How Coworking Can Help Corporations Transition to Fully Remote Work
Coworking spaces have been around for decades, but after our global pandemic, we may start to look at them a little differently. Even though remote-friendly schedules have been more the norm in recent years, there has still been a debate between working from home and in-office work. Coworking is the use of an office space by individuals who typically share equipment, ideas, and knowledge. You’ll usually find freelancers, self-employed individuals, startup companies, and students at coworking spaces. Now, post COVID-19, we may be seeing an influx of corporate teleworkers, online teachers and professors.
When our global pandemic hit, corporate workers scurried to their homes and did their best to do “business as usual”. Unfortunately, this didn’t work out for all because internal operations, external operations, and client relationships had changed dramatically. We all ended up doing “business the best we could”. In the past, we’ve seen a lot of push back when it came to work from home positions. With COVID-19, we didn’t really have a choice. From Zoom meetings, more frequent phone calls, inter-office chats, to online project management systems, the office would no longer be the same. Now that we’re coming out of the pandemic (slowly but surely), many large corporations face an occupancy issue. A building that once housed hundreds of people will easily be down to 50% capacity in addition to any other sanitary measures that must be made. Some companies may have chosen to lay-off individuals, take their staff fully remote, or create a rotating in-and-out-of-office-type schedule. In any of these cases, coworking spaces will be a resource for these corporations.
Many individuals who were laid off reached to their side-hustles and hobbies for income. For fully remote and rotating in-office staff can find solace and community within a coworking space. One of the biggest arguments against fully remote staff is the risk of decreasing employee mental health. Coworking spaces understand this concern and offers a community-oriented environment that offers dedicated workspace, resources, and opportunity for collaboration. Open coworking spaces allow members to work in the way that best suits them on a particular day. Hot desk working allows members to seat themselves freely within the space which increases their interaction and networking with other members. Dedicated desks are a bit more closed off (like a cubicle), but still allow for mingling in community areas of the space. Lounge and outdoor/rec areas offer the options to work or play with other members of the space usually in a more relaxed setting. Depending on the space, there will be additional unique amenities and a convenient location.
Coworking across the globe and in Western New York will be changing from this moment forward, but that isn’t a bad thing – it’s actually a great thing. For the world, it means enhancing the coworking space and ensuring every service offered is purposeful. For Western New York, it’s learning more about coworking and understanding how it’s a communal solution for those needing to stay apart, together.