In the heart of hUMAnly coworking spaces
UMA Workspace offers flexible office space for coworking, giving you the freedom to work however you want, where you want. After all, people shape their workspace, not the other way around. This idea of how people shape their workspace is where the prefix UMA comes from – hUMAn!
UMA Workspace has 11 offices around the Nordic and Baltic Sea region where companies and entrepreneurs can work as “members”. UMA Keilaniemi in Espoo, Finland, one of their newest locations, is where we had the pleasure to visit and meet up with UMA Space Concept Manager, Tiia Rauhamäki. Rauhamäki shared some interesting insights about functional coworking spaces.
“There have been a lot of discussions about coworking, shared space concept, and community spirit within the workplace. While all this is very important, people also need their own peace and space to get work done,” says Rauhamäki. One of her priorities with UMA is to find the perfect balance between open spaces and private rooms: “It’s a form of art to create the right amount of workspace variations in the right proportion within the office.” Rauhamäki needs to be ready to change the office layout quickly if needed: “Mobility has been one of the benefits with Framery booths. It enables quick reacting to changes and saves resources, installation hours and our clients’ money.”
Rauhamäki has a long history in interior design and Framery is a familiar acquaintance from her previous work career. “I have always thought that Framery should be in the product portfolio, no question about it. This is because I never want to hear that our customers couldn’t focus inside a pod,” Rauhamäki says. “Framery booths are soundproof, the ventilation works and the air inside stays fresh. You can place a Framery pod in the middle of an open space and the soundproofing works both ways – you have your own privacy inside the pod and those working outside won’t be disturbed either,” she continues.
The UMA work community has also taken a liking towards the pods. “This ‘booth conversation’ is everywhere! They are very popular and in constant use. The fact that you can quickly take a private call and don’t have to wander around the office disturbing others – functioning workspace like this makes our customers happy,” Rauhamäki says. “The booths are part of our concept. Our customers already know to ask for Framery – to some of them phone booths equal Framery.”
Now that’s what we like to hear.
Rauhamäki believes investments like Framery office pods are beneficial because they are an important factor in building overall workplace happiness. Another important factor is wellbeing – and coffee! A cozy coffee lounge is the heart of every UMA Workspace: here people can enjoy breakfast, mingle or just relax and breathe in the soothing scent of freshly brewed coffee. UMA also offers their community lectures on wellbeing and nutrition, rooms dedicated to relaxation, and organizing diverse after-work events. “Workplace happiness is a ‘hot potato’ at the moment. And that’s exactly the way it should be,” Rauhamäki concludes. We couldn’t agree more.