Works Social | Coworking, shared office & events space in Nottingham

We're hiring!

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 06:03:28 -0700

About Works Social

Works Social is an independent coworking and events space based in Nottingham's historic Lace Market.

Home to freelancers, remote workers, creatives and growing businesses, we provide flexible workspace, meeting rooms, virtual office services and a friendly professional community within a converted lace works building.

Alongside our coworking members, we also support over 150 virtual office clients, making Works Social a welcoming hub for businesses across Nottingham and beyond.

We're looking for a reliable, self-sufficient and personable individual to help oversee the day-to-day running of the space across 2-3 weekdays per week.

The Role

You'll act as one of the welcoming faces of Works Social, helping members, visitors and virtual office clients while ensuring the space runs smoothly day-to-day.

This is a varied role combining front-of-house responsibilities, community support, facilities management and light administration.

Some days can be busy, but there are also plenty of quieter periods. We're looking for someone who is comfortable working independently, using their initiative and taking ownership of their day, while acting as a trusted keyholder and point of contact for the space.

Responsibilities

Compliance with Confidence - Empower Hour

Tue, 17 May 2022 06:46:06 -0700

Think back to when you set up your business…whatever your niche or industry, I’m willing to bet there was no easy-to-find checklist or ‘to do’ cheat sheet for ‘Compliance’ or, as we like to call it, the legal nuts and bolts that are the foundation of your business.

Often, you simply don’t know what you don’t know when it comes to the risks associated with small business compliance – how can you know what you’re doing wrong or missing out on if nobody ever told you the right way?

What if I told you there are rules about, among other things…
What you are called as a business
What you must add to your website
Your insurance cover
Your contracts (our favourite subject!) incl
Obligations to employees/freelancers

These things are easy to miss. Your business wasn’t necessarily created with all this compliance as a known risk in year one. If you’re worried that you don’t know what you don’t know in terms of small business compliance, we have a solution for you. Our brand new Compliance with Confidence Empower Hour was created for YOU and will demystify small business compliance. It will break it down and enable you to leave the session feeling, you guessed it, empowered and in control of your business.

60 mins 1:1 session will be usually £175 plus VAT but WS members will get 20% off this listed price. Sessions will usually be live in WS space, or can be by zoom.

Contact Heather via Heather@stanfordgould.co.uk for more information or to book.

2. Sensor activated LED Lighting

We're really happy about most of the lighting in the building being off when we're not here, and it saves a dramatic amount of energy. What's more, all the lights in the building are LED, which can be as much as 80% more efficient than their incandescent counterparts.

3. Paperlessness

Printer, we love you, you're so helpful when we need you, but we wish we needed you less. Digitisation is great because printing is wasteful in more ways than one. Obviously there's the paper, but there's also the ink, and then there's the energy used in printing a page. That's also why our printers move to standby when they're not being used.

4. Turn off them computers

Devices in standby can use up to 50% of the energy they do when they're on. You'd be doing us and the planet a massive favour by turning your computers off when you're leaving, it can make a surprising amount of difference.

5. Or let 'em hibernate

Turning them off is brilliant and obviously the most effective course of action, but hibernation is sometimes more convenient when there's work you want to continue without saving. But just because the screens off doesn't mean parts aren't whirring away. Check your...Read More

Co-Working Community Crowned Start Up of the Year

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 09:08:28 -0700

The coworking hub in Nottingham’s historic Lace Market was named “Start up of the Year” by sponsors Breedon Electrical at a long awaited ceremony at the East Midlands Conference Centre on 14th October 2021.

Back in 2018, a team of local entrepreneurs spent more than 12 months transforming a former Lace Works into a home for their coworking vision to thrive. Works Social, situated in a completely refurbished four-storey, Grade II listed building in Commerce Square, opened its doors in May 2019 as a contemporary coworking, communal office and event concept aimed at independent workers and micro businesses.

Only 12 months in, its membership had grown to near capacity, the community was flourishing and the events schedule was in full swing. Then the world changed, Government mandated home working and a national lockdown prevent travelling to work, attending events and any contact with anyone from outside their household bubble.

However, the team worked hard to keep the community spirit going, giving those who were not able to work from home a safe space and sense of stability.

Co-founder and freelancer, Han van Oudheusden said: “Community spirit underpins Works Social’s core ethos, so did whatever we could to try and maintain that sense of “we’re all in it together” through virtual events, regular newsletters with updates on how to get support or what the latest guidelines were.

“It’s been difficult time for everyone, but when we look back on what we have achieved in such a short space of time, it’s pretty incredible. We’ve transformed an old Lace Works into a welcoming, inspiring and flexible space. We’ve run film nights, networking events, community lunches, designers clubs and can’t wait to roll out plans for the future.”

The judging panel were impressed with Works Social’s stand out...Read More

When is the right time to move into a coworking space?

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 09:03:34 -0700

Rachael van Oudheusden, Enterprise Nation Adviser, Freelance Marketing & PR Consultant and Copywriter at Big Old House and member of coworking space, Works Social, has been self-employed for almost six years. Here she shares her thoughts on coworking and when it’s the right time to make the leap from a home office.

When is the right time to move into a coworking space?

There comes a time where you decide to ditch your corporate ‘9-5’ job. Maybe that’s due to a horrible boss, an inefficient or toxic work environment, you want to pursue a completely different path or you simply feel like, "gosh, I could do this wayyyyyy better". And most times, you're right.

So, you start a side gig, pour your passion into it and the income starts to outweigh your steady salary and you make take the leap. Congrats! You've done what most are afraid to do.

Freelance is more feasible than ever

A recent survey about freelancers from over 150 countries explores what being a freelancer really means and how “It’s estimated that freelancers will compromise roughly forty percent of the American Workforce by 2020.” So freelancing is more of a viable option now than it has ever been. With this comes both the freedom to be your own boss and manage your own workload, either from your back bedroom, an office at the bottom of the garden or occasionally a coffee shop.

How’s your...Read More

DIY Film Festival celebrates people coming together again for it’s 10th Anniversary Screenings 🎬

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 01:21:07 -0700

DIY Film Festival celebrates people coming together again for it’s 10th Anniversary Screenings 🎬
Nottingham Creative spaces including Works Social, Fisher Gate Point, NonSuch Studios, The Carousel, the newly renovated Nottingham Castle as well Independent cinemas The Bonnington Theatre, Broadway, Savoy Cinema and Local film and event clubs Read More

Top contractual tips for freelancers, associates or subcontractors 👩🏼‍⚖️

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 03:12:37 -0700

There is much to be thankful for as a freelancer, with all the freedoms and flexibility your status provides, but sometimes it’s easy to get carried away by this new-found autonomy and forget to ensure that your contractual back is covered.
Here’s our top tips to ensure you stay protected and keep enjoying your work, and its benefits.
Whether you are the business looking to take on self-employed extra capacity quickly, or a freelancer thinking,” It’s about time I set something up in writing” (yes, it is!) we now have solutions that won’t break the bank at
Stanford Gould
Make sure your contract covers these important issues:
Define what you are doing and how you are going to get paid.
Most people get this right, but make sure it is in writing, as charges per hour, pre day or per project need to clear. Overtime? Extras? Variations? Project creep (You know what I mean by that…. We have all been there…) ie; work outside the scope of the original proposal, all need to be covered too.
Check your status – this sounds simple, right? You’re a freelancer – what’s the issue?
Make it as clear as possible that you are NOT an employee and this is a contract for services, not a service contract.
Sounds like a right lawyer’s distinction doesn’t it, but it’s important. No contract can completely remove the risk of...Read More

Works Social Guide to Eating Out(side)

Fri, 23 Apr 2021 09:19:41 -0700

We've all been getting our Scandi on and embracing the outdoor continental cafe culture.
We're so lucky in Nottingham to have a plethora of independent pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants with their very own outdoor oasis'. Whether it's lunch with colleagues and clients or an after works social with some friends or family, we've curated a guide of 20+ covid-secure independent Nottingham venues with socially distanced outdoor seating just a short walk from Works Social in the Lace Market for you to explore. #supportlocal #eatouttohelpout #nottingham
Coffee ☕️
Cartwheel Cafe | Tough Mary's | Kigali | Speciality Coffee Shop | Blend | Delilah
Collaborative Future is now launching an even bigger and better version of the programme for 2021. Starting at the end of January, and running entirely remotely for 6 months, the Collaborative Future team will bring together 20 business owners with 10 diverse young people located all around the UK. Unlike traditional employability schemes, Collaborative Future centres around creating flexibility and amplifying individuals unique strengths, while championing collaboration, resource pooling and skills-exchange across different ages and levels of experience.
Businesses have benefited from the Collaborative Future programme in a whole variety of ways, whether that's by:
Scaling their teams capacity in a sustainable way,
inspiring and empowering the next generation to pave their own career path,
injecting fresh ideas & approaches to their company and projects,
Growing their existing teams potential through workshops and coaching opportunities,
building connections and working closely with complimentary organisations, or
playing a part in building a more resilient approach to work.
Rosie who is the Co-Founder of Organised Fun, a Nottingham based organisation which participated in the 2019 pilot and again in the 2020 programme said:
“As a small business that has been operating for less than a year we aren’t currently in a position to employ anyone, but we have ambitions...Read More

Coworking collaboration gives construction consultants a brand boost

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 08:50:38 -0800

Despite lockdown, a collective of creative members from Works Social, the coworking space in Nottingham’s Lace Market, have been able to work together to carry out a messaging, web design and branding project to give Cube Construction Consultants a brand boost and secure its future success.
Cube moved into Works Social earlier this year and has enjoyed the benefits of having 24/7 access to the space and its virtual community during lockdown, when it wasn’t always possible to work from home.
Nicola Slater, Director at Cube Construction Consultants, said:
“We specialise in strategic business development for organisations within the construction industry, but when it came to marketing our own business, we were finding it difficult to get across our messages and show consistency across our brand.
“It’s been great to be able to bounce ideas off other members and have a community we can call on, when much of the ‘business as usual’ we are used to is anything but. Having a collective of different freelance skills from web design, branding, development and copywriting has really helped us get the results we wanted.”
Virtual member, Matthew King Creative redesigned the website and brand guidelines. Friend to and ambassador of Works Social, Pixelshrink, carried out the technical development and digital designer and co-founder of Works Social, Han van Oudheusden from Read More