2020 will go down as a landmark year for many business owners for several reasons; with the most prominent influence being the COVID 19 pandemic. Flexible office space has been a growing trend within the business community for several years. However, as countries went into lockdown and economies went into a recession the popularity of coworking and shared office spaces are set to soar. This newfound boost in popularity is to be expected for 2 reasons.
Reason 1: Working From Home Is Just Not For Me!
Whether you wanted to or not, many business owners and staff have been forced to adopt working from home strategies due to lockdown procedures. This will have been an eye-opening experience for many but that is not to say it has been a positive experiment for everyone. For some, working from home will have been a revelation, opening their eyes to another way of working and an alternative work-life balance. That said, many will have found that working from home simply does not work for them. Whether its the distraction of TV and household chores or the noise and chaos that comes with children or pets, working from home is not for everyone! However, what some see as pitfalls others may see advantages. For example, working from home means that you can be home to look after the kids by offering the flexible hours needed to facilitate juggling work and home life. Despite offering a range of benefits including no commute, access to healthy food and not having to deal with Karen the office gossip; working from home can leave staff feeling isolated and uninspired.
Reason 2: Reducing Overheads, Cutting Costs and Sharing Resources
Lockdown has significantly impacted every economy with many falling into a severe recession. As a result, many businesses have been left scrambling to find solutions to help them stay alive. With this in mind, this is where office sharing and coworking really come into their own. Admit it, as a business owner we all have those empty desks nestled away in the office, hidden under paperwork and spare monitors. However, these underutilised spaces could be key to helping your businesses survive during a downturn. Regardless of whether you are looking to share your existing office space or find someone willing to share their office space with you; there is a wide range of options available to you. If you own/rent office space you may have leftover space for smaller companies and freelancers. Alternatively, as a micro-business or freelancer, you may be looking to share office space and collaborate with other like-minded individuals and businesses. Regardless of which side of the coin you fall on, sharing office space helps you to reduce your overheads while establishing potential collaborative and networking relationships.
You Don’t Need To Sacrifice Your Privacy!
It is a common misconception that sharing an office or utilising a coworking space means that you have to compromise on your privacy but this is far from the case. Over the past year, many coworking space designers have started to embrace the concept of modular design and taking inspiration from Bauhaus. Modular office design offers the flexibility, networking and collaboration opportunities of a coworking space with the adaptability to create private office spaces when needed. There are a variety of ways to create private office space within a coworking environment however the most common method is through moveable wall panels. It is also worth remembering that alternative approaches such as ‘communal private spaces’ where private spaces are shared and used on an ‘as needed’ basis.
Ultimately this flexibility and adaptability offer its users the best of both worlds. So whether you are looking for office space outside of your house or want to streamline your business overheads sharing office space is for you!
