Managing Calls In a Shared Workspace

Jul 30

How to manage video calls in a shared workspace? It’s not just a question of confidentiality but also the feeling that you might be a nuisance to other workers. On the other hand if you are in a shared space where others are on a large number of video calls throughout the day you might be worried about being constantly distracted by the noise levels. What’s the solution? The obvious option, and perhaps the preferred one for all parties, would be for all calls to take place in private offices or meeting rooms. However, in most office buildings, even large ones, there simply aren’t enough of these rooms to accommodate the demand. For an individual looking for a place for working near home a private office is an expensive luxury.

Here’s how it works at Workshop:

1. Use a pair of comfortable headphones (ideally noise cancelling), it cuts out half the noise and helps you focus.

2. If confidentiality is an issue on some but not all of your calls you can book a meeting room for the duration of the call.

3. For shorter calls you can duck into a phone booth – you wouldn’t want to spend all day in one but they work well for calls up to an hour.

4. It’s fine to do phone or video calls at your desk in a shared workspace – it’s not a library. Just use headphones and don’t shout.

5. Our flexible office space in Winchester is split over four floors, which makes it very different from a large open plan space. Even our shared office spaces have a maximum of 8 well-spaced desks.

As we filter back into office spaces we will all get more used to making video calls and being around people using this technology more widely in the workplace. Following the etiquette goes a long way to making it work for everyone.

Managing Calls In a Shared Workspace

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