Coworking spaces are shared work environments for remote workers, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and other independent professionals. Unlike a traditional office, coworking spaces are comprised of members from diverse professional backgrounds who work in the same location. These shared workspaces provide an alternative to working from home or a coffee shop.
Coworking spaces have become increasingly popular in recent years. They offer several potential benefits as well as some drawbacks compared to a regular office or home office setup. This article will examine the key pros and cons of using coworking spaces for remote workers.
The main advantages of coworking include building community, accessing amenities, maintaining work-life balance, and enjoying location flexibility. However, coworking also comes with potential downsides such as noise, lack of stability, high costs, and commute times.
Overall, coworking spaces can be a great option for remote workers seeking connection and collaborative environments. But they may not work as well for those requiring silence, privacy, or budget options. The ideal coworking fit depends on individual work styles, habits, and preferences.
Pro: Community and Networking
Coworking spaces provide opportunities to meet and network with other professionals, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. Being surrounded by other motivated individuals can stimulate creativity, collaboration, and innovation. Coworking spaces often host networking events, talks, workshops, and social gatherings that facilitate relationship building. You never know who you might meet or what opportunities may arise through the community. Many coworking spaces aim to cultivate a collaborative over competitive environment. You can bounce ideas off others, get feedback on projects, and potentially find partners for client work or new business ventures. The community aspect is a major advantage for those working independently or remotely. Freelancers often report feeling isolated and disconnected at home. Coworking spaces alleviate this by providing human interaction and a sense of belonging. They create the feel of an office culture without traditional office politics or hierarchies.
Amenities and Facilities Without the Overhead
Coworking spaces provide amenities and facilities that many remote workers lack when working from home, including:
- Fast internet connections – Most coworking spaces invest in high-speed, enterprise-grade internet connections far superior to standard residential services. This is crucial for video calls and large file transfers.
- Printing and scanning – Coworking spaces typically offer printing and scanning services included as part of the membership fee. This removes the hassle and cost of setting up your own printer.
- Conference and meeting rooms – Having access to conference rooms makes it easy to find space for client meetings, phone calls, and team discussions. No need to worry about background noise or disruptions.
- Event space – Many coworking offices double as event venues outside of regular working hours. This creates opportunities to attend seminars, talks, and social gatherings.
- Food and beverages – Fully stocked kitchens with coffee, tea, beer, and snacks are common. Some spaces include lunch catering in their packages.
The benefit of all these amenities is that remote workers can simply show up with their laptop and get straight to work. They avoid the traditional overhead costs associated with setting up an office.
Pro: Work-Life Balance
Working from home can make it hard to maintain boundaries between your work and personal life. The space you live in becomes your office, making it difficult to “shut off” at the end of the day. Coworking spaces provide a separate location where you can focus on work during the day, then leave it behind when you go home each evening. This separation can make it easier to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
When working from home, your workspace is right where you relax at night and on weekends. This makes it tempting to work long hours or let work creep into your downtime. But at a coworking space, you’re less likely to work outside of normal hours just because you’re in the office. The commute to and from the coworking space creates clearer divides between work and personal time. You’re also around others who maintain regular work hours, reinforcing when the workday starts and ends. This makes it easier to “shut off” mentally after leaving the office, allowing you to be fully present with family or friends during your downtime. Overall, coworking spaces promote a healthier work-life balance that’s harder to maintain when working from home.
Flexibility
One of the major benefits of coworking spaces is the flexibility they offer. With a coworking space, you’re not locked into any long-term lease or contract. You can pay month-to-month or even day-by-day, only paying for the amount of time you actually need. This gives you the freedom to change locations whenever you want.
If you have wanderlust as a remote worker, you can easily switch between coworking spaces in different cities or countries. You’re not tied down. There are coworking spaces available in most major cities now, so you can temporarily set up in a new exciting location. This allows you to experience new places while getting your work done.
Coworking also provides flexibility in terms of the actual workspace. If you need a quiet private office one day and a communal open desk the next, you have options. Most coworking spaces offer various environments to work from. You’re not stuck at the same desk day in and day out. The flexibility to choose where and when you work is a major perk for many remote workers.
Con: Noise and Distractions
One potential downside of coworking spaces is the noise and distractions from having other people working alongside you. Coworking spaces typically have an open layout with shared common areas and desks in close proximity to one another. This open environment often means little to no privacy or barriers between you and others.
With people coming and going, taking calls, having conversations, and working on projects, it can be challenging to concentrate. The activity and energy can make focusing difficult if you are used to working solo in a quiet home office. Coworking spaces are designed to foster collaboration and community, but that level of interaction is not for everyone. If you require isolation to get in the zone, the amount of noise and distractions could negatively impact your productivity.
Con: Lack of Stability
Coworking spaces provide less stability and permanence compared to a traditional office lease. Coworking memberships are typically month-to-month rather than a long-term lease. This means members could potentially show up one day to find the coworking space has closed down.
Additionally, the composition of the community members frequently changes in coworking spaces. People are constantly joining and leaving, which makes it harder to build lasting professional connections and networking compared to working alongside consistent colleagues.
Some remote workers may prefer the stability and permanence of signing a traditional multi-year office lease. With a leased office space, you can be confident the space will be available for the duration of the lease term.
Con: Cost
Coworking spaces require paying a membership fee, which varies depending on location, amenities offered, and office size. Although freelancers or remote workers may save on rent and office supplies by using a coworking space instead of a private office, the membership fees can still add up over time.
The national average for a dedicated desk in a coworking space is $300 per month. For a private office, the average is around $600 per month. In major cities like New York and San Francisco, prices are significantly higher.
Most coworking spaces offer month-to-month memberships, but you can sometimes get discounts for committing to a 6-12 month membership. However, this reduces flexibility if your work location needs change.
Many coworking spaces promote lots of tempting amenities like high-speed internet, printing, conference rooms, coffee, and kombucha on tap. While convenient, these perks also factor into the membership cost. So even if you don’t use them frequently, you still pay for them.
Freelancers and remote workers should consider total membership fees and weigh them against the value of amenities offered when selecting a coworking space. The costs can add up over time and potentially negate financial benefits compared to working from home.
Con: Commuting Time
If a coworking space is not located close to your home, you may end up spending a significant amount of time commuting. This could involve driving in traffic or taking public transportation. Some remote workers choose coworking spaces specifically to avoid a long commute to a traditional office. However, if the coworking space itself is far from your home, you may still be spending time and energy getting there each day.
The commute to the coworking space eats into time you could be spending working or on other activities. Long commutes can also contribute to stress, fatigue, and burnout over time. This may negate some of the work-life balance benefits of remote work. Consider if the amenities of a certain coworking space outweigh the commute time required to access them. Some remote workers prefer working from home or community spaces like coffee shops on some days to avoid traffic and save time commuting.
Coworking spaces offer some great benefits but also come with some drawbacks. Here’s a quick summary of the main pros and cons:
Pros:
- Build community and expand professional network
- Access to amenities like meeting rooms, events, kitchens, etc.
- Encourage better work-life balance
- Flexibility to use different spaces for different needs
Cons:
- Potential for noise and distractions
- Less stability than a traditional office
- Can be more expensive than working from home
- Time spent commuting if not close to home
Overall, coworking spaces work best for collaborative roles where networking is key, such as sales, marketing, client services etc. They appeal to solopreneurs and remote workers who crave community. However, they may not be ideal for those who require intense focus for long hours, such as developers and writers.
Coworking is worth exploring for workers who value flexibility and networking. Evaluate your priorities and options to decide if it’s a good fit for your work style, budget and goals. Many spaces offer day passes to test the environment before committing.
