Professional athletes give a nod to home-field advantage; performers thank great audiences. Coworking Space vs Traditional Office Space
And even if you’re not scoring pennant-winning home runs or belting out chart toppers to a screaming crowd, when it comes to work, the space where we work can influence how well we work.
The days of scanning a punch card and logging a 9-to-5 in a crammed office cubicle, are, thankfully, winding to a close. Today, the work is different: innovation and service drive businesses, and not unlike the end product they’re turning out, today’s working spaces also need to be different.
When it comes to 21st-century work, coworking spaces are preferable to traditional office spaces for many reasons. Here, we’ll take a look at some of the big ones:
Even the smallest companies can treat people like, well, people, and meet their physical, spiritual, and emotional needs.
Google generated a lot of buzz about its egg-like nap pods back in 2010, and when we watched Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson encounter them in The Internship, this became a go-to example of looking after employees as people.
But most companies don’t have the resources Google does, and providing a holistic offering for employees can be a challenge for resource-strapped startups or companies headquartered in traditional, limited office spaces.
But coworking spaces can enable any business to help its employees fully recharge, by offering access to inspiring outdoor spaces, providing gym access, and even carving out quiet spaces for napping or meditation.
Coworking spaces allow employees to tap into a wealth of organic networking.
In traditional office buildings, employees are surrounded by people who work for the same company. Networking opportunities are often limited to conferences or personal relationships. (And for remote employees or early-stage startups, they may not be happening at all).
But in a coworking space, employees interface with professionals across industries and with varied expertise. Not to mention, networking is much more organic when professionals are taking a break over coffee on the patio rather than forking over a business card at a booth.
Coworking cultivates collaboration.
Yes, we’ve already mentioned the variety of professionals mingling in a coworking space. But the sheer physical environment of a coworking space lends itself very naturally to collaboration. In traditional office spaces, employees are usually physically separated – by cubicle walls and offices – unless they intentionally carve out space in a conference room.
But the more open workspace of a coworking space tends to drum up collaboration because it’s easier – and feels less invasive – for employees to talk to one another.
Creative Coworking sparks creativity.
Creativity and innovation can’t be forced. But there’s a lot to be said for what an environment can do for sparking new ideas. Grey cubicle, grey computer, same early 2000s phone on every desk? Traditional office spaces can flatline new ways of thinking.
But dynamic shared spaces and cutting-edge technologies in a coworking space can help generate more creative and innovative thinking, according to the Harvard Business Review and the researchers taking a good look at coworking. And best of all, professionals in coworking spaces are surrounded by other driven, inspiring people who are hustling to make their own businesses happen – and that’s just catching.
Coworking spaces are good with change.
Corporate leases come with hefty price tags and long commitments. But coworking spaces offer multiple models and short term leases. For growing businesses, this may mean in the early years your two employees don’t even have a guaranteed desk, but as your business evolves, you wind up reserving multiple desks and a handful of offices. This flexibility can also appeal to established businesses looking to augment time during an office renovation or spur creativity for a team by taking them offsite.
And on a day-to-day basis, professionals in a coworking space can enjoy a lot more freedom to work in a variety of settings than employees in traditional office spaces expected to be filling an assigned seat.
Are you ready to upgrade your work environment from stagnant to stimulating?
We’d love to talk with you about how our HEXA memberships can meet your business needs and look after your employee’s overall well-being or help you check out HEXA and see for yourself! Contact us today at info@hexatx.com to get started.