Not too long ago, the idea of coworking was all but unheard of. Almost everyone worked in offices, and those that didn’t were usually freelancers working from home. Now, those in the know consider coworking spaces the future of work.
Once thought of as primarily a more affordable workaround for startups that couldn’t afford to rent office space, coworking has gone mainstream. People from aspiring entrepreneurs to traditional workers on remote or hybrid teams are starting to see the benefits of coworking memberships for generating new ideas and creating a more positive working experience.
Why Coworking Has Taken Off
Everyone has a different set of reasons to love coworking. Work-from-home parents often use these spaces to create a divide between their work and family lives. Entrepreneurs love the atmosphere of openness and innovation. Freelancers gain access to a wealth of tools once available only in a traditional office environment. However, there are also some more subtle benefits to coworking that help even more to explain its growing popularity.
Feeling of Belonging
In ordinary offices, direct competition and internal politics often get in the way of forging genuine connections and work identities. That’s not the case in coworking spaces, where instead of competition, people find an atmosphere of collaboration and opportunities to be a part of a broader community.
More Control
Coworking spaces offer workers and innovators of all types more control over their environments. They offer a variety of different types of spaces, from flexible open coworking to executive suites. Plus, there’s no need to worry about restrictive business hours.
A Positive Environment
Coworking spaces make it their mission to cultivate a positive environment for everyone, and that shines through in their organization, decor, and clientele. Many spaces offer additional amenities such as day-use lockers, unlimited drinks and snacks, and access to both business development and social events. The combined effect of all these perks is to create an even better atmosphere for creative professionals.
How Coworking Spaces Are Evolving
As coworking continues to grow in popularity, the concept is evolving alongside the membership rosters at local facilities. Things that used to be considered luxuries, like complimentary healthy snacks, are becoming the norm, creating incentives for both new and established coworking spaces to implement further positive changes in culture and usability.
Tailored Spaces
Initially, coworking spaces were little more than large, open rooms with some desks and comfortable chairs. Now, successful coworking spaces also offer short-term private office rentals, phone booths for taking calls, and even podcast studios for creative professionals.
Better Pricing Plans
The way that people think about coworking memberships is also changing. Instead of charging everyone the same base rate, the most popular facilities offer multiple pricing tiers for different levels of access and may even accept walk-ins, depending on availability.
VR Accessibility
Virtual reality has so far been connected in people’s minds largely with fun games and socializing. However, it’s also a helpful tool for remote workers. Coworking spaces are starting to incorporate VR equipment in some areas as a result.
Visit a Local Coworking Space
Want to learn more about how coworking spaces are growing, evolving, and fostering positive change among workers of all types? The best way to do it is to find a local coworking space that charges hourly or daily rates and give it a try. There’s no commitment, but if the space seems like a good fit, it will be easy for workers to sign up for memberships from there.
