How to Compare and Consider Different Co-working Spaces

Remote work has become a part of the business scene. Gone are the days when sitting in a company office was necessary. Many companies and businesses now give employees the liberty to work from home. However, working from home isn’t ideal for everyone, and some remote workers look for alternatives such as cafés and diners. Also, an increasingly popular option for remote workers is a coworking space.

What are co-working spaces?

Think of coworking spaces like an office away from the office. They are shared working spaces professionals use as an alternative to working from home, giving them an office-like environment that may be more stimulating to work in during the day. They typically include all the usual office amenities such as hot desks, meeting rooms, print and fax machines, coffee machines, etc.

They mostly operate on a membership basis so that you can rent a desk for a week, month, year, or longer. The usual occupants of coworking spaces are remote workers, entrepreneurs, startups, and small work teams.

Coworking spaces are a relatively new concept to many but are becoming increasingly popular. According to coworking statistics, there are over 5 million coworkers worldwide. Furthermore, coworking spaces are expected to grow by as much as 13% per annum in the coming years.

With so many coworking space options out there, selecting the most suitable one can often be challenging for remote workers. Here are a few tips to take into consideration when looking for a coworking space.

Location

The location of your coworking space is the first and most important factor in your decision-making process. Ideally, your office space should be close to your home and easily accessible at any time of the day. Easy commute to and from work can save you countless hours, thus enabling you to be more productive.

Other factors, like nearby restaurants or parking availability, should also be considered. If you are offering services to clients or your job requires you to be at the office often, you should also take your clients’ location into account.

Budget

How much are you willing to spend on your coworking space? For most workers, a coworking space is an alternative to working from home, which doesn’t cost anything. Therefore, picking a cost-effective space is a priority to ensure you get your money’s worth.

Allocating the budget helps you filter out overly expensive spaces early on, saving you time and money. That’s especially important for startups and small teams looking for coworking spaces while minimizing costs due to a limited budget. Your rent becoming a liability is the last thing you want.

Amenities

Many people use coworking spaces to work in an office-like environment. However, when choosing your coworking space, you should ensure it still has a decent level of comfort and necessary amenities, such as WiFi, lockers, air conditioning, printers and fax machines, power backup, cafeteria, maintenance, security, etc. Keep in mind that the more amenities a working space has, the costlier it is. So ensure you choose an area with just the right amount of basic amenities without exceeding your budget.

Compatibility

When choosing a coworking space, it’s essential to understand that it has to fit your needs. For example, if you’re a night worker, you should ensure that the space you pick is fully functional at night without having to compromise amenities or anything else.

Your space should be available whenever you need it. For example, some facilities are not available after regular working hours, so you should do your homework first to avoid potential discomfort. Your coworking space should also have the capacity to expand if you need a bigger desk or more room.

Co-working space users

When searching for adequate coworking spaces, an often overlooked but the crucial factor is the people you’ll share a building with during your working days. Other coworkers can positively or negatively affect your job performance, so it’s essential to check out your potential work environment before deciding on a space.

Some spaces offer trial periods you can use to your advantage to see if they are too noisy, for example, which may affect your productivity. Also, getting to know other coworking space users gives you a chance to choose a space that professionals from similar fields use. That can prove to be a great business opportunity, among other things. There’s nothing better than working in the right environment with the right people.

Conclusion

Coworking has become the new normal. As more and more spaces open daily, choosing the perfect one for you has become a much harder task. Ensuring you pick the ideal area is vital as it comes with many benefits, such as increased work productivity and the chance to meet potential business partners. There is a perfect coworking space for everybody, and the guide above should help you choose the best option.

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Recommended reading

If you enjoyed this post and have time to spare why not check out these related posts and dive deeper down the rabbit hole that is co-working.

• Where To Find Co-Working Spaces In Durban
• Where To Find Co-Working Spaces In Cape Town
• How Co-working Office Spaces Are Beneficial For Startups

Tags: Co-working, Remote Work, Guest Post