Here’s from Tim and Audrey

We are very passionate about the work experience and about creating co-working spaces where employees can live and work.

These blog posts are from Tim and Audrey.

Hear about their inspiration and motivations to build Colony, a co-working space where there is a seamless transition between living and working.

Click on the links to read more!

“Why I ended up building the office of the future“

by Timothy Tiah

An excerpt:

“Our lifestyles have improved so much in the past 20 years. We used to have just Starbucks and Coffee Bean. We now have over a hundred different coffee brands around KL. We shop differently, we communicate with people differently and we travel a lot more than we used to 20 years ago.

But the one thing that hasn’t changed in the past 20 years, is the way we work. In contrast to the consumer life we live now full of great choices and hospitality everywhere we go, work is still the same 20 years ago and now. We still sit in the same cubicle-like environment, we don’t get to choose who we report to, where we sit, where we work or the laptops we use. Even technology hasn’t improved our working lives, they’ve only made us more productive.

It’s no wonder that we sometimes dread going to work on Mondays.

I then asked myself what kind of environment I would love to work in.

Can I work out at a gym during lunch without having to skip my lunch?

Can I have a coffee from a trained barista instead of a coffee machine?

Can I have a private nap room where sometimes I can take some time off and get some shut eye even if it’s just for 20 minutes?

Can I work in a place that is close to malls where I can dart over to buy things I need rather than making a trip over the weekends or even catch a movie after work?

Few offices here in South East Asia allow us to work like that. This is in spite of many HR studies saying that the working environment (among other factors) plays an important role in what a job candidate looks for in a job. No wonder companies find it so hard to find good people.

“Colony Co-working Space KL: Working moms have it the toughest. Here’s how I want to help.“

By Audrey Ooi

An excerpt:

“So when we were planning out Colony, I wanted to make life for working moms a little easier if I could. And this is what we came up with.

1. Lactation room

When I was working full time, I was young and unmarried wtf, as were most of us in our department. However, our boss was a mom and she’d just had her second baby. And she was breastfeeding.

Every day, she’d pull out her Medela Freestyle and storage bottles. And she’d holler to us all that she was gonna pump so nobody come near her cubicle. Then we’d hear the pump going WHOK WHOK WHOK and nobody would dare walk near her place wtf. When she was done, she’d take her breast milk and stash it in the fridge where we kept our beer. Hahahaha.

Being young and stupid, we all thought it was hilarious and the jokes lasted for years lolol my poor boss. But as a mom now, I can totally imagine the pain.

Which is why, I told Fatty we need a lactation and nursing room. We’re creating a small room with plug points and a comfortable chair, and a small freezer to store expressed milk. No more pumping at your desk while discreetly trying to protect your modesty, or worse, pumping in the toilet. -_- And if you happen to bring your baby to work, you can just nurse there! It shouldn’t be so hard for a working mom who just wants to feed her baby.

2. Kids play area

I don’t know how many companies actually allow their employees to bring their kids to work. But I think if I were a working mom — eh wait I’m technically one now HAHAHA. Well, if I had to drop by the office for just a while, or come in on weekends or something, I’d love to bring my kids with me.

So we’re creating a safe area (behind a glass door) for kids to hang out and play! There will be a designated children’s section filled with toys …. – somewhere you can safely leave your kids and have peace of mind while you settle whatever you need to do.

Inside that room I plan to put tables and chairs, maybe some couches so that you can also sit and watch your kids and have a coffee or something. Which also brings me to the fact that there’s going to be a cafe too! ?”