5 Reasons Why Co-Working Might Be The New Normal
5 Reasons Why Co-Working Might Be The New Normal
The evolution from 9 to 5 jobs to working from home was fast-tracked when the country was plunged into a three months lockdown (and then some for our Victorian cousins). This has been a dream for 9-5 workers and today’s employee who seeks a flexible work schedule and environment. You could stumble out of bed and open your laptop while making the first pot of coffee, wear joggers on a Zoom call with the CEO, and spend your salary on something other than commuting.
The thrill however eventually wore off as many people began to desire the socialization that comes with co-working. A survey of 2000 workers by business equipment firm Raja revealed that they have missed their workplace, with 65 per cent saying it was the social side of things they’re longing for most.
Sadly, the evolution of the office space to remote working is one area that will sustain life-changing changes. The invention of coworking space however presents a haven for white-collar employees looking for ways to socialize at work while their office remains closed. CoworkingResources.org estimates there to be 18,287 coworking spaces operating worldwide and predicts this number to grow to almost 26,000 by 2022.
Here are 5 important reasons why co-working might be the New Normal:
1. Co-working spaces are for everyone: That you are not young, free and starting up an internet business does not mean you cannot get something out of working in a different place and environment.
2. Co-working spaces breed community: You get to know people. While the lockdown has helped us get some sense of work-life balance, working from home had become a psychological challenge. For people who live in one-bed flats or a house share, working from home will very difficult as they would feel like they’re living, working and sleeping in their room with no difference in the environment. Thus affecting their mental health.
3. Co-working spaces give room for socialization: This is especially important for young graduates who just moved to a new city because of a job and are yet to meet anyone from the organization. It also breeds interaction among colleagues and people of like career.
4. Co-working spaces give room for innovation: It helps you excel in their chosen field as you will be surrounded by other entrepreneurs and innovators whose creativity will rub off on you.
5. Co-Working Space is Affordable: Corporations haven’t yet caught up with the fact that if they’re going to provide working space to people it’s got to be at a commercially sensible level. There is an opportunity for corporate, local authorities and people to come together and work. Instead of working at in a particular location, some organizations now give their employees a monthly allowance to spend on a co-working site of their choice and have a search engine for shared office spaces so people can find one near home.
Whatever happens post-pandemic, we believe the office is “not going to die” completely or at least as we’ve known it. Instead, co-working in some form could well be the future as adopting more hybrid work arrangements can lessen the chance of poor mental health caused by loneliness in employees, while also providing employees with the privacy without distraction, collaboration opportunities, tools and resources they cannot get in their home office.
Resources:
- ARE COWORKING SPACES BECOMING THE NEW NORMAL? by Rosalyn Arntzen
https://www.amaxra.com/are-coworking-spaces-becoming-the-new-normal
- EMPLOYEE JOB SATISFACTION AND ENGAGEMENT
- HOW COMPANIES ARE ADAPTING TO THE NEW NORMAL by Aayat Ali
https://allwork.space/2020/09/how-companies-are-adapting-to-the-new-normal/
- IS CO_WORKING ABOUT TO MAKE A COMEBACK? by Eleanor Steafel
https://www.afr.com/property/commercial/is-coworking-about-to-make-a-comeback-20201028-p569fd