Shared workspaces were introduced in Thailand after 2010 and initially hosted freelancers, and new businesses searching for economical and cooperative workplaces in cities like Bangkok. Networking in shared workspaces has been a grand opportunity to dispense facts and professionally train workers from various disciplines. The use of shared workspaces in Thailand has spread to large companies and remote workers over the last decade. The emergence of the part-time work marketplace has increased the importance of having the power to select the workplace culture following personal wants and desires. Facilities of high-speed internet, conference halls, and event spaces appeal to technologically proficient and innovative individuals or groups. By being a part of a shared workspace, workers can interact with compatible individuals, which could lead to teamwork for future projects.

1.   Collaborative work environments

The use of shared workspaces offers economical spending options through variable pricing and adding the costs of public utility expenses, repairs, and internet access to the subscription plan. Bangkok City has numerous high-end shared workspaces including The Hive, We Work, and Impact Hub. Chiang Mai city is known for its soothing atmosphere and is a prime location for coworking. It is also home to Pun Space, Chiang Mai Tech Startup, and Camp which provide an optimal venue for hosting a shared workspace. Phuket City is a top venue for remote workers home to The Office, Regus, and Work Hub coworking spaces. To develop networking in shared workspaces you need to plan events at your coworking space. These can range from happy hours, and training courses to networking mixers, offering a rare opportunity to connect with fresh professionals and obtain awareness about the various companies sharing the workspace.

2.   Networking in Shared Workspaces

Another way to build networking in shared workspaces is to participate in industry-specific trade shows, seminars, and other social events. By participating in these gatherings, you can discover opportunities to meet new professionals from your area and receive awareness regarding upcoming prospects for future projects. Outdoor social events for members of your shared workspace can also be an excellent way to foster networking by inspiring them to look for others with similar concerns and connect over an enjoyable activity. A practical method for promoting networking in shared workspaces in Thailand is to encourage the freedom of movement by not designating the workspace of each member, and also initiating frequent breaks so that workers move around often. The basic idea of encouraging mobility in the coworking space is to urge coworkers to speak with new members and exchange concepts or points of view.

3.   Networking events in shared offices

A useful way of promoting networking in shared workspaces in Thailand would be hosting informal activities frequently. Organizing networking events such as lunch and learns, game nights, launch parties, weekly morning breakfasts, brown bag lunches, and bounce hours regularly can motivate members to relax and join in with other like-minded individuals. To create a sense of networking and increase the chances of socializing in the coworking workspaces of Thailand, the design of your space might need to be renovated. Renovating the kitchen of your office space to increase its size, and overhauling the recreation area to include a fitness corner, a pool table, a table tennis table, or a foosball table depending on the interests of your workspace members can improve the feeling of closeness in the community.

4.   Shared office networking strategies

Planning skill exchange events permits individuals to impart their talents to other participants. The theme of such skill exchange events can be related to marketing strategies, photography, AI, and innovation or content writing. The primary aim of this strategy is to create an environment to facilitate collective learning and socializing among members of similar thinking patterns. In traditional office spaces in Thailand, you can effectively promote (coworking space) networking by setting up a social media wall. These members' walls can be created by using a social media aggregator tool and selecting the account, picking the source after which you need to edit the content in the feed to make it relevant to the theme. Every member of your workspace will have a social wall at their workstation with their photos, pictures of family members, names, and hobbies displayed on it. You could use a social media wall to plan an activity where members are made to relate experiences of working in their coworking space by using a photo or video (tagging the brand in their post). The content can be reposted on the member’s social media wall by you making the individual feel admired and appreciated for their hard work.

5.   Coworking space networking

An important strategy to advance networking in collaborative work environments is to remember to formally introduce new members into the workplace through a series of personal meetings during their first few days at work. Being part of a new workspace with strangers can sometimes lead to isolation and a lack of the ability to make the most of chances of forming new contacts. So by formally breaking in new members of your workspace, you can reduce the problems (that could result) from negative feelings of being unwanted or out of place. Inviting well-known entrepreneurs and business experts for conferences or seminars at your shared workspace can be an ingenious marketing tool and a useful way to build contacts outside your working environment. Making your workers a part of some decisions that involve their interests by knowing their choices (of favorite type of coffee or the informal events they enjoy the most at work) will help them feel respected and appreciated as integral participants in their workspace.

6.   Enhancing workplace relationships

Lastly hiring a community manager can do wonders to promote networking in coworking spaces in Thailand. The main responsibility of a community manager is to organize events to enhance workplace relationships while ensuring that newer members feel a part of their new shared workspace and that the space cost-effectively manages its budget. At the same time, the manager will also be in charge of forming a strong network of relationships within the coworking space by planning interesting activities to bring members together. Overall it could also be recommendable to conduct a survey among members of your shared workspace and find out what they want the most in their office. Such surveys will also enable you to discover the type of events and approaches to informal activities they prefer the most.

All of these ways of enhancing networking in shared workspaces, of different areas of Thailand, can bring positive results depending on how well they are implemented and the dedication employed for improving collaboration and social contact between members of the workplace. One of the best coworking locations in Thailand is Chiang Mai, it has The Yellow Coworking Space (in the center of Nimman), Punspace THA PHAE GATE, Pun space WIANG KAEW, The Brick Startup Space (in Chiang Mai University), Hub53 (Coworking & Coliving) and Code Space (in central Chian Mai) shared workspaces to choose from. Chiang Mai is affordable, provides access to modern facilites, has a large range of traditions to explore, and offers a wide choice of community workspaces.