Co-Working Will Shape the Future of Work Post COVID-19
It’s safe to say that the world after coronavirus will be different for workspaces. Big offices with hundreds of employees in one building may not be possible for a while, and certainly not in close proximity to each other.
Things are changing at a rapid rate and this is a great time for people to choose co-working spaces, whether they’re self-employed or a company employee. Having a shared office space that allows people to come and go as they please opens the door for remote workers and entrepreneurs to have more freedom in where and how they work.
Choosing Your Own Remote Work Spaces
Co-working spaces allow a lot of freedom in how and where you can work. Having the option of working at home or working in an office space is a luxury that co-working allows. After a season of working from home, more people will be leaning to working outside of the home again to reconnect with people.
Working from home can be beneficial and so can working in a co-working space. The idea of remote work is growing year after year, and the aftermath of this pandemic will fast track it.
Work Design Magazine comments on how remote work will be increasingly valued in the future:
“This pandemic now gives immense credibility to the idea that, in addition to the choices offered in the office, choice can also now include our homes. Yes, there are policy, financial and technology implications that must be addressed at the company level, but I think it’s safe to say that the knowledge-worker community has answered the most basic question during this experience—remote work can be effective.”
Flexible Hours & Cutting Costs
The economic loss from this pandemic will be a long and difficult recovery to get back to the way things were. Office spaces will be looking to cut costs where possible and giving people the option to work from home in order to save money on rising office rental costs.
This is where co-working can be beneficial, since there’s more options going forward of choosing remote work. Shared spaces are less expensive and employees can choose their own hours and workspaces depending on the day or month.
Dane Strangler at Forbes explains how businesses will want to spread out their employees to other locations:
“Large corporations will likely look to “de-densify” their offices—both to help their employees manage the crisis and transition in the recovery, as well as to avoid future such disruptions. Big companies of all kinds already locate some employees in coworking spaces. With big business emerging as one of the post-crisis “winners,” we will likely see this trend continue.”
Safely Distancing While Still Making Connections
Instead of working from home, workers can be relocated to a co-working space and plug into the local scene, which is what’s likely to happen after this. More people will be flocking to co-working spaces to continue to make connections and network with others in community spaces.
Luckily, co-working spaces offer a lot of free space in order for people to actually social distance properly. They put you in direct contact with new business connections while still being able to keep a distance and stay safe. No matter what, we’re still longing for connection during the pandemic, and co-working spaces can help individuals come together in a shared space.
Australian architect Amanda Stanaway says why we’re still looking for connection in working spaces:
“Yes, most people work to earn money, but we also work because we enjoy coming together to create ideas and solve problems. I think that’s what we’ve been missing these past few weeks. That sense of connection is fundamental to the human race.”
While the world may be changing, there’s simple solutions that can enforce great networking opportunities while helping recover communities from big loss. Co-working is a positive way for workers to reconnect with others and work in more productive ways. We offer spaces at monthly rates, from private offices to open networking spaces. If you’re interested in working at La Collective, check out our workspaces.