It’s 2019, and by this point in time, I don’t need to tell you that more and more companies are allowing their employees to work remotely. It’s a cost saver, increases productivity, and most importantly, boosts productivity and employee satisfaction.

Historically, remote work has been known as “working from home”. But the rise of shared co-working spaces provides more options. If you’re one of the lucky ones who has the luxury of working remotely, here are a few points to consider as you decide whether to work from home, or utilize a shared space.

Isolation

If you’re one of those folks who really enjoys solitude, and works best with no one around to disturb your concentration, more power to you!  If, however, you don’t absolutely thrive on working in a vacuum, you may want to consider moving your workspace from your home to a co-working space. While working from home may be peaceful and tranquil (or it may not - see below), many of us are stimulated and inspired by the buzz of people working all around us. You may even find that the people around you in the shared office space have some insight to offer into your work. Who knows? You may even develop a new partnership or find a new client that way.

Distractions

Our homes are the places that we set up to relax in, typically after the work day is over. When you start working from home, you may find that your “creature comforts” are calling your name, offering you lots of distractions from the work at hand. Do you have children? Pets? If so, everything I just said increases exponentially, as the little ones cry (sometimes literally) for your attention.

Co-working spaces give you a truly dedicated professional environment, while still avoiding the need to commute into the company’s office every day. You may still need to deal with a certain amount of noise and other distractions in the shared space, but at least you’ll be out of the home environment, which you made for, well, just about anything besides work.

Networking

This may be more or less of a concern, depending upon just what type of work you’re involved in. But if you’re like most people in business, at least some amount of networking is a part of what you do. In startup companies (a hotbed of remote workers), effective networking could make or break your business in its infancy. If your workplace is home, your networking opportunities are extremely limited. If you move your home base to a co-working space, however, you’ll expand your ability to network dramatically. Considering the fact that the population of the shared space can be a veritably melting pot of people from different industries, there are dramatically more chances to network in a shared office than there are in a traditional office setup, inhabited only by your colleagues.