Coworking in a shared office space: the business buffet
“Life is a glorious banquet, a limitless and delicious buffet!” (Maya Angelou)
From humble beginnings in 1995 to predicted immense, global growth in 2021, shared workspace is the office of the future! Coworking in a shared office space has many benefits, but the most significant one is that it exposes your business to endless possibilities which we, at Work Central, like to call “a business buffet”.
The fad that didn’t fade
In the mid-nineties, Berlin was home to tech community “C-Base”, who set up a “hackerspace” in the city. A hackerspace is a community-oriented workspace where people with common interests socialise, network and collaborate. This proved to be a successful business approach and by 1999 the concept had spread to other countries.
Originally, it was perceived as a fad, a concept that would mainly benefit freelancers and start-ups. However, in time, a thriving industry developed and grew rapidly, as business giants like Richard Branson bought into the concept of coworking, and firmly believed that there was a direct link between flexibility and productivity. And so, the coworking industry grew at a staggering rate during the first two decades of the twenty-first century.
Enter Covid 19. The unprecedented pandemic brought with it a devastating effect on the world’s economies, changing the face of life (and business) as we know it. Many countries implemented hard lockdowns forcing employees to work remotely from home. Initially, coworking spaces saw a decline in demand, as they were not exempt from the global demise of business and industry as a result of the pandemic. However, ironically, this uncovered the need for flexible workspace solutions as it proved that it is indeed possible – if not beneficial – for businesses to work flexibly.
The end of the beginning
Out with the old and in with the new! From the pandemic ashes, rises the new trend known as the “hybrid workspace” notion. This workplace model combines aspects of remote working and in-office working. In a typical hybrid environment, employees have the freedom to choose where and when they work. For example, a person can choose to work in the office a few days a week and the rest of the time from home. This has resulted in less permanent office space being required by businesses and a higher demand for coworking spaces and serviced offices.
Employees no longer want to be tied to a desk in a bureaucratic office with a rigid 9 to 5 routine. They want – and are able – to work on flexible terms in forward-thinking, flexible, serviced offices.
This hybrid trend will, no doubt, fuel the demand for coworking spaces in the future. So much so, that global real estate and investment giant, JLL, predicts that all office space will be flexible by 2030.
Ample advantages of coworking in a shared office space
There are many advantages to coworking in a shared office space and so compelling are they, that four of the world’s top companies have opted to make use of coworking spaces. Apple rents flexible workspace for its staff in Berlin, Facebook does so in Silicon Valley, while Samsung and Microsoft do so in New York City. Microsoft stated at the time of signing its lease that it was hoping to ‘feed off the energy that you feel when you walk into the flexible workspace’.
Creativity, motivation, innovation, convenience and a sense of community are all distinct advantages of the coworking environment. Coworking provides collaboration and networking opportunities for staff members and the business as a whole. Strategic partnerships are formed as businesses work and grow together. One of the most important benefits is its affordability, especially in these uncertain times, as businesses have the option to increase or decrease space according to their immediate needs while keeping their overheads at a minimum.
Businesses are able to attract talent and retain it, as studies have shown that employees are far happier and more productive coworking in a shared office space because they are in control of their own time and waste fewer hours commuting to offices based in busy central business districts.
Work Central’s business smorgasbord: a result of coworking in a shared office space
At Work Central’s serviced offices in Northriding, Johannesburg, we believe profoundly in these advantages and what they can do for your business. We place huge emphasis on a quality client experience, supporting you and your team while you focus on your business.
Work Central boasts an array of professionally finished shared workspaces, private offices and training rooms, with state-of-the-art equipment for hire and catering services available. We offer call answering in your company name, professional reception services, superfast internet and WiFi, ultra-modern print, copying and scanning services, telephone line rental, virtual office services and, of course, a backup generator.
As technology forms the backbone of a great coworking environment, you’re in good hands at Work Central, as The IT Company is inhouse and provides onsite and remote IT services.
Coworking is the new normal, and undoubtedly here to stay! As an industry, it has weathered the Covid 19 storm with resilience and is now globally regarded as the preferable office space solution enabling the hybrid workspace concept.
It is said that coworking is like a never-ending business buffet. You can bump into a web designer at Work Central’s coffee machine or sit next to the developer you were searching tirelessly for, at one of our hot desks.
Want to visit our business buffet and let these benefits be yours?