In recent years, the work from home or telecommuting culture has seen a surge. The ability to continue working without being tied down to your office chair has gained popularity, giving rise to coworking spaces.
The demand for shared workspaces has tremendously increased in the last several years. Besides having an escape from their usual living room space, workers have access to a flexible workspace with a professional atmosphere.
Most co-working spaces come with tons of benefits by providing a dedicated space for workers, which is beneficial for advancing one’s career. There are tens of exciting benefits of a coworking space so, let’s look at the reasons why working in a shared space can boost your career:
1. Flexibility and Scalability
One of the main challenges for a professional is their finances. Often, people who are just starting in their fields find it hard to afford a full-scale office. A coworking space can address this issue. Most spaces have flexible membership plans, depending on your needs, so one can choose to have a dedicated space when they’re starting.
This doesn’t mean that they cannot also use other amenities within the shared workspace. Want to present a product to a potential client? You can reserve a boardroom for your scheduled meeting to present. You can have the flexibility to maintain your work’s professionalism without spending too much on office space.
The beauty of working in a shared space is scalability, which is what most startups are aiming for. When a startup’s professional team increases, they can easily upgrade their plan to use a small private office that would suit their needs. They never have to spend money on moving into a bigger office. Imagine the logistics of having to move in and out of an office and transferring every piece of furniture when you move. It can be time-consuming and costly.
More importantly, a coworking space allows professionals to focus on advancing their careers rather than spending their resources on managing an office. Most co-working spaces would have a dedicated pantry that all members can use, and this includes all the management that goes with it, such as cleaning services, garbage collection, and even replenishing supplies.
If you are maintaining an office on your own, you have to factor these into your operations. Not only will it take working hours, but you are also spending money on things that do not bring a lot of value to your business.
Every company must have a dynamic business environment and be able to flex and adapt to the marketplace. A coworking space provides flexibility with terms that range from month-to-month to a couple of years in duration.
Companies can utilize this program to extend their operations without the long-term lease, causing them problems. A flexibility option gives rapidly growing companies an easier scale that would let them steer to a larger space or venture into new markets.
2. Networking Opportunities
When you enter a coworking space, you’ll notice that most people working there hail from different professional backgrounds. This means that you could potentially find someone who would be interested in working with you. Furthermore, mingling with people who have the same goals can be a good sign of growth.
You have to remember that you can expect improvement whenever you surround yourself with people with the same mindset. You should also be open to learning from different industries because limiting yourself to your industry will also limit your vision of what is out there, which will hinder your progress.
Compared with a traditional office set-up where your exposure would be limited to people from the same industry, working in a shared workspace can make you much more aware of other opportunities and partnerships. Opening up the doors of opportunity should be your goal if you want to stay on top of your career.
You have to understand that people need to connect to learn, and coworking spaces provide the perfect avenue. There have been instances of people conversing near the pantry that later collaborated on an important project. Such a partnership will not have been possible if they have been working in their respective offices.
Keep in mind that each person you meet can be crucial for a particular project that you may have in mind. In fact, some networking events held in coworking spaces can open new doors for you. It is also a good way to meet people with whom you can outsource your work.
3. Self-Improvement
When you are working from home, you lose exposure to others, which could stunt your growth as a professional, mainly because you don’t know how your skills stack up against other people working in your field. The industry is constantly changing; If your job description has been the same for years, you may miss several growth opportunities. Working in a gig economy will not expose you to opportunity; You have to engage with others to continue expanding your skillset.
You’d be surprised at how many people in a coworking space have numerous job descriptions, as many of them are constantly changing and improving their skill set to stay relevant. When you bring your work to a place where people are persistently moving and doing their business, you develop a sense of competitiveness, and this can bring about self-improvement.
While it is not healthy to compare yourself with others, you can use their success as a gauge of your own journey, leading to an opportunity for growth. Treat this as a learning opportunity to push yourself to be better at what you do while continuing to cultivate your skills.
Make sure to take advantage of the many lectures and workshops hosted in coworking spaces and learn from industry leaders. Engaging in forums and taking notes will help you boost your career significantly. For instance, you can attend Q&A sessions in Minnesota to increase your awareness of potential projects you are interested in. There are tons of opportunities out there waiting to be discovered. You have to be confident enough to explore and be open to change.
4. Workspace Design
Coworking spaces need expert designers or architects to work on diverse workspaces to function properly for micro-environments benefits. These designers take advantage of the space limitations due to the high population density by producing dynamic co-working spaces, catering to all aspects that make work complicated. The whole workspace concept is changing the ideology of traditional office space. People are confined to their seats and only focus on what they are working on instead of communicating with others.
The idea of coworking spaces is to encourage people to use the area to be interactive, engage with one another, and foster working relationships. Based on the users’ needs, the overall design concept of these shared workspaces is to promote a collaborative spirit. When you open yourself up for collaboration, you open up growth opportunities.
5. Creativity
Most people working at home or in the office forget that they also need to pour some time into focusing on their creativity. Traditional office spaces can easily hinder your imagination as you focus on work-related tasks instead of the things that inspire you.
When you are in a coworking space, this practice can change. Collaborating with others from different industries and walks of life can provide a massive boost to your level of inspiration.
Most coworking spaces are designed to have greenery and open spaces that are good for calming the mind and senses. If you are an artist looking for inspiration, try working in a shared workspace to help keep the ideas flowing without feeling forced.
Sometimes, even a friendly chat near the coffee machine can give you bright ideas for your next project – something you might not even experience working in a traditional office setup.
6. Productivity
While many people enjoy the comfort of working from home, it is not for everyone. Many still enjoy the perk of working in a professional environment because it helps them increase their productivity. While it is true that you can set a schedule to work effectively at home, it doesn’t mean that you can always remove distractions that can sidetrack you.
When distractions constantly happen during an at-home workday, you could end up wasting your time before cramming to finish everything all at once. This practice is not healthy, and it could strain the quality of your work, causing you to lose clients and customers potentially.
Ask many of those who work in shared workspaces, and they’ll tell you that they choose this option because it allows them to be more productive. Working in a space with a busy climate is sure to motivate you to finish your tasks. It also helps to be surrounded by other motivated individuals who are accomplishing things, which can “pressure” you to step up your game.
Now we see the benefits of a coworking space, now let’s find out how to choose one.
Choosing Your Coworking Space
Now that you know what benefits await your career when working in a coworking space, it’s important to remember that not all of them are the same. You have to choose a shared workspace carefully, especially if you are planning to get a yearly membership.
Here’s how you can effectively choose a coworking space that can boost your career:
1. Flexible Membership Plans
If you are a freelancer, your choice of shared workspace should allow you to choose your membership plan according to your current capacity to pay because your job may not have a steady income stream. For example, you have a client with whom you will work for three months, and your plan should allow you to upgrade to a dedicated private office and allow you to downgrade when the contract is up.
2. Multiple Branches
Ideally, they should allow you to use your membership in their different branches if you think that you’ll often be traveling. If they don’t have any branches in different states, you can ask if they have partnerships with local working spaces so you can still reduce your costs and still enjoy the benefits of your membership.
3. Accessibility
If your work doesn’t require you to travel or rather stay close, you can choose a space accessible from your home, so it would be easy to pop in anytime you need to get your work done. Taking a long commute to your office may defeat the purpose of working from home or entering the gig economy because it can eat up a lot of time, which could be best spent on productive work.
4. Virtual Office
Choosing a coworking space that offers a virtual office is also a huge plus, especially if you are maintaining an offshore business. It allows you to connect with your staff anywhere you may be. Besides having a centralized space where you can communicate with your offshore team, you can also benefit from having a business address and a 24/7 telephone and administrative services. All these can help give your business a boost.
5. Professional Board Rooms
If you plan to conduct several meetings as part of your career enhancement strategies, it will help if your coworking space has a dedicated space that will allow you to conduct these activities. Professional board rooms can give your presentation an air of authority to boost your client’s trust and confidence in your skills.
Before you sign any contracts, take a tour of the premises to see if it meets your requirements. Ultimately, you have to choose a place that suits your goals, preferences, and of course, your budget.
Coworking spaces are ideal for focusing on new goals and ideas for your business. They are also great for increasing your creativity, productivity, and innovation. By collaborating with other like-minded individuals, you could soon see an increased level of opportunity in your career.
The post Boost Your Career With Coworking Spaces (And How to Find One?) appeared first on CareerMetis.com.
from CareerMetis.com https://ift.tt/2T6DqaY
0 Comments