We have been contacted by REDC who work with private sector developers, local authorities, the public sector and local communities to focus on local area regeneration, economic development and community liaison and engagement. They have asked us to help them get information on an issue we are frequently asked about... workspace.
What follows is self explanitory and if you can help by responding to their survey it will help a great deal in the understanding of what businesses really need instead of what someones best guess may be:
Intro to the survey:
This survey is for businesses in Cornwall which want to gain access to workspace facilities flexibly (when required) to supplement or even replace their existing office.
We have been commissioned by the South West Regional Development Agency and Cornwall Council, with funding from the European Convergence Fund, to research potential demand for 'workhubs' to be set up in key locations in the county - to make work easier for companies encouraging staff to work more flexibly (including homeworking).
A workhub is a workspace which provides services to members as and when they need them - as an alternative to going daily to a separate office away from home. Users can drop in to work, meet and access services, or can make use of virtual services. They can also be centres for collaboration and networking.
Workhubs typically have businesses using them daily as their main office alongside casual use by home workers and freelancers, creating a mix of daily and occasional users under one roof. The idea is to provide an accessible flexible office environment with high end services to support homeworkers, freelancers and other businesses in a way that can really make a positive difference.
You can access the survey here - WORKHUBS SURVEY
Many thanks for taking part in this survey. Your input will be of great value in helping us to advise the Council and SWRDA how such facilities might be set up in Cornwall. The survey should only take around 5-10 minutes, with most questions requiring just a simple checking of a box. However we do value the comments you make - so please do tell us anything you'd like us to know in the comment boxes.
NB Please do pass on details of this survey to others who may be interested.
Important: for data protection we will not pass your details on to any third party. We promise there is no risk of spam or direct mail resulting from your participation!
Want to know more? Here are some sample workhub websites from around the UK:
www.thewerks.org.uk
www.glovefactorystudios.com
www.funkbunk.com
www.electric-works.net
www.woodendcreative.co.uk
www.digitalpeninsula.com
This survey is being conducted by the Workhubs Network, a Cornwall-based company specialising in advising on the best services and facilities for homeworkers (www.workhubs.com).