Here at Le Bureau we’ve always seen co-working as the way forward, and it’s more than just the free coffee.
Now a feature in Harvard Business Review has come out in full-throated support of coworking spaces, claiming not only that coworking offices are efficient, but more so than conventional offices. Why?
The review carried out a detailed survey of coworking space founders, office managers and coworking managers to see exactly what it was that made these environments tick – and the results are in.
They make members think of their work as more meaningful.
Not only are coworking members often able to choose the projects they work on, therefore imbuing them with passion right from the start, they are able to devote more time and energy to getting them done.
Read: Why Coworking Outside Could Be The Key To Productivity
Coworking members are better able to identify their ‘work identity’.
Free from internal office strife and politics or direct work comparison, coworking members do not feel the same pressure to be competitive, or, indeed, to fit in and prove themselves the ‘model employee’. In addition, when working amidst people from different industries, coworking members feel better able to define precisely what they do – especially when they can be asked several times a day.
Moreover, coworking spaces are ripe for personalisation: desks can be decorated to replicate a members’ own ideal work environment and casual dress codes make for a space where members are free to express who they truly are.
They feel like they are more in control.
This applies in two, seemingly converse ways. On one hand, the 24/7 opening hours of many coworking offices means that members feel free to set their own schedule, taking breaks in the middle of the day, working late to meet deadlines or working during the hours in which they are most productive.
On the flip side, too much freedom can led to stagnation in productivity. This is where the coworking office can help: with many members choosing to keep conventional office hours, coworking spaces are motivational, encouraging places to work.
Connection and community.
If we’ve said it once, well…we’ve definitely said it more than that, so here we go again. Co working spaces can come to feel more of a home-office hybrid than a dull, corporate space. Familiar faces, a sense of belonging and being surrounded by similarly driven people with complimentary skill sets all lend themselves to an office where people want to work – and work well.
To read the full report in Harvard Business Review, click here.
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