Check out the helpful tips that our members shared at this quarter’s CSN member Roundtables:
1. Encourage collaboration through belonging.
Creating a sense of belonging among tenant partners makes collaboration more natural. When friendships form and connections are made it can be easier for partnerships and wraparound services to emerge. One member shared that they kicked off this process with a women’s support and social group that met monthly. It naturally evolved into greater engagement and connection throughout the space. It’s important to start by listening internally to what partners want and need and facilitate from there!
2. Establish relationship with local emergency responders.
When developing your approach to safety and security, it can be helpful to establish relationships with local emergency responders and law enforcement. Some CSN members offer meeting or training space to these groups free of charge or invite them out to public events. This contributes to building positive relationships and helps responders become familiar with your facility and community. Navigating emergency situations is always difficult, but building a local network can help.
3. Build culture through better onboarding.
The onboarding process for new tenant partners is an opportunity to set the tone for how everyone shows up in a shared space. Onboarding should always include clear facility guidelines, operational procedures, and any security protocol. It can also be an opportunity to share how partners can get involved, share their feedback, and collaborate in the space. Setting clear expectations and avenues for communication and feedback can lead to a sense of ownership, belonging, and a culture of care for the building.
4. Consider minimum operating hours in lease agreements.
Some shared space operators are facing the challenge of “dead” space in their facilities. A space might be leased, but partners are absent and rooms are empty due to remote work, outside projects, or other reasons. This can be detrimental to creating collaborative community hubs and might be tying up affordable space that another organization could benefit from. If this is a concern, consider including “operation minimums” (i.e. 30 hours per week) in your partner lease agreements. This sets the expectation for how the space is utilized and how the community operates.
Safety and security tools: Facility assessments and penetration tests.
We all have blind spots in our day-to-day routines and environments. One member shared that law enforcement in their community offers vulnerability assessments for local facilities. They will examine your space for any possible safety and security threats that you might not have been aware of. Similarly, if your organization deals with digital data and record storage, you might want to consider a penetration test, or simulated cyber attack, to identify any weaknesses in your systems. Both are opportunities to strengthen your communities’ safety protocols before emergencies strike.