Over the last year, as lockdown has been imposed, the government has announced that we should work from home where possible. But we know that working at home just isn’t always going to, well, work.

It could be that you live in shared accommodation and can’t focus; it could be that your partner nabs the office every morning leaving you sitting uncomfortably (and therefore unproductively) at the kitchen table, or it could be that you’re juggling home-schooling with working — definitely not a match made in heaven.

As lockdown and the monotony of confinement continues, and we know that children won’t return to school until at least 8 March and with half term looming, perhaps now is the time to examine your working options. 

Do you crave a day away for some peace and quiet to crack on with that presentation which is due in two days?  Perhaps you’re interviewing for roles and you don’t want your pets or children video bombing.  Whatever, the reason, Office Tribe can help with our COVID safe co-working space in central Tunbridge Wells.

Current Office Tribe coworking availability

Let’s cut to the chase and tell you about the availability and coworking prices that we’re offering right now.  Our space at Mount Pleasant currently has four small offices available at a reduced rate over the coming months: £300 per month or a day rate, depending on availability, of £25.  If two people are happy to share, they can have the office for £400pm.  Mount Pleasant would be great, perhaps, for schools’ half-term week in February or after half-term if you need to catch-up.

Our new space on the London Road (set to launch properly March/April) has seven offices of various sizes available for private hire at a reduced rate.

If the thought of some dedicated working time is piquing your interest, read on to learn about Office Tribe’s COVID secure coworking logistics.

 Coworking in a pandemic

Some things remain the same, COVID or no-COVID. You can still choose the days you’d like to work with us (subject to availability) and still have access 24/7 on those days thanks to our secure door entry fob system — you can really max out your time working away from home!

You will still bring your own laptop, phone, stationery and anything else you might need to indulge in a day of uninterrupted toil (it might sound like hard work but actually it’s bliss!) but unlike before whereby you’d hot desk, at the moment you have a designated desk. Once seated and raring to go, our superfast broadband will kick in so there’ll be no buffering or losing connection whilst you’re mid Zoom call.

As usual, unlike other offices, there’s no office politics, just office harmony!

COVID coworking facts

• We’ve decreased the number of desks across each floor to ensure that everyone can safely sit at least 2 metres away from each other, as per COVID guidelines.

• People are asked to use their designated desk only.

• Windows can be opened in each room for extra ventilation.

• We’ve removed all high touch items around the space wherever possible.

• There are sanitisers at our entrance and on each floor, with hand sanitiser stations in each room.

• Importantly, we have increased cleaning activities including thoroughly cleaning desks after use and regular cleaning of high touch areas such as handles, taps, kitchen equipment etc.

We believe in trust and common sense and so would ask that everyone use theirs.

• Please stay away if you or any member of your household has symptoms of/or tests positive for Covid-19.

• Practice good hygiene/washing your hands regularly and talking to us about any concerns or suggestions for keeping you and our other members safe.

• We are providing extra cleaning equipment on each floor for added reassurance that the surfaces you are using are super clean! Please do not use them though as there’s risk of contamination on handles and cleaning products.

• Masks do not need to be worn at desks or in private offices, but we ask people to wear a mask when moving through any shared space/corridors.

Virtual office

If you are able to work from home but still wish to give the impression of office working, our virtual office solution might be what you’re looking for; for £25 a month we can offer:

• A prime business address in the heart of Tunbridge Wells

• Access to meeting room bookings (when we are allowed to meet again)

• Flexible month to month term

• Email alerts for post received (we can arrange for post to be forwarded to you for a further fee).

This is proving very popular and is great for lockdown start-ups.

Just like you, we can not wait to be able to operate our coworking offices as we used to but, in the meantime, we’re so pleased that we can offer our space to you.  We understand that a day working away from the home office may bring more than increased productivity.  The relief of some solitude, quiet and ticking items off the work to-do list could be a real boost for mental health so if you’re in two minds, see it as a worthy investment in your own health and well-being.

If you’d like to discuss coworking during lockdown more then please give Hattie a call on 07780 598 808 or drop her an email hattie@officetribe.co.uk.