New year review

It is just over five months since we opened our doors for business and since then we have had the privilege of meeting and getting to know a diverse range of people who have come to work at HasleWorks. Almost all live in Haslemere or its catchment and also have in common their desire to work near home but not at home, for at least some of their time. What they do when they are here varies considerably and it has been a source of constant fascination to hear of the different skills and experiences that are being put to use under our one roof in the town centre. 

I hadn’t heard of ‘category management’ until I asked one of our members about his work - and I am looking forward to hearing more when he is guest speaker at one of our regular drinks evenings. We have several communications professionals with specialisations such as dentistry and the food sector. A barrister has conducted court hearings from our privacy booths and training courses have been delivered from our meeting rooms by experts on topics ranging from GDPR to railway management. Successful job interviews have taken place discretely via Zoom, a new business has been established and a PhD thesis is being written, all from our building just off the High Street. 

For some it is difficult to work productively from home and a notable number of our members have school age children or are doing renovations, or both. But for many for whom work has always been a shared social experience HasleWorks has offered a welcome alternative to the isolation and intensity of turning home into a workplace. Many have recently moved to Haslemere, realising that they can live in this beautiful area and not have to commute to London every weekday. Food is a very common topic of conversation as we share information on where to eat and opinions on the increasing options for buying lunch, cake and coffee.

It was always our aim to provide more than just the physical necessities for working efficiently and we hoped to create an environment where people can stop for a chat in a culture of mutual respect, appreciating the value of working alongside others. For this reason it was touching to hear one of our members say this week that her colleagues are not only the people who work for her employer but are also her fellow workers at HasleWorks. If the last couple of years have resulted in a significant change in the way people work, our experience indicates that they have also confirmed the value of sharing a workspace and being with others.