Once, not too long ago, few executives entertained the idea of having employees outside the confines of the office—in the past year and a half, remote work has proven itself both necessary and beneficial. Yet, in spite of the still-raging pandemic and the definitive proof that work gets done regardless, many companies have asked their staff to start reporting on-site again. This hasty return hasn’t been met with the most positive of reactions, which is understandable; with few if any changes to productivity, the only difference on the part of the company is surveillance.
But the difference on the employees’ end is stark. While some do, in fact, miss the hard separation between the personal and the professional by virtue of different venues, many relish not being bound to a desk for a certain number of hours every day. Neither is right or wrong—both points of view are valid and reasonable, actually—but it should send a strong message to bosses: staff can’t be treated like toy soldiers, all cut from the same cloth. In the long run, it may even cost companies less to give the option of remote work.
Of course, it isn’t realistic to think that everyone remotely above a managerial position would make such a concession. But that’s where coworking spaces come in; more than a good compromise, a good co-working space can meet the needs of both employer and employee.
Co-working spaces provide a neutral ground to have productive discussions and brainstorming sessions, as well as the obvious perk of a centralized hub that the company doesn’t have to fully finance. Sometimes, meetings are just better in person, but for organizations of certain sizes, it isn’t worth buying or renting a few floors year-round just for that benefit. This way, too, employees who need their office to have tangible, physical boundaries can have exactly that, while those who enjoy a more casual, less obviously corporate approach to work can be their best selves as well.
And that’s not to mention that networking—which can land anywhere between just another task or a trial all its own—becomes a breeze in a shared space.
Larger companies can also reap the rewards of coworking spaces—particularly with those that have multiple branches—combined with the connectivity afforded by virtual offices, such as Monday.com, Slack, or Microsoft Teams. Ultimately, this fusion of the physical and digital is ideal for businesses of all sizes, especially those with any number of employees who work best from home.
More importantly, it’s as much about compassion, empathy, and boundaries as it is about productivity. Now more than ever, employers are learning about the power of valuing your people, rather than dismissing them as a monolith who should be thankful they even have jobs. Again, this is where coworking spaces allow all parties to meet in the reasonable middle—bosses can see their teams at least once a week, while each member of those teams has a degree of freedom that prior to the pandemic was uncommon, but has been proven imperative to their well-being as well as the quality of their work.
