Why Use Coworking Space?

It’s International Coworking Day, so an opportunity to take a look at this increasingly popular flexible workspace service.

‘Coworking space’ can take on different meanings, particularly between different parts of the world.  At the Flexible Space Association we look at it as shared workspace where people who don’t necessarily work for the same business come together to work.  They sit at individual desks, or together around large tables.

People choose to work in coworking space for a wide variety of reasons, including:

• It offers a professional and focused work environment, away from the distractions of home.
• Facilities such as kitchens are on hand, removing the hassle of ensuring there’s milk in your kitchen when you want a coffee.
• Informal networking may lead to new business opportunities, with people working in a wide range of roles.
• There can be opportunities to attend organised business events.

The location of coworking space usually plays an important part in choosing it.  People may want somewhere that’s a short walk from home, or that offers a place to work when they’re travelling.

There’s even growing interest in coworking space near holiday destinations, with people going away for the weekend wanting somewhere to work nearby on a Friday or Monday.  Coworking spaces often offer day passes, so it’s easy to use them for a brief period of time.

Membership schemes are increasingly opening up more flexible ways to use coworking space.  Companies such as The Office Group and Regus offer membership schemes allowing customers to access coworking spaces at multiple buildings, which can be a great for people who travel around for work.  Larger businesses are even arranging access to coworking spaces for their staff so they can work closer to home if they don’t need to be in their HQ every day.

Hometown Hub in the Scottish Borders is a great example of a business offering coworking space at the heart of communities which can be booked on very flexible terms.  They make it easy to mix up where you work, perhaps taking a desk in a coworking space a couple of times a week and working at home or in another office at other times.  Co-Space is offering stylish coworking space in a growing number of places, with Stevenage, Reading and Milton Keynes providing a home to their centrally located workspaces.

The positive mental health benefits of working in coworking space are also increasingly recognised.  Working from home can be isolating, particularly if you live alone, and if you’re a sole trader then coworking space provides the closest alternative to colleagues.

Whilst coworking space offers a degree of informality in where you work, it can often be possible to pay a little bit more to have a dedicated desk which you can set up how you like it and leave belongings locked away.

There’s coworking space to suit every need, every time span and every budget.  Flexible terms make it easy to give it a go, and you might be surprised by the boost it gives to your working life.

You can find coworking spaces across the UK in our Workspace Directory.