More and more companies are beginning to explore the idea of coworking – creating work environments with no walls that promote face-to-face collaboration. Some argue that coworking environments can be more distracting because of all the extra noise, but shared workspaces are actually increasing the bottom line for businesses.
Here’s why:
Shared workspaces are cheap
They help save on the costs of setup, as well as the costs of adding employees. A shared workspace provides plenty of floor space for extra workstations, and therefore fitting more employees into the same space. They’re efficient. As Will Ferrell’s eccentric character, Brennan Huff, from the movie Step Brothers would say when he and his brother convert their beds into bunk beds, “There’s so much more room for activities!” And he’s right. The open floor space creates much more room for employees, and it helps foster conversation, which is key to generating ideas and innovation.
Face-to-Face Interaction Increases Productivity
While a lot of companies are moving towards remote working and conferencing, they are losing out on that face-to-face interaction, which allows workers to brainstorm and bounce new ideas back and forth. It’s harder to create an environment that focuses heavily on collaboration and communication with remote conferencing. If walls are getting in the way, then so are the miles between workers when they are working from outside of the office.
ThreeFortyNine and Kap Design have put together this infographic which shows an increase in shared workspaces and a direct correlation to an increase in productivity.
Increased Resources
Home offices aren’t necessarily designed to cater to the needs of a startup. If your company involves more people than just you, a shared workspace provides you with a place for your team to gather, meet, and discuss outside of your living room or a coffee shop.
Shared workspaces also provide you with more resources than you probably would have access to in your home office. With your membership you will have access to high-speed Wifi, better printing capabilities, conference rooms, whiteboards for notes and planning, and a dedicated desk and chair in a professional setting.
Fan of coworking, or not, at the end of the day shared workspaces can actually increase the bottom line for companies because they save on the costs of office setup, and the costs of adding employees. A key thing to take away is that shared workspaces spaces not only help save on costs, but they create an environment where employees are more likely to collaborate and be more innovative, and you can’t put a value on that.
What are your thoughts on shared workspaces?