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Co-Working Is The Innovation That HR Can't Afford To Ignore
Can you afford to lose out? Find out more about how co-working can work for your company.
Serviced Offices Take-Off In Greece
Greece's recovery from the economic crisis is still ongoing, but as its startup and tech community has begun to grow in earnest, so has the demand for flexible co-working spaces from entrepreneurs and executives over the traditional, fixed office environments that come with long-term leases and high overhead costs.
Co-working spaces provide shared, collaborative environments that can house like-minded people, and have been used by companies to better manage risk and reduce CapEx/OpEx, while Athens has become a real hub for the country's burgeoning tech sector, which is now starting to truly thrive.
Marco Veremis, an angel investor and the founder of one of Greece's tech success stories, Upstream, recently told the Financial Times that he estimates Greek tech companies today have a combined market capitalisation of around €2bn – a decade ago, it was nearly zero.
This has been helped by the government-backed investment schemes created in recent years to help young Greek businesses get going. Uni.fund provides seed capital to startups in Greek universities focusing on R&D and the tech space, while SMEs can apply to EquiFund, a fund-of-funds co-financed by the European Investment Fund that aims to strengthen the venture capital market in Greece.
While tech companies grow and the country’s economy continues to recover, flexible workspaces are becoming increasingly popular. By September, IWG will have opened four coworking spaces in Greece in the space of a year.
Katerina Manou, VP Sales at IWG in Greece, says flexible workspaces have emerged in the country as a response to specific market conditions and firm requirements. “Increased external volatility, high sunk costs for setting up conventional office space, an emphasis on flexibility to expand and contract operations in line with business development are all factors that have contributed to making flexible workplaces an attractive option,” she said.
One of the outcomes of the crisis over the past decade has been that perceptions within the business community about the most efficient way to run both small and large firms have been “fundamentally reshaped,” Manou said. “It is now clearer than ever that the workspace should not be a liability for the bottom line of a firm, but an asset contributing to a firm's operations,” she added.
And Manou says that “a new generation of entrepreneurs and executives have embraced the idea, and are driving demand, as the Greek economy is slowly picking up again”. On a real estate level, turning conventional office premises into coworking spaces can breathe new life into under-utilised properties, and can revive entire districts that are run down due to the economic downturn,” she added.
But flexible workspaces offer benefits to all types of businesses, not just start-ups. And as IWG's 2019 Global Workspace Survey has shown, flexible working is the new norm. After canvassing more than 15,000 businesses across 80 countries, IWG found that the number of employees who want flexible working options has grown to 75 per cent, while over half of workers globally are getting their job done from outside their main office headquarters for at least 2.5 days of the week.
And while flexible working may once have been the natural choice for small-to-medium sized businesses, it is becoming a cost-effective option for a number of large, global corporate companies that are using it as a way to become more agile and to help mitigate risk, the research found. A total of 65% of businesses said having a flexible workspace helped them to reduce CapEx/OpEx, shed unnecessary assets, and consolidate their portfolio.
Manou adds that while flexible workspaces allow companies to reduce the cost of operations and become more competitive, which in turn benefits the Greek economy, they are also helping a new era of business leaders “who have come to terms with the idea that business survival depends on how flexible firms are in reacting to external disruptions, and are able to adapt by turning challenges into opportunities,” she said.
Could a serviced office be the right option for you?Check out Regus' flexible workspace locations to find a base for your international team!
This content has been sponsored by IWG - an XpatAthens Brand Partner.
The First Regus Business Center Opened In Thessaloniki
The largest provider of ready-made workplaces came to Thessaloniki offering flexible solutions for every professional.
Regus, with presence in over 110 countries and 1000 cities around the world, opened its first offices in Thessaloniki this early July.
In a 1,934-square-foot space that spans 5 floors, Regus has created 66 offices, two meeting rooms and 211 individual workspaces for anybody who wants to save on office costs, start their business quickly and hassle free, for those in need of a flexible contract for their headquarters or for companies that want to be active in the city without spending time on looking for a conventional space.
Regus's offices in Thessaloniki are located in the city center, on Karolou Del Street, very close to the port and across from Otton Square, with easy access to the bus stop and the main train station. Main buildings such as the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle and the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki are only a few steps away.
Katerina Manou, Regus General Manager for Greece said in a statement: “We are excited about the expansion of our offices in Thessaloniki, a city with strong entrepreneurship and significant growth in recent years. We believe our offices will be of great help to anyone looking for a modern and easily accessible workplace in the heart of the city, providing all the modern services and networking opportunities in our well-designed spaces. "
Regus is reaching out to any freelance professional or company of any size looking for a professional and enjoyable workspace enhanced with state-of-the-art equipment, high speed internet infrastructure, administrative support and an ergonomically designed environment that stimulates employee profitability.
About Regus
Check out Regus' flexible workspace locations to find a base for your international team!
This content has been sponsored by IWG - an XpatAthens Brand Partner.
2019 Global WINConference In Athens
Perhaps you work for a large company and have substantial leadership experience or, you have just started your own company and are wondering how to proceed. Perhaps you are in transition and curious about your next steps. You will be in the right place. The conference will help you get up to speed on emerging trends in business, technology and society as well as the latest thinking on the future of work and careers, and new practices in individual growth. The conference is designed to help participants generate new awareness, skills, and connections in an inspiring and nurturing environment, enabling them to accelerate their impact in the world, at work and in their lives.
a) Join the first day only (2nd October): €195 special offer (with the same exceptions mentioned in the item B above). To be able to join us for this price, please write your application to participant@winconference.net.
b) Sponsored ticket (Scholarship): people from your network can also apply for a sponsored ticket for the full conference. We have a small number of limited entry tickets that can be granted for €295. To be able to join us for this price, please write your application to participant@winconference.net.
2. Special Package Offers For Greek Nationals
HOST COUNTRY TICKET: A limited number of tickets are given to host country delegates at a discounted price.
a) Fully subsidized ticket €1095: access to all learning material, all workshops, coaching, award dinner, gala dinner and cocktail – includes everything – application needed.
b) Limited Entry tickets for individuals €595 (3 days): access to all plenaries and working forums. No gala dinner, workshops or coaching sessions included – application needed.
Please write to participant@winconference.net to apply for a ticket with the following: a brief explanation as per why you are in need of financial support to attend the conference. Your motivation on why you want to join our event. How you believe you can contribute to WINConference 2019.
WIN Participants Say They Come Back With:
- Inspiration, a sense of calm, grace and clarity.
- The spark to start new projects and the readiness to take on new roles.
- An impactful community of support, meaningful connections and nourishment.
- Courage to make bolder decisions.
- Confidence to lead more holistically.
- Motivation to mentor other colleagues or your teams.
- The understanding that ‘I am enough’.
- The guts to take authentic action within your company, your community and for yourself.
Kimbra Live At Gazarte
“Mother Puce” - FoKiaNou Art Space
“Mother Puce” (like Mother Goose) uses the metaphor of nursery rhymes to tell stories based on real events against a backdrop of fabric-constructed scenes and large textile props. Gaining inspiration through research in the history of dress and tastemaking, Goodine-Richardson uses textiles, performance, sound and video to re-examine and question the meanings conventionally assigned to everyday objects and sounds.
She will be performing her cantastoria Mother Puce: Rhymes for Fleas and Pests on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 2-4 October, at various times. Wine and refreshments will be served each day and there will be opportunities to speak to the artist. Ella Goodine-Richardson is from Indianapolis, Indiana.
She received her Bachelor’s of Art at Hampshire College in Aesthetic Philosophy and Costume. She has held public performances in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Washington D.C., and Amherst, Massachusett. She has exhibited her work at L’Etna in Paris, France, The Big Car Gallery in Indianapolis, The Wonder Box in Farmville, North Carolina, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. She is currently working with People’s Puppets of Occupy Wall Street in New York City on a cantastoria about climate justice and capitalism, as well as a puppet performance on health care and access in the United States.
FokiaNou Art Space is an artist-run project space in the intimacy of a small apartment in an old building in the center of Athens. The space encourages collaborative creative efforts between Greek and foreign artists, thereby promoting and supporting the local art community. The space hosts exhibitions, workshops and projects under the direction of two artists, Mary Cox and Panagiotis Voulgaris.
Attention Greek American Students: Philotimo Scholarship Competition
How To Apply
2. In 500 words, or less, answer one of the following questions:
3. Submit your answer to the Foundation via email by Friday, October 4
WWF Initiative Aims To Reduce Food Waste
In collaboration with Unilever Food Solutions, the Greek branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has launched an initiative that aims to reduce food waste at 3 Greek hotels.
The initiative that started in late May involves a detailed daily record of food waste, at Grecotel Cape Sounio, Aquila Rithymna Beach Resort, and the Athens Marriott. Food waste is recorded in terms of food thrown-out during the meal preparation process, leftovers on the buffets and restaurants as well as on guests' plates.
"It was quite shocking when I realized how much waste we had. Almost all the guests only eat half of what they put on their plates, and the rest ends up in the trash," says Sakis Tzanetos, the chef at Grecotel Cape Sounio.
"If the customer understands that this is being done for the sake of sustainability and in respect for all of the things the planet gives us, they may start to appreciate food differently," explains WWF's Vicky Barboka, who's responsible for the program.
The action includes leaving a note for guests on the tables, at the buffets, and elsewhere asking them not to select more than they can eat.
Two years ago, the same program was implemented at 10 American hotels, helping them curb food waste by between 17 and 38 percent.
Today, food production is considered the number one threat to the environment; it uses up 34% of the planet's land and 69 % of its clean water, and is accountable for 24-30 % of greenhouse emissions.
To read this article in full, please visit: ekathimerini.com
To learn more about the actions of WWF Greece, please click here
ACS Athens Virtual School Lauches Its Programs For The 2019-2020 Academic Year
Today’s high school and middle school students need to be prepared for a world that exponentially depends on technology, an ever-changing environment with multi-faceted demands.
Well-designed courses provide great opportunities for students to learn through authentic and diverse teaching and learning modalities that constitute and further extend the i²Flex methodology. Developed 12 years ago at ACS Athens, this blended teaching methodology specifies that student learning occurs in the following dimensions:
· i: independent, yet teacher-guided learning;
· i: inquiry-based learning;
· Flex: flexible learning in a continuum from face-to-face to virtual classroom settings
The Virtual School offers online courses that come to meet the individual needs of students worldwide for high school credit. The exceptionally skilled faculty of ACS Athens, trained to teach both i²Flex and online courses, bring the academic excellence of ACS Athens courses to the online mode by promoting learner-centered instructional designs and experiences, while at the same time maintaining student-teacher contact through synchronous and asynchronous virtual class projects and meetings. Continuous support and monitoring of the student provides a holistic approach to student learning and performance.
The first group of 11 online courses begins this October and runs for 15 weeks in order to secure up to one high school credit. The second group begins in February 10, 2020 and, again, runs for 15 weeks for up to one high school credit.
Accelerated summer courses are offered, beginning in the second week of June 2020 and will end the last week of July (8 weeks) for a one-semester, 0.5 high school credit.
Greek Doctor Appointed International President Of Doctors Without Borders
To read this article in full, please visit: msf.org
Photo: Isabel Corthier/MSF