tershouse has more than 150 members in its community. Each individual is special in his/hers own way and carries with him/her unique values, and the feeling of belonging is what connects us all. You can read more about the sense of belonging in a coworking space in this week's blog.
Belonging to the workplace is the employee's feeling that their uniqueness is accepted and appreciated by the organization and colleagues, and it can also be defined as the accumulation of daily experiences that allow a person to feel safe and to come to work happy and satisfied. The point is not just that employees feel valued for the work they do or the role they play in the organization - belonging goes much deeper. On the theoretical side, belonging at work is a psychological theory created by the American psychologist Abraham Maslow in his hierarchy of needs. According to Maslow, the need for belonging and love is in the middle of the pyramid of human needs, after the basic physical needs, but before reaching the pinnacle of the human need for "self-actualization".
Maslow's hierarchy of needs
As a company that has a large number of people with different characters and professions in its community, the tershouse team strives to improve the sense of belonging among all coworkers in several ways.
The first and basic rule at tershouse is that all coworkers are treated equally. Regardless of the length of presence in the community, the price of membership, the activity they perform, gender, sexual orientation, parental status, occupation, or education - everyone is equal. As the CEO and founder of tershouse points out: "Everyone is equally important to us, that's exactly why I think we succeeded in what we wanted so quickly, and that's our motivation to continue working at the same pace." You can read more about it in the blog interview with Nermin Šehić by clicking on the link New concept, old tershouse philosophy.
A warm welcome is something that every new member of our community gets. tershouse team is always ready to welcome you, show you around the space, and familiarize you with the rules of conduct, the values offered by the coworking space, and similar topics. Every member is welcome to meet the community in a relaxed atmosphere, with coffee or a snack at one of our brunches, where we introduce new coworkers who are trying to meet new friends, associates, and colleagues.
The feeling of belonging brings benefits and productivity! When everyone feels like they belong, they worry less about self-presentation, and relationships with others, and can direct more energy toward productivity at work. Feeling a sense of belonging to a team can make employees more confident and persistent, which ultimately leads to better performance. Even leaders who invest in such values often have teams that produce great work because they feel supported and valued. This is one of the fundamental reasons why this topic is important.
By joining a coworking space, there is less chance of anyone feeling lonely. Due to the large number of different people who move into coworking every day, everyone has the opportunity to find someone similar to themselves. At the numerous internal events that tershouse organizes for its community, there is a great opportunity to get to know each other, socialize and have long conversations.
The feeling of belonging is the first step in interpersonal relations in the coworking space. For those who are sociable, friendships often follow. Each of our members can testify that many true friendships were made right here, in a pleasant atmosphere where no one feels as if they do not belong there.
In our coworking space, we take care of the following goals, so that everyone feels as if they belong to the community:- Comfort - All members of our community should feel comfortable at work, which requires fair treatment and respect from the tershouse team, as well as other coworkers. There is also a great emphasis on creating an atmosphere as if you were at home, although it can be much more fun in tershouse than at homes.
- Connection - Everyone should feel that they have correct and appropriate relationships with individuals and teams, keeping them connected to our common goals. As a community that spends most of its time each day together, we want a friendly and beautiful atmosphere.
- Contribution - All our coworkers should feel that they are contributing to meaningful results, realizing how their strengths help achieve our goals as well. The tershouse team is open to all suggestions, comments, remarks, etc., with the aim of working together to achieve the best atmosphere and feeling of belonging to the coworking space.
Ultimately, people want to feel a sense of belonging and value in all their communities, including the workplace. Isolation at work can lead to disengagement, negative perception, or dissatisfaction.
The tershouse team really carefully invests great efforts in building a sense of belonging, which can be seen in the interpersonal relationships of all members of our community, and in their satisfaction when coming to work. Come and see for yourself! By joining the community of the largest coworking space in BiH, the feeling of belonging and a pleasant atmosphere will definitely not be missing!
Author of the article: Nevena Lučić, Community Manager at tershouse
