Imagine colourful workspaces draped in office plants, kombucha on tap, and a diverse network of professionals plugged in, hard at work in lounges, hot desks, and kitchen benches. The workday’s new look is best captured in coworking spaces, and the rise of these shared offices in cities and urban centres is showing no signs of slowing.
Here, we look into the diverse (and, in some cases, surprising) benefits of coworking spaces.
1. Networking And Community Events
One of the most commonly touted benefits of coworking is the ability to connect with people you otherwise wouldn’t meet. Part of this comes from working alongside new people every day, but elements of a community are also built into workspace solutions like Eridanspace.
Monthly networking events are an easy way to find fresh collaborators and exercise your networking know-how, while the programming of educational workshops, yoga classes, catered lunches, and seasonal markets helps you to turn those introductions into lasting relationships—and possibly new business.
2. Reduce Loneliness; Increase Connection
When the alternative is working from your living room, coworking spaces surround you with a network of professionals and can reduce the isolation sometimes associated with working from home.
Recent research shows the significance of small, seemingly irrelevant interactions on our sense of belonging; that friendly conversation with the barista, the postman, or your neighbour can help heighten happiness. These interactions are the fabric that binds coworking communities together, and everyone—from the person greeting you as you arrive, to the person sitting at the hot desk next to you—adds to this sense of belonging. Even outside the planned community events, you’ll find that inspiration flows in an energetic environment bustling with coworkers.
3. Access To Shared And Private Spaces
In terms of design, coworking spaces are much more than your standard office: There are no cubicles here. Between expansive lounges, convenient hot desks, glass-walled private offices, and write-on-the-wall conference rooms, there’s plenty of space for collaboration when teams get together. Privacy and heads-down productivity is possible, too, with bookable meeting rooms and sleek private offices.
4. Flexibility And Cost Savings
Whether you’re a freelancer looking for a drop-in space, or an established team seeking a dedicated desk or private office, coworking solutions allow you to pay for only the space you need. Plus, flexible agreements mean you can scale at your own pace, without the pressure or rigidity of long-term traditional leases—and this flexibility is absolutely essential to growing companies.
“CoWorking spaces gives us that flexibility to grow fast, without having to worry that we’re overpaying for space we don’t need,” says Rich Liu, chief revenue officer at TripActions, a travel management website.
In addition to this, built-in amenities like front-desk and cleaning staff, printing services, internet connectivity, and kitchen and bathroom amenities eliminate the overhead costs typically associated with opening an office space of your own.
6. Enhanced Productivity
From the morning meeting flurry to the 3 p.m. slump, your focus and energy levels fluctuate during the workday—and your workspace should accommodate this. Typically, coworking spaces blend a range of work environments to cater to different work styles. Offering greater variety than a traditional office, yet greater structure compared with working from home, coworking spaces are optimized for productivity. Progress comes easy in intentionally designed spaces, while intangibles like background music, natural light, and moderated air temperatures keep you energized and refreshed.
The Advantages Of Coworking Spaces Depend On Your Business Needs
Perhaps not all advantages of coworking spaces apply to you personally—you might be exploring the benefits for remote teams, or before hiring talent elsewhere. No matter your professional needs, flexibility is at the heart of coworking, and you can make the experience fit your team, company, clients, or creative pursuits.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur looking for investors, a creative looking for collaborators, or an established team looking for new clients, coworking spaces can be incubators for fresh opportunities. These vibrant shared offices help you increase productivity and foster fresh connections. Plus, they give you the flexibility to work when you want, where you want, and scale operations as you see fit.
Original Post at wework blog.