Coworking has ceased to be a mere trend within the business community. It has now become an integral part of many startups.
The fashion of renting desks/rooms for working purposes indicates that the corporate world is evolving. It allows your employees to be more in control of how they do business with fewer restrictions than traditional workplace settings impose. What more ways does coworking benefit small businesses?
Benefits of Coworking for Small Businesses
Well, people often choose between two labor options. You either work in a conformist environment or experiment with telecommuting. Consider coworking as a middle ground between these two trends. You join a shared office space where people from different companies arrive for work like a school with every student busy on a separate project. This atmosphere helps you escape both the rigidity of conventional offices and the isolation of remote work. Here are some more advantages of coworking spaces:
1. Options for scalability:
Startups usually are in search of affordable and short-term office spaces. They can’t make long-term commitments by signing – for example – a three-year-long lease. So, they seek inexpensive and scalable accommodation opportunities. Coworking spaces let companies escape traditional business infrastructure and their expensive contracts. These spaces aren’t cheap either, but they present a cost-effective alternative to conventional workplaces. Since they can work with you on a short-term basis and offer additional amenities, you won’t find them in your traditional office settings. These spaces have the potential to adjust with your financial capabilities.
2. Utmost flexibility:
Coworking spaces enable employees to work in a flexible environment with no strict rules to follow. Now, people can work from locations of their choice with limited scrutiny and lesser accountability. Shared offices also let you pay for the space you require with options to pursue expansion whenever your company deems it affordable. Many modern startups are influenced by globalization, and they seek methods to communicate with people internationally. So, your company can operate from shared office spaces in Japan
while collaborating with colleagues in various parts of the world. This flexibility improves your dealings with clients and customers on a global scale.
3. Better networking:
With shared workplaces, you find networking opportunities with different companies and startups. Networking constitutes an essential component of your marketing campaign. The connections you make in the business industry help you understand the needs of your target audience. Moreover, coworking spaces enable startups to communicate with entities that lie beyond their niche. Shared offices promote a sense of community and fraternity among different businesses. You can discover a startup that may potentially help grow your company.
4. Talent on-demand:
Many startups prefer hiring the services of freelancers instead of full-time employees. Independent professionals – generally speaking – have fewer responsibilities with lesser supervision required. It also becomes flexible to upsize/downsize the team with freelancers. Coworking spaces allow you to find more on-site fresh talent for hire. Your company can quickly employ skilled individuals to switch over to your team. It’s as easy as looking over your shoulder and appointing the person who sits on the adjacent bench. Looking for talented people doesn’t feel like a challenge when sharing your office with different startups and self-employed individuals.
5. Avoiding loneliness:
Remote working contains several charms, but a few downfalls also accompany this luxury. Isolation became a rising problem after the emergence of coronavirus. But coworking spaces thrived within a community and defeated this feeling of seclusion. In a collaborative workplace, you surround yourself with like-minded entrepreneurs and freelancers.
6. More productivity:
Many studies have concluded that coworking boosts productivity among your employees. We know that “physical proximity” with your coworkers makes everyone more efficient. Research shows that people find work more meaningful when colleagues surround them. They also feel more in control of their decisions since they consider themselves part of a larger community. Moreover, the workers feel happier, healthier, and more focused on functioning in a shared workplace. So, besides more networking opportunities, coworking spaces also give you an attentive and effective staff. Thus, sharing offices with related startups influences the success of your company.
7. Seeking mentorship:
Working in shared offices allows you to meet experts and professionals from different industries and departments. Many startups, established companies, and self-employed people work in the vicinity of your business. Your neighborhood appears bursting with plenty of ingenuity and innovation. You can find opportunities for collaboration and even mentorship within this environment. There’ll be many individuals who will happily assume the role of your guide while counseling you on strategies to grow your business. It would help if you looked out for people sharing your business objectives. That’s how coworking spaces bring like-minded folks together and allow them to inspire each other.
8. Challenging yourself:
Coworking spaces enhance your social skills by forcing you to escape the comfort zone. These open and lively workplaces motivate you to meet new people and make strong connections. You have to work in a changed setting with different individuals regularly. These constantly altering events and circumstances encourage a person to become more creative and innovative. Since he/she always stands facing novelty and uncertainty. So, these uncertainties compel you to challenge yourself, due to which you’re able to consider different viewpoints and alternative perspectives.
9. Work-life balance:
Even introverts require human interaction occasionally as not all workers survive the burdensome environment created by the corporate world. But coworking spaces make it easier for employees to maintain a healthy professional lifestyle. Since shared offices often provide different amenities such as gym access or yoga classes. These opportunities contribute to the creation of a happier generation of employees in your company. The world has become interconnected and globalized. So, coworking helps you feel comfortable about your domestic life. Statistics from 2017 show that 60% of workers reported feeling relaxed at home after they began coworking.
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Conclusion
In recent years, we’ve witnessed a rise in the popularity of coworking spaces. The United States alone saw a 16% increase in the number of shared offices in 2018. Since the advancements in technology are fueling the trend of remote working, these places aren’t exclusive to entrepreneurs and freelancers alone. They offer several benefits to small businesses and promote a streak of growth among startups. Your employees get more productive while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. You can network with different companies and firms to find fresh talent for your enterprise. Moreover, coworking offers scalability and flexibility to small business owners for empowering them wonderfully.
