To say that the last few years have seen a revolution in how many of us live and work would surely be something of an understatement.
It seems that almost every conversation these days about our relationship with the office begins with references to the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated heightened tendency for many professionals to work from home since the initial virus outbreak.
In truth, though, many other factors leading to our present, more flexible working culture were in play long before the coronavirus situation arose.
Data from Statista, for example, indicates that even in 2019 – the year before the pandemic started – there were approximately 6,300 flexible workspaces in the United States and nearly 6,000 spaces dedicated to flexible work in the United Kingdom.
As of 2018, there were about 1.65 million people working in coworking spaces across the globe. And as occurred once the pandemic took hold, the ever-increasing sophistication of online videoconferencing and communications technologies was probably one factor helping to make coworking spaces the next ‘big thing’.
But What Are Coworking Spaces And Who Benefits From Them?
Historically, there has been something of a perception that coworking spaces are essentially for workers who do not have a traditional office to go to, but who would like to have a semblance of a professional space and atmosphere in which to work.
A 2015 Harvard Business Review article, for instance, defined coworking spaces as “membership-based workspaces where diverse groups of freelancers, remote workers, and other independent professionals work together in a shared, communal setting.”
That same article highlighted various potential benefits of coworking spaces for such professionals, including the opportunity such spaces gave them to feel like they were part of a community and the high level of job control due to their often 24/7 accessibility. In addition, the article drew attention to how the users of coworking spaces found “meaning in the fact that they could bring their whole selves to work.”
Coworking Spaces Are Not Only Relevant To Independent Professionals
The notion of coworking spaces being attractive to those who might otherwise be restricted to attempting to work from home or in other less-than-convenient environments – perhaps between moments tending to their children and pets – might seem obvious enough. But are benefits like the above restricted to independent professionals like freelancers these days?
The short answer is, no. We are, after all, firmly entering the era of the ‘hybrid office’, whereby even those ‘conventionally’ employed may now spend part of their typical working week in the traditional office alongside their colleagues, and the other part of the week working from home or in another remote location.
You might even find yourself working at the opposite end of the country, or even the world, from where your employer’s ‘main’ office is located. And by establishing yourself in a coworking office during those times when you are not at your organisation’s principal location, you can still enjoy a slick, professional and well-equipped environment in which to work and give your best.
Could CREATE Business Hub Be Your Next ‘Go-To’ Coworking Space?
Let’s imagine, for example, that you are employed by an organisation in northern England or Scotland, or even outside the UK. You may like the idea of basing yourself in or near London, in a professional and stimulating workspace. But you might not have realised that you now have the option of a coworking space in Essex that offers the ‘vibe’ of a London workspace in humble – but extremely well-connected – Brentwood
How well-connected do we mean? Well, we’re referring to a location less than 40 minutes away from the capital by train. And that’s without reckoning with all the innovative and useful touches of our offices themselves, such as super-quick broadband and Wi-Fi, state-of-the-art telephone systems, and intelligent digital whiteboards.
Please don’t hesitate, then, to contact us today about how a coworking space could make sense for you, too, almost whatever your current professional circumstances and needs may be.
