR list</a> identifies critical areas of attention for building community in the workplace. It just so happens that a current global sporting event has brought SOMO Coworkers together in ways that satisfy several ingredients.
RECIPE 
Enter the World Cup. Cup games on the big TV with the cushy couch have been a gathering spot for those early lunch games. In the slack group, the office bracket proves the opportunity for emoji-laden reverie : )
INGREDIENTS: 
1. Tap into the power of nostalgia. 
When we root for the countries our families, and we come from and teams that we’ve loved to watch over the ages, we share a piece of ourselves, of our culture, through the power of nostalgia.
2. Eat or cook together. 
More than one local bakery has graced an early game with their fortifying delights. A fresh pot of coffee accompanied Cotati Bakery and RedBird Bakery danishes and donuts for the Poland games. We’ve also eaten tamales and fresh fruit and are sure to have more communal eating as the tournament blazes on.
3. Create virtual shared experiences. 
Slack is real. There is a reason the lightweight multi-channel communications platform is a household name. By coordinating easily through Slack, the Coworkers have organized a Bracket which might not have been possible if not done virtually and found the virtual space in our schedules for some game-result-driven banter.
4. Plug into your local community. 
One area of growth that is very important to us at SOMO Cowork is connecting with our broader local community. We are so fortunate to have the SOMO Village staff and other residents of SOMO Village, including Credo HS, as an eager community of partners so close to home. This is the foundation of the robust support structures we would like to build in our local communities of Rohnert Park and Cotati.
<h2>Recipe for Change</h2>
Coworking spaces can get you out of the house and open your life to new people and conversations. By joining a coworking space, you join a dedicated community of remote workers, small business owners, and entrepreneurs. At SOMO Cowork, you have access to monthly social and professional activities like member breakfasts, happy hours, wellness events, and more.
Yes, bringing out the best in work requires putting one’s head down and grinding forward with purpose. You can do that at a coworking space just like you can at home (when the cat doesn’t get too involved). But to really do and feel your best requires community. Come contribute to our community at SOMO Cowork.