7 Surprising Benefits of Coworking Spaces
By Sally S
November 21, 2016 • Fact checked by Dumb Little Man
A co-working space can change a business in profound and positive ways. If you’ve never seen one, it’s a shared office environment that your employees can use for however long is necessary. This concept is really shaking up the corporate world.
Coworking spaces are almost like hotels or rental homes for companies. They can head to one of these facilities to conduct meetings, call clients, and take care of all kinds of other day-to-day operations.
If you’re not sure that such a setup is right for your organization, consider the following benefits of coworking spaces.
1. Coworking spaces are fully equipped
Many of these spaces provide comfortable lounges, spacious conference rooms, mailboxes, and high-quality reception services. Moreover, in most cases, they contain all of the communications technologies and other items that a company would need.
2. You’ll save money
Buying or renting an office building can be prohibitively expensive, especially for new and very small companies. It’s no surprise, then, that half of all coworkers have enjoyed higher incomes.
3. These spaces encourage networking
Among the strongest benefits of collaborative working are the myriad networking opportunities. When your staff members mingle with people from other companies, they can discuss solutions to their mutual challenges. You’re sure to pick up some handy new ideas, and you might even find new business partners and clients as well.
4. People can work at any time of the day
Approximately 70 percent of office professionals prefer to work outside of normal business hours at least some of the time. Of course, coworking spaces allow them to set their own schedules.
5. It’s a way of attracting a youthful workforce
About 78 percent of the people who utilize coworking spaces are younger than 40. The collaborative and innovative nature of these environments seems to attract this demographic. Therefore, if you’re looking to entice younger men and women to work for you, offering them the chance to try coworking could help.
See Also: How Millennials Measure Success At Work
6. These spaces are scalable
The American workforce is evolving. By 2020, four out of every 10 professionals in the U.S. won’t be connected to any one company. Instead, they’ll be temporary employees, freelancers, or independent in some other way.
Why set up your business in a large office complex when there’s no way to tell how many full-time workers you’ll have in just a few years? By contrast, a shared office space is highly flexible.
See Also: 7 Convincing Reasons for Working as a Freelancer
7. This type of atmosphere can make you feel good
You might be surprised to find out that 68 percent of coworkers believe they can concentrate more effectively. On top of that, 70 percent feel “healthier” than they would in a typical office setting, and 91 percent say that they communicate better with other people. Perhaps the old-fashioned workplace ― with its small cubicles, petty politics, and occasional fights over parking spaces ― has already outlived its usefulness.
With so many advantages, coworking spaces have a lot to offer to new startups, new businesses, or even businesses that are struggling to stay afloat.
Sally S
Sally Smith is a writer with years of background in marketing communication. At the moment, she writes for The Work Loft, a shared office space in Bangkok.