Many office workers envy the freedom of freelancers, as they can stay at home, work on their plans, and sleep whenever they want without guidance or meetings. However, freelancers themselves are not always delighted with their position because loneliness and lack of communication are constant companions of freelancing. Relatively recently, a new type of work called “coworking” has come to the aid of freelancers.
Coworking transformation
Coworking is a relatively new work organization system. Coworking is an association of people engaged in entirely different projects under one office roof. Schematically, it looks like several dozen freelancers rent a coworking space and equip it to their taste and color, and then work fruitfully in it. This new kind of place is more than work. A space is created there not only for work but also for rest and creativity. Participants’ communication always goes beyond the framework of work issues, and thus new ideas arise, new projects are born. A good coworking space should be overgrown with chips, projects, and its traditions, as a result of which it develops from a working site towards a cultural center.
Reasons for the popularity of coworking
One of the main reasons for the popularity of coworking is that some freelancers are unable to work from home fully. The cozy atmosphere, household chores, and the proximity of your favorite sofa do not allow you to concentrate on work. Imagine that you have a small child at home who constantly distracts from work. In this case, productivity will be very low. After moving to the coworking center, this problem will be eliminated.
Another reason is loneliness, lack of live communication with people, rare outings, and loss of interest in active life. After a couple of years of such work, you can turn into a faceless addition to the computer, pretty fat and afraid of light and people. To not reach such a state, a freelancer is forced to get a permanent job in an office. In this case, coworking is an alternative approach to the organization of work because a specialist does not lose his independence in choosing a job. At the same time, he is not cut off from society.
The third important reason for the popularity is like-minded people developing a project from scratch. At the very beginning of the work, the team does not yet have the opportunity to rent an office, but there is a need for constant meetings and joint discussions. Gathering at home or in a cafe is not always convenient, and here coworking comes to the rescue. The team can rent a small corner from the company for several jobs and work full-time.
The rise of coworking spaces has made it possible to find these spaces in many cities now, if you are visiting a new place such as Atlanta for instance, you can easily find a suitable coworking spaces in Atlanta that will guarantee all the essentials.
Coworking and recreation
People come to work in a coworking center. However, the longer you work without interruption, the lower the efficiency of what you are doing. Suppose at home rest usually comes down to watching funny videos on YouTube, and you again stay at the computer, then in the coworking center. In that case, you will be offered many opportunities to shake things up and change your activity. You can play tennis, work out on simulators, read a book, take it at the local library, play board games and even relax in the outdoor hammock.
The disadvantage of coworking
Our article would be biased at a significant disadvantage of coworking. Perhaps this is the price of the issue. Renting a workplace: a table, chair, and a power outlet can cost a lot. Also, they will put a computer, printer, scanner, and other equipment on your table for the money. You can also rent a separate office with wardrobes, bedside tables, and paintings. True, in this case, the meaning of coworking is wholly lost. You can sit alone at home in your room. If you do not need to come to the office every day, you can rent a workplace for a day, an hour, or even a minute – such services are provided by most coworking centers. The rental price varies depending on the level of equipment of the premises, the services provided, and the distance from the city center.
Final Words
Coworking is just beginning to develop and has not yet taken its final form all over the world. Over time, coworking centers will partly become a little closer in format to offices. Even if the startup team could open their own business and expand their staff, the center would offer them a separate, more spacious space within the same coworking space. At the same time, coworking spaces will continue their movement towards cultural centers, where creative city teams can gather to communicate and create new exciting projects.
