The face of the office is changing; not only do increasing numbers of people Work From Home nowadays, or in futuristic, fun workplaces, there’s also been the rise and rise of the shared work space, or co-working space.
The co-working trend has been helped along by the popularity of places like Tech Hub among entrepreneurs and start-up companies. Shared offices are seen as a cool, collaborative and, most importantly, low-cost place from which to launch a business.
If you have an idea, or a start-up that’s stalled in your garage, should you hire a shared office space in Fenchurch Street and join the co-working revolution? Or is it just a temporary fad? What are the benefits, exactly?
Shared offices foster collaboration
As you’d imagine, co-working spaces are populated by freelancers, micro businesses and start-ups, not so much by larger tribes of colleagues. This makes for a heady atmosphere, as it’s a collective of driven, talented professionals who aren’t wasting time on office politics and stepping over each other for promotion. There’s also lots of different subjects and disciplines going on there – ones that might not often meet – so there’s lots of idea exchanges happening.
This is something a more traditional workplace can learn from, too – let people from different departments mingle more, as their skills and outlooks will complement each other. If a workplace of any sort is well-run, collaboration will be encouraged and will lead to some great ideas.
Shared offices raise productivity
It’s great to meet different types of people and hang out in the canteen together – until you realize you’ve just wasted two hours of precious work time, that is. Yes, there’s a lot to be said for taking a bit of time out to decompress, but there are limits, and they’re especially important in co-working spaces.
Thankfully, however, many space providers have foreseen this pitfall and have built in quiet zones; when workers are in these zones, it’s a signal to everyone that they need to get on with things. Other providers specialize in office-only spaces with a restricted number of areas for meeting and mingling. Once a worker or company has found the perfect balance, progress and success, while not a given, is certainly more likely.
Co-working spaces are more of a lifestyle choice
These offices provide a bridge from bedroom or garage to tenth-floor suite for the hard-working entrepreneur. They are relatively cheap, very flexible, with some providers asking for conveniently short notice periods, and they usually include all utility bills. Most even have a cleaner and some have a secretarial service. Job’s a good’un!
They also offer a great alternative from working at home and becoming isolated and uninspired. Of course these advantages aren’t unique to co-working spaces – there are many serviced office providers that can offer them to more established or larger companies. It’s a case of finding the right atmosphere, the right balance of fun and business and the right location for you and (if you have one) your team.
*This is an Advertorial article*
