If you're new to coworking, or just to our space, we’re here to guide you through the etiquette and best practices so you and your fellow coworkers can all have a positive and productive experience.
The guiding principle is The Golden Rule - treat others the way you want to be treated.
Use Good Judgement - and your "Inside Voice" on Phone Calls
Our workspace is not a library. We expect and encourage members to do what they need to be productive at work. That includes taking calls in shared spaces. We simply ask that you keep your voice to a reasonable volume. Some of us naturally raise our voices whenever we are on the phone. So just remember that you are in a public space and be considerate to those around you. However, we don’t expect you to seek out a private location every time you have to take a call.
Quick Tip: Leave one earbud out of your headphones when you’re on a call.
Wearing headphones can make it hard to hear the volume of your own voice - especially if you have noise-cancelling headphones. So leave one out so you can hear how loudly you're talking.
Phone Rooms
Phone Rooms are shared resources. Just because a Phone Room is empty doesn't mean you can occupy it as long as you want.
We ask that you spend no more than 1 hour at a time in a Phone Room. This is long enough to finish most conference calls, but short enough to give someone else a chance to make a call too.
“Squatting” is not acceptable, and rooms marked "Office" are not Phone Rooms.
Be Respectful
Please keep your personal conversations at home. If necessary, get yourself some privacy by hopping into a phone booth or talking a walk outside.
Clean up after yourself. We work hard to keep our space clean, but we ask and expect that Workspace customers do their part by cleaning up after themselves. This applies in the work areas, the kitchen, and the bathrooms.
What if My Neighbor is Distracting?
Etiquette goes both ways. If you are having trouble working because of your neighbor’s phone calls (or any other reason), you can and should take appropriate steps yourself. If you find your neighbor’s work distracting you could:
Use headphones to cancel out the noise.
Move to a different seat in the shared work area.
Ask the caller to lower their voice or complete the call elsewhere.
The important thing is to be respectful when you make the request, and for both parties to try to avoid taking things personally. We are all here trying to do work. Finding the balance can be hard. When someone moves a little over the line, we ask that you be polite yet direct in asking them to lower their voice, or move to a more private area.
If all else fails, please bring your concerns to our attention and we’ll work to remedy the situation. (But things shouldn't come to that.)
We’re Here to Help!
Don’t hesitate to ask if you ever have any questions or need help. You can contact us via:
text: 508-709-1401
phone: 508-469-0123
email: info@chathamworks.com