Working From Home Not Working? Try Coworking Instead

Read our partner Alliance Virtual Office’s article about how to make the Coworking movement work for you.

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Over the past year, millions of people discovered remote work for the first time. And many realized that working from home comes with a ton of benefits.

For instance:

• It’s convenient. When your office is just a few steps away, there’s no need to battle traffic jams, crowded trains, or packed parking lots.
• It saves money. Cutting out the daily commute saves a lot of money in transport costs, not to mention all those canteen lunches and takeaway coffees.
• It saves time. A shorter trip to work frees up your mornings and evenings.
• It promotes work/life balance. When you have more time, more money and more energy, you can focus on creating a better balance between work and life.

Another benefit of remote work is that it’s more productive… well, sometimes.

Research claims that people who spend 60% – 80% of their time working remotely are more engaged, which correlates with higher productivity.

However, despite these findings and all the benefits listed above, working from home just doesn’t suit everyone.

Some people find it too isolating, too cramped, too unprofessional, too quiet. Or for those with children at home or noisy neighbors, too distracting.

That’s why many companies are now switching gears.

Rather than simply offering a work-from-home policy, employers are considering other options. This may include hybrid work, which mixes up the working week between the home and the office. Or ‘remote first’, which empowers staff to work from anywhere.

Some companies are offering the opportunity to work from a ‘third place’ — somewhere that’s not home, and not the office. It’s a ‘work near home’ (but not at home) policy, which recognizes that home isn’t always the best place to work productively.

So how do you find a third place?

Enter Coworking.

Coworking is a flexible working environment that allows for diverse groups of people to work together, yet independently.

Coworking spaces typically offer many different types of access, including monthly memberships, day passes, private or team offices, and pay-as-you-go hot desks.

Coworking spaces have WiFi, comfortable desks and furniture, meeting rooms, copiers, and more — but the real reason people use them is for the chance to connect with other people.

Coworking spaces are popular with independent entrepreneurs as well as businesses of all shapes and sizes. When you’re sharing space with people from many different professions and walks of life, you can crowdsource ideas, get help with a specific challenge, do business together, or simply enjoy human company.

Coworking spaces provide much more than just a place to work. They typically offer workshops to help you learn new skills, and networking events to cross-promote your business.

Since its inception in the mid-2000s, coworking has rocketed in popularity.

There are now tens of thousands of coworking spaces around the world, and although the pandemic forced many shared workspaces to temporarily close or reduce capacity, the true value of coworking — of building human connections, becoming part of a community, and working productively — means coworking is now coming back, perhaps stronger than ever before.

Want to learn more? Read this blog post from our partner, Alliance Virtual Offices, to find out everything you need to know about coworking.

You can also search for a local coworking space online. Alliance has a network of coworking spaces with subscriptions starting from just $55 per month, offering dedicated desks, high-speed WiFi, and a business-focused environment to help you regain focus and maximize productivity.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 10th, 2021 at 4:39 pm and is filed under Starting A Business, New Business Ideas, Small Biz Management, Small Business News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.