LOOM Members’ Handbook Excerpts

(10/2018)

This serves as a basic guideline of what you can expect on a typical coworking day and may address some of your questions. A more complete manual with logistical details will be given to those who have joined. Please be aware that a personal visit and tour are required prior to confirming any level of membership.

Culture

Our culture is important to us. We aim to make LOOM a welcoming, inspiring and friendly community, away from the professional distractions of household chores, kids, dogs, etc. We value openness, curiosity and collaboration; the key factors that drive success. Our hope is that you will naturally make friends, meet people, collaborate, and bring your positive energy and ideas to LOOM creating an innovative and exciting environment. Please make sure that you and your guests recognize and be respectful of LOOM as a shared work space.

We believe in work/life balance and positivity. When you are here, we ask everyone leave negative vibes at the door. Treat other members with courtesy and respect, understanding their primary role for being here. Help to create a comfortable but professional environment. Settle in and feel free to leave items out while you are out and about but be aware of any personal items and our image for visitors (locked storage available).

Please look after our wonderful building and consider doing the following:

  • If you see something which is broken or not quite right, please let us know.
  • If you think something isn’t working as it should, or, could be better, please let us know.
  • Please help to keep the place clean and tidy. Make yourself at home in the space, but treat it with respect.
  • Please clean up after yourself and return items where you found them.
  • Please make visitors feel welcome, let them know who you are and what you do
  • If you notice anything out of the ordinary, please let us know.

We are a welcoming and friendly community. We do not accept discrimination in any way, shape or form. We also ask that publicly acceptable language be used in business and social situations at all times for the respect of all members. If something is clearly inappropriate, please speak directly to us. Smoking is not permitted anywhere on the property, around the main building or the studios.

We encourage you to participate in or at least be connected to the in house communication systems. This is how we let you know about new amenities, policy changes, events that might affect use of the environment, etc.

Be a good steward of the space and the environment. A few small actions (such as turning off lights and HVAC, logging your snacks and printing, etc.) can save money, allowing us to provide you with.  Make management aware of any facility, security, technology or functionality issues. LOOM promises to be open to suggestions from the members, actively communicate and connect with members, and keep the space running (and improving) so that it is functional and comfortable.

What the community expects of the leadership

  • Be open to suggestions from the members.
  • Actively communicate and connect with Members
  • Keep the space running so that it is functional and comfortable.

Working, noise and using the space

Hot desk members can work anywhere within the space except a dedicated desk that has been assigned. We encourage you to work in different places throughout the day & sit by different people! Those who need large equipment in addition to their laptop (such as a screen too large for one of our lockers) must become a dedicated desk member.

A shared environment will never be completely quiet (nor do we want it to be!), but all members are expected to be respectful of the needs of others. Noise needs to be kept at a reasonable level. Please be conscious of those around you and their need to focus on their work. Please consider to the guidelines below:

  • LOOM is not a library. Members should feel comfortable making the noise they need to get the work done!
  • Feel free to have voice/phone conversations in the space at a reasonable level just like in a regular office. Most members do take conference calls out in the work areas. Louder conversations and pacers are asked to work in the back work areas, a meeting room, outside or to use the adjacent Studio and Workshop spaces.
  • Go ahead and work with others – that’s what collaboration is all about! Longer and louder conversations can be moved to one of the back work areas, an open and unreserved meeting room, outside or perhaps a downtown restaurant!
  • Please keep phones on vibrate, don’t use speaker phones in main space, and be aware of headphone volumes; using one earbud is a great way to monitor yourself! Be conscious of cell-yelling. Most cell phones can handle a normal speaking voice!
  • Bluetooth headsets are encouraged for privacy and ergonomics.
  • If you need to focus & don’t want to be interrupted use the balls of yarn by placing it on your desk to signal to others you wish to be left alone (“don’t mess with me, I’m on a roll!”).
  • If a person doesn’t have a ball on their desk, it is assumed you are welcome to engage unless it is evident they are on a conference call.
  • If there is an unexpected need for use of a speaker phone or an impromptu meeting and an unclaimed meeting room is available, members can duck in and use it or reserve it last minute.
  • The back work areas as well as the Studio Building are yours to escape to for concentration, relaxation, etc.

Members should be considerate and clean their work areas when they are finished working each day. Assigned desk membership allows the members to leave their equipment at the assigned desk overnight. Members are welcome to leave items out while they step out to meetings or lunch.


Reserving meeting rooms, consultation room, podcast studio and the media lab

▪ Members may reserve the smaller meeting spaces in advance by reserving the times they need them online through Cobot. Members may reserve up to 2 hours of time in a meeting room the same day they are checked in at LOOM. Additional time may be reserved same day based on availability.
▪ Although they cannot be reserved online, please consider the Studio, Workshop and Training Room as excellent daytime work and teaming space. Mobile furniture can be taken into the Studio to create private work and group meeting space. The private Training Room can be reserved for workday teaming by groups of 3 or more members at no additional cost.

Guests

We encourage all members to invite friends and business associates to try out coworking as well as to host meetings in our facility with outside guests. Your membership covers your use of the space. We define a guest as someone who is actively meeting with a member in the event space or meeting room, but doesn’t maintain an active membership with us. You may actively meet with guests throughout the space. For non-members who are not actively meeting with you, who are staying and working alongside of you for an extended period, or who are present when you aren’t, we require them to purchase either a day pass or become a member. The member who invites and gives access to non-members is responsible for their guest actions in both financial and legal capacities and should accompany them at all times.

Technology

▪ The Main Building has 1G Zipstream and a separate guest network. The Studio Building has a separate network from the main building

▪ Each meeting room has a flat screen with HDMI cable. Other tech includes conferencing speaker/mic, all podcasting equipment, overhead and screen, etc. Give notice if you need anything. Do a dry run in advance, especially if it is your first time.

Printer/Scanner/Copier

Minimal printing is complimentary. Should a member need to make more than 5 prints or copies of an item, they should log their prints on the provided form. 

Breakroom, Bathrooms and Supplies

Coffee and tea are free. The first person in is encouraged to make a pot of coffee to share. LOOM is BYOC- Bring Your Own Cup! Snacks and sodas are offered and a tally sheet is on the refrigerator for you to mark with hashmarks. 25 cents per snack will be added to your bill at the end of the month. If snacks and drinks are not marked, we will need to discontinue this convenience. There is a list on the refrigerator for where to find supplies and for listing needed supplies (use the last of something?) or snack requests. Anything left on the coffee counter or on top of the microwave is “fair game”! There is a cabinet in the bathroom for personal items and a First aid kit. The beer located in the refrigerator is available to members. Please refrain from partaking until after normal business hours.

Reserving private spaces

Members may reserve private spaces in advance by reserving the times they need them online through Cobot. We ask that members be reasonable and considerate of other members, especially during high use hours, and not use them excessively. Members are welcome to have non-confidential meetings with clients throughout the open areas or outside without reserving a space.

Members are encouraged to use the recreational areas! Basketball goal, ping-pong table, yoga (and sleeping) mats, and free weights are provided.

Lunches

We encourage members to have lunch here with coworkers and even grab take out and bring business associates for lunch! There are several dining options where we get discounts. Generally, every Friday we go out for lunch so check SLACK on Friday morning for location and time.

Mail

Members may (for an additional cost) receive mail and packages at LOOM, use our address for business filings as well as use LOOM as your Google registration address.

Calendar

The LOOM community calendar is kept on the Facebook page. Events, collaboration opportunities, new members, etc. are announced on SLACK each week!

Hosting events

All full-time and part-part time members receive a 25% discount off of event space rentals. Full-time members receive one free hour of Gallery or Studio space use each month to use (max accumulation of 3 hours).

Member Promotion

Members are encouraged to keep cards on the literature rack, announce business promotions, awards, news, etc. via SLACK and share on social media, use our space for any lunch and learns or other public events that benefit you and your business

Community partners

LOOM part-time and full-time members are encouraged to take advantage of the members-only discounts offered from local vendors and service providers.

Social Media

Members are encouraged to actively participate via social media networks by sharing articles and other helpful information and events.

Community Parties

Generally, once a quarter there is a party (family game night, Christmas potluck, etc.) to allow families of members to get to know the community members. Feel free to suggest other social activities!

Library@LOOM

Within the space, you’ll find several bookshelves with books offered by the Members to share with one another.

Parking

There are several options for free parking on our property and throughout the area. Please refer to LOOM parking plan for specifics.

VIZPIN Door Reader Access 

For members and event organizers to access the space, we grant access based via a phone app.  The app uses Bluetooth to trigger the door reader.  This way, you do not have to have a key or a key fob to carry around.