Coworking is certainly a hot topic these days in any discussion of office planning. It seems to be here to stay, as we see both the number of coworking spaces and the number of people who work there continuing to grow continuously. Is it right for you or your company? Before you decide, let’s address of few of the myths and dispel some misconceptions about coworking.
More than ever before, American’s are working remotely. A recent Gallup survey showed that 43% percent of workers in the U.S. spend some of their time working remote, with 31% stating that they work four to five days each week. The ability to telecommute is one of the most highly desired arrangements for today’s job seekers. Lots of people love the idea of being able to work from the comfort of their own home, even staying in their pajamas if they so choose.
Are you running a startup business? Have you reached the point at which it’s time to move out of your house or basement or garage and into a dedicated office space? If so, congratulations on reaching this critical milestone! You could lease an office, but more and more startups are finding that using a co-working space is a more viable solution. Here are some of the reasons why:
When you hear the phrase “co-working space”, what’s the first image that comes to mind? If it’s that of hipsters in skinny jeans, sipping on high-end coffee in a downtown warehouse, as they do work for a tech startup, I’m not surprised. Indeed co-working got its start in urban locations, filling a much-needed niche for independent professionals, many of whom did work for startup companies.
Co-working spaces. It’s difficult to get very far into a discussion of modern offices without hearing a mention of them. Co-working spaces seem to be popping up everywhere. But is this the sign of what we can expect as the future of the business world, or just yet another fad that hipsters are falling for? Let’s look at a few points to consider:
Whether you own your own business, or you’re a freelancer, or you work from home, you may have begun to consider a coworking space. When it comes to value, we’re all looking for how to get the best bang for our buck.
Whether you’re renting a coworking space, or simply “just looking for now”, you want to find out as mush as you can about them. What’s the parking situation like? How late can I work there? Are there office rules?
Coworking spaces are a trend on the rise, and if you think about it, it’s not hard to figure out why. People are starting to break the mold in running a business and look at things from a different angle. Spending money on an entire office suite isn’t always necessary, but working from home can be difficult and distracting. Enter: coworking spaces, the solution to both of these problems. People spend much less renting a spot at a coworking space, and only use it when they need it. This makes perfect sense for many small business owners who are looking for a way to save money and stay motivated every day. But wait, there’s more! On top of being a financially smart decision and productive way of working, here are some of the perks you should expect from any good coworking space.
One of the biggest issues I’ve found with working from a coffee shop is that you’re almost never the only person working there. With so many people working from the same wifi network, some tasks can take way longer than they would from home, or a private network in an office. What could be more frustrating than a slow internet connection when you’re working on a deadline? Coworking spaces know this, and since they’re expecting to have multiple people working from their space at a time, they should have adequate wifi networks available. If you’re touring a coworking space, be sure to ask about how capable their wifi is of handling a crowd of people using it all at once.
Just because your job or company is non-traditional and doesn’t meet with clients every day, doesn’t mean you don’t need a conference room from time to time. If you’re working from home, this can be a stressful situation to figure out. Even if you have a nice home, it doesn’t exactly give off a professional vibe to invite prospective investors or clients to sit around your dinner table for an important meeting. Any good coworking space will offer conference rooms that can be rented hourly or daily. These rooms are equipped with all the chairs and AV equipment you’ll need to give a professional and impressive presentation.
Last but not least, a good coworking space will make your life easier by offering the one thing that fuels America’s workforce every day: caffeine. While this might sound like a small perk, there’s something to be said about having the energy you need to get through the day right at your fingertips whenever you need it. Being able to grab a cup of coffee right away can help you stay on track, instead of having to hop in your car and drive to the nearest coffee shop twice a day.
So you’ve decided to move your business to a coworking space. What should you expect? Since you’ve already made the decision to move over to a shared working space, I’m sure you’re aware of the many benefits. Now it’s time to look into how to prepare for the transition. There’s a big difference between working in a private office and a coworking space. There’s also a big difference between working from home and moving into a coworking space. Regardless of which situation you’re coming from, here are some things you should expect to get used to when you move in.
In recent years, the SF Bay Area has become a mecca for modern business. People around the world look to us for the newest trends in business. Whether it be working from their own garage to start a multi-billion dollar company, or building huge campuses that encourage workers to hang around work even when they’re not required to, the Bay Area shows the rest of the world that sometimes breaking the mold of traditional offices is not only okay, but great for business. One of these trends is coworking. Especially in this area, there are a ton of small businesses, aka startups. These small businesses aren’t always funded right away, and might just be one or two people working their hardest to make their name known. Due to the influx of smaller businesses, coworking has become a viable option for many people. Here are some reasons why small business owners in the Bay Area are choosing coworking spaces over traditional offices.
