ShanyJanuary 27, 20204 min read

The New Coworking Spaces

Many freelancers struggle to differentiate between working hours and free time. When you work in an office, it is easy to distinguish when your working hours start and end, but what happens if your home is also your office and vice versa? Setting boundaries can be quite complicated for freelancers and remote workers.

Coworking spaces offer a solution to this problem. Initiated in San Francisco in 2005, coworking spaces have become popular around the globe. In 2019 more than 3 million people were working in almost 19000 coworking spaces worldwide.

The idea behind these spaces is simple: many people from different contexts working together under the same roof. Coworking spaces are an excellent solution for people who want to create private life-work balance. It is often a cheaper option than renting an office, and it offers many advantages.

Keep reading if you are curious to find out what makes coworking spaces so appealing!

Flexibility

Coworking spaces are usually open 24/7, which allows you to choose your working hours. You can go to your shared office at 5 am, take a break to go for a run, or work until late at night if you have a deadline coming up. It's up to you.

They are also an excellent solution for people who travel frequently. If you don't spend more than a few months in a location, coworking spaces are the perfect solution for you. You can rent the place for the duration that you need it and then find a new coworking space at your next destination.

Feeling Part of a Community

Coworking spaces are not only a place to get work done. One of the main disadvantages of working from home is that people tend to feel lonely. Being surrounded by people makes it easier to start a conversation over a coffee or during lunch break. If you still prefer to work without distraction, you can always choose to work in a quiet office. Some offices also differentiate between working areas and common areas, where people can hang out and chat.

Furthermore, you can use the chance to get input for your work, to learn about new areas outside of your field, or to grow your network.

Lastly, coworking spaces offer more than a regular office. To encourage social interactions and creativity, most shared offices provide break rooms, kitchens, and space for recreational activities.

Design of the Space

Many shared offices have very pleasing interior design. The people who designed them tried to keep the client in mind by planning furniture in a way to create the perfect working environment. You can find different layouts that adapt to your necessities, open floor plans, private rooms, or conference rooms.

Coworking spaces offer more than just good design. They also adapt to the technological demands of the customers; you will find printers, scanners, screens — anything you would find in an office. Since studies have shown that people feel more comfortable in green environments, you will often find lots of plants and flowers.

Corporate Companies are Starting to Join Coworking Spaces

The idea behind coworking spaces was to offer a solution for freelancers and remote workers. However, entrepreneurs are also starting to rent these spaces, to create a centralized location for distant workers, or to provide their employees with significant flexibility.

Coworking for Solo Entrepreneurs

Solo entrepreneurs, as the name suggests, are people that launch a company on their own. Working spaces are an excellent solution for them because they end up being cheaper than the usual offices. They also make it easy to hire people once the project grows and is an excellent place for customers to visit.

Sector-Specific Coworking Spaces

Due to all the benefits of collaboration in mind, a new concept of coworking is arising. Imagine working in the same place as people that share your same mission. Each project is different and independent from each other, but they all have a common goal. Birmingham-Impact Hub is a coworking space whose final goal is to achieve social equality, and in Techhub, different tech entrepreneurs and start-ups work under the same roof. You can find all kinds of specializations: creative industry, environment, food, health.

Latest Trends

Due to its popularity, working spaces are introducing new elements aiming to improve the client experience as a whole. Nowadays, you can even find coworking spaces that offer yoga classes or babysitter services.

A new coworking concept was presented in Israel: working rooms. In this hotel business, men and women have the opportunity to spend the night, but also have a place to work and host business meetings.

Judging by the growth of coworking spaces, two things are sure: workers are demanding flexibility and, social interactions still play an enormous role in the business environment.

The number of remote workers and freelancers is growing since more and more companies are opting for these alternatives. It is safe to say that coworking will be quite popular in the future, so these spaces will inevitably keep growing and specializing over time.