Five Reasons More & More Companies and Startups are Utilizing Coworking Spaces

The last two decades have seen a flurry of changes that have revolutionized office design. Cubicle farms appear to have been relegated to the past. Office designs are now more focused on creating people-centric workspaces not just to inspire creativity and an excellent corporate culture but also to boost the bottom line!

More established companies today, are shifting their attention towards coworking spaces, hoping it will bring in more value than the traditional office setting seems to be missing. As it turns out, the likes of Starbucks, BOA, and Salesforce are already on this bandwagon.

Why More Companies Are Embracing Coworking Spaces

It’s not hard to see why more and more companies are creating coworking spaces to supplement their traditional office spaces. For one, this office design ensures that employees can get a reasonable sense of identity in a way that doesn’t affect their sense of belonging to a team or organization. We’ll explore more reasons below!

1. Save More than Just Money

Entrepreneurs and businesses have a lot of financial advantage to gain here. With coworking spaces, offices that may have been unaffordable are become affordable. The business base gets a more professional outlook, and there are more networking opportunities. There seems to be a kind of immediate financial gratification, but there’s more to coworking spaces than just saving money – and that’s why many companies are riding on this new wave.

2. More Flexibility and Control

Coworking spaces have a great flexibility and control advantage for workers. To start with, these facilities are usually open 24/7, so members have more control on when they work. You could work till as long as you please, or take a long break when workloads permit. There won’t be anyone to scrutinize your actions like it would have been in a traditional office setting.

Workers enjoy greater autonomy, which helps them feel more trusted by their employees. Coworking spaces help businesses find a balance between working from home or an office. The coworking setting helps to instill discipline in workers, in a way that’s absent when working from home.

There is a sense of community as well that helps keep most workers motivated. It may be the perfect solution for that independent worker who despite needing some routine and structure, is unable to perform well while being micromanaged.

3. Credibility, Professionalism, and Legitimacy Advantages

The living room couch may seem like a great place to start off as a budding entrepreneur or a freelancer. It’s very convenient, very cheap, and super easy. However, it may not be your best option if you care about a conducive atmosphere where your creativity can be maximized on a daily basis. Having to go somewhere to work has a kind of mental stimulation on workers. It brings an air of professionalism that may be needed in not just getting people to work but also ensuring the job is done well.

The availability of major office equipment and needs from phones and printers to wireless networking and conference spaces in coworking spaces means workers get all the needed office amenities with ease. For the working nomad, this offers a sense of purpose. Companies with remote working policies as well as those who telecommute or work from satellite locations can leverage this office design to bring workers into an environment made just for them.

4. Company Culture

Coworking spaces may present an opportunity for companies to shape their culture and philosophy. Relationship building is commonplace in coworking facilities. Workers from different companies get to relate together and share this sense of collectiveness within their shared spaces.

5. Community and a Sense of Belonging

Connections and communities are essential as far as instilling employees with a sense of identity. Working alone from home or outside an office space can feel lonely. Coworking facilities overcome this by ensuring voluntary socializing and networking, especially with other workers from different companies.

Employees’ personal lives are more personally determined, with ample opportunities to forge valuable personal and business relationships. This cab bring about a sense of belonging, which is mostly lacking when working from your bed or on the living room couch. This can also ignite creativity and innovation.

Conclusion

Coworking spaces are more than ideal for startups and new businesses that may not yet have an office. Designing a creative and functional office of their own will require huge financial commitments which is usually lacking in most cases. This leaves small companies struggling with the challenge of building a company identity in the absence of their own office space. Not only will coworking spaces help to forge this identity, but the office environment is often designed to help workers maximize their time and office environment. This also ensures they get access to important office amenities through affordable membership.

Moreover, since the company culture is also based on the company’s people, coworking spaces don’t ever get to miss out on this. It’s more enjoyable when you understand that most of the workers in coworking spaces still don’t feel any worse about their sense of belonging to the company they work for – instead, they feel valued enough that the company would invest in a coworking membership for them.

Workers get more autonomy and feel more trusted. They also have this sense of purpose and free access to the creative tools they need for productive work. In the end, this is devoid of the financial burden that comes with long-term leasing as well as the major design constraints that comes with conventional office spaces. Workers in coworking spaces can get this sense of identity, achieve more productivity, and soar on personal levels. All of these reasons make the coworking office model a very attractive one for both startups and established businesses.