What is behind the coworking boom? How can you leverage the benefits of a coworking space for your business? Read on for three ways that coworking can meet your business’s needs and provide a strong return on your investment.
Increased Employee Flexibility
Perhaps the single greatest benefit of coworking spaces is the freedom they offer employees and the increased flexibility. Instead of having to commute to an office, employees can work remotely from a coworking space that is nearer their home, or out of town if they need to leave the city for a few days.This increased flexibility has a positive effect on employee morale. Coworking software allows employees to book meeting rooms and communicate with team members from anywhere. This flexibility makes the workforce more productive.
The reality of working from home is that a host of distractions keeps getting in the way. But giving team members the ability to work from a coworking space offers more peace and productivity than the home environment, without the hassle and pressure of getting to a specific office on time each day.
Leveraging Networking Opportunities
In a traditional office environment, your employees only come into contact with other employees working for the same company. However, in a coworking environment, your employees will be sitting alongside a worker from a variety of different firms in a whole host of industries.This offers plenty of opportunities to socialize. This networking could lead to potential buyers and funding opportunities, as well as offering up valuable connections in the startup world, including other entrepreneurs you can bounce ideas off, marketing gurus and software developers.
In a coworking space, you could be sitting across from someone perfectly suited to expand your business, redesign your website, get you more traffic or connect you with investors. All you have to do is ask.
Reduce Your Overheads
Many businesses have opted to use coworking spaces instead of a traditional office set up because of the financial savings it represents. Rent for office space is expensive. But renting a number of desks in a shared space each month can be as little as a few hundred dollars a month.There are also no outlays for furniture, equipment, and office supplies. All the furniture is provided by the coworking space provider, as is printer ink, coffee, conference rooms, and sometimes snacks.
Coworking spaces are emerging as a trend not because they are novel or gimmicky, but because they are helping small businesses get more done on a tight budget. If your business is suffering from high overheads and exorbitant rent, a coworking space could be the breath of fresh air your budget and employees need.