An Interview with Natasha Mohan, WorkSocial Founder and CEO: ‘We Believe in Redefining your Workday by Bringing Wellness, Happiness, and Leadership into the Workplace’

“Interactions beyond work to provide help and encouragement are key to building trust. We love and cherish long term relationships with our employees.”

Co-working spaces today need no introduction. Most people inevitably know at least one person who works at a shared workspace. Simply put, co-working spaces are shared workspaces that house freelancers, startups, and corporations alike, in a common space. Members do not have to deal with the burden of expensive and long-term office rental agreements, and commercial property owners get more out of spaces that are lying idle by renting out to co-working players.

In light of the foregoing, we’re thrilled to present WorkSocial — a leader in the co-working space industry. The company supplies its clients with comfortable state-of-the-art conference rooms, well-stocked kitchens, and most importantly the belief that their business matters. Its mission is to become more than a run-of-the-mill shared office space provider; a movement that is driven by the fundamental spirit of entrepreneurship.

WorkSocial was incorporated in 2015 and is headquartered in Jersey City, NJ.

Natasha Mohan, WorkSocial Founder and CEO, spoke exclusively to The Silicon Review. Below is an excerpt.

Q. What are the different amenities that are available in your co-working space for businesses to remain operational?

We are an all-inclusive one-stop co-working solution for businesses. We strive to be a full-service provider for our clients by providing amenities such as phone booths, stand-up desks, high-speed internet, security, onsite cleaning staff, in addition to spacious AV-capable conference rooms. We have a dedicated full-service team in place to assist our clients to solve any business, IT, or space issues that may arise during the day. Importantly, we have acquired the DGE clearance to be able to serve gaming and high-tech companies.

Besides this, we offer in-house weekday lunches to our clients keeping in view COVID-19 restrictions.

Q. Being around other people can be a great motivation to stay productive during the workday, but it can also mean being surrounded by distractions that will limit productivity. How can we overcome this?

The science behind our co-working space is to increase productivity. The ergonomics, aesthetics, and feng shui of a space enhance productivity and joy. With that in mind, the interior lighting has been carefully selected to meet the needs of each office space. And to respect our clients’ privacy and need for silence, we have installed white noise machines, which also reduce echoes. The color scheme was thoughtfully selected to promote happiness in the workspace.

Additionally, to avoid distractions, the private office is completely enclosed with white walls compared to other glass wall co-working spaces. The atmosphere we created is more toward the enterprise environment, with the intention that our clients are encouraged to be mindful of others sharing the space.

Q. Lack of customization and branding is seen as a potential drawback for co-working spaces. Can we expect a solution to this? And what are the anticipated trends in the co-working spaces due to Covid?

Our branding is strategically placed throughout the building in many forms. For example, on the eco-friendly mugs our clients use—to remind them that we are increasing our green footprint. We also have branded masks to make sure they are doing their part to keep all of us safe. The anticipated trends in co-working spaces during the pandemic have increased our cleaning protocol. We provide clients with day use of the offices and have arranged for medical staff to periodically stop by to conduct onsite voluntary COVID testing. We’re also trying to limit our clients’ need to leave the building during the day by providing food and snack options onsite. That said, healthy, happy, and productive is how we want our clients to feel in our space.

Q. ‘When people are having fun, they work together better and they produce better work.’ How do you interpret this saying?

As human beings, we are social animals, we need to be surrounded by others to find inspiration and daily motivations. In other words, it’s ideal to be around motivated people than to sit in isolation and work. With people being forced into isolation during this pandemic, the incidence of depression has gone up. We need to combat that by continuing to meet and work with people safely, considering sound mental health is very important to us.

Q. Growing the company based on employees’ passions must be a priority. Do you ask your employees what they are interested in doing and how they would like to see their career unfold?

As of now, we are all multi-tasking since our team is pretty small. They are encouraged to express themselves and how they can contribute to the organization. We are a young company so we grow as our employees grow. There is a shared goal and interest but also high energy buzzing to keep us on our toes. Yes, on occasions, we do talk about where they want to be placed in the company as we grow. I care about my team and love their work. If there are tasks that don’t resonate with them, we figure out a solution to ensure every goal is reached.

Q. Trust is a difficult attribute to measure and a delicate dynamic to maintain. How do you maintain this with your employees?

We provide them with all the resources and support to help them make the best decision for the task they are given. It is about giving them autonomy and feel as vested in the company as I do. I trust them to make the right decision, but if they are truly stuck, I make sure I am there to help them through the process. We’re not only co-workers but also a family. Interactions beyond work to provide help and encouragement are key to building trust. We love and cherish long term relationships with our employees.

Q. What does the future hold for WorkSocial and its employees? Are exciting things on the way?

We, as a company, are growing every year, whether it is expanding our workspace, cleaning up processes, or hiring new employees. We have many plans for expansion in the future, possibly in different states.

Natasha Mohan, a Trusted Leader: In Her Own Words

I am Natasha Mohan, the founder of WorkSocial. I, like many women entrepreneurs, multitask as I jump from being mom and wife to businesswoman, and mentor all in a day’s work. It’s not easy but I enjoy the challenges that life brings me.  Who I am as a person shapes my leadership. My early life experience in the hospitality industry adds to my customer service model. I have spent the last 20 years in the real estate industry climbing the ranks and making a name for myself. Working in the real estate industry was a natural progression to wanting to open my own co-working space. Over the years, I have seen office spaces not fulfilling clients’ expectations and how it impacted them. That being the sole reason, I wanted to offer an ideal co-working space for clients where they can grow their businesses and be inspired to fulfill their dreams.

I find my work-life balance by taking time to be with my teenage kids, husband, and puppy. Family is very important and they have supported all my aspirations and dreams.

“We are an all-inclusive one-stop co-working solution for businesses.”