Facilities
Part of Coworking member onboarding
Explaining facilities and rules to new members
Make a coworking tour useful by pairing each facility with its access, booking and shared-use rules.
Show new members what they can use, when they can use it and what to do when the usual arrangement fails. A list of amenities and a broad request to “respect others” leave too much to guess on the first working day.
Pair each facility with its use rule
Walk the route from the entrance to the member’s work area. Show toilets, drinking water, the kitchen, meeting rooms, call areas, printers and exits where relevant. For each facility, explain whether it is included, bookable, restricted to certain hours or intended for a particular use. If a facility is temporarily unavailable, say so before the member relies on it.
| Facility | What a new member needs to know |
|---|---|
| Desk or office | Assigned or first come, access hours and where belongings may be left |
| Meeting room | Who may book, how to reserve, what counts as a confirmed booking and how to leave it ready for the next user |
| Call or quiet area | Whether calls are allowed, how long a booth may be used and where longer conversations belong |
| Kitchen and printing | Shared supplies, clean-up, charges if applicable and how to report a fault |
A rule is useful when it tells someone what action to take. “Use a booth for calls when one is available” is clearer than “keep noise down”. Explain how members should handle a full booth area or an urgent call without implying that another member must give up a confirmed room.
New member facilities and rules walkthrough
- Start at the entranceWalk the route from the entrance to the member’s work area.
- Pair each facility with its ruleShow toilets, drinking water, kitchen, meeting rooms, call areas, printers and exits where relevant.
- State access and booking termsFor each facility, explain whether it is included, bookable, restricted to certain hours or intended for a particular use.
- Flag temporary unavailabilitySay so before the member relies on it.
- Put safety on the routePoint out the alarm, exits and emergency instructions; tell the member where to seek help during staffed and unstaffed hours.
- Give written rulesFollow the spoken walkthrough with a written version the member can consult later.
- Try an ordinary taskAsk the member to locate a room and check whether their membership permits booking it.
Put safety information on the route
Point out the alarm, exits and the site’s emergency instructions during the tour. Tell the member where to seek help during staffed and unstaffed hours. If a team is joining, arrange how site information will reach people who miss the first tour. The operator and employer should confirm their respective arrangements for this site.
Give rules in usable formats
Use a brief spoken walkthrough, then give the member a written version they can consult later. Put changeable details, such as staffed hours or a temporary room closure, where they can be updated without reissuing a long handbook. Make the contact for a fault or rule dispute easy to find.
Ask the member to try one ordinary task, such as locating a room and checking whether their membership permits booking it. This exposes a gap between a rule as written and the interface or signage they actually see. Invite questions without expecting the member to disclose personal circumstances to the group.
Finish with a simple distinction: site rules apply to everyone using the space; membership entitlements depend on the agreement; temporary notices describe today’s exceptions. When those sources disagree, name the staff member who can resolve it.
Which source applies when rules and entitlements differ
- Site rules
- Apply to everyone using the space
- Membership entitlements
- Depend on the agreement
- Temporary notices
- Describe today’s exceptions
- When sources disagree
- Name the staff member who can resolve it
