Authored by Sumit Lakhani, Chief Marketing Officer, Awfis

Shared workspaces have undoubtedly become a primary choice for the new generation workforce of India. Coworking spaces have emerged as a strong pillar in the commercial real estate sector and are now the foremost alternatives to traditional workspaces. The unique facilities in coworking spaces make them an unparalleled choice for the millennial workforce who are seeking an ideal work-life balance. When one is looking to make the transition to a coworking space, there are multiple things to consider. Stated below are some of the insights, which will help you understand shared workspaces better. These tips can come handy while choosing an ideal coworking space for your business.

Flexibility & Mobility
In the true sense of the term, coworking spaces are flexible in nature in terms of timings, locations, seating arrangements, pricing options and tenure. Coworking companies understand the diverse needs of different organizations, independent employees and ever-expanding teams and therefore, offer seating options such as flexible seats, fixed seats, meeting rooms, cabins etc. along with an option to customize as per requirement.
With increasing complexity of work, extensive travel requirements and constant connectivity, coworking spaces provide the perfect solution to work seamlessly from anywhere, anytime. Offbeat offerings such as virtual offices help provide a professional footprint in a new market without physically being there while a national pass allows professionals to work out of multiple locations without the hassle of doing bookings every time. One should also look for a coworking provider with a large network spanning across several cities so they can work out of different locations as per their travel plans so a client meeting never goes amiss.

Design & Workspace Environment

Coworking spaces are tastefully designed to cater to the design sensibilities of millennials and Gen Z. Most coworking spaces flaunt vibrant walls, artistic installations and creative seating arrangements. Additionally, shared workspaces are planned with brightly lit cafeterias, meeting pods, highchairs, snooker tables, graffiti walls, etc. These form the ideal interiors, which boost employee productivity, enable collaboration and networking. The well-designed coworking spaces create a positive vibe, motivate employees while keeping monotony at bay. You can opt for a coworking space that offers to customize the interiors and design as per your requirement to ensure your brand elements and organization culture is absorbed and retained.

Networking Opportunities

Networking is at the heart of coworking spaces. The coworking set up organically encourages exchange of ideas. The networking opportunities which prevail in a shared workspace aid out of the box thinking, help in building long term relationships and identifying potential clients. Coworking spaces give access to a wide network which is missing in a traditional workplace setup, ideate with creative minds and thereby, foster productivity and enhance employee motivation. It also provides opportunities to make meaningful business connects and grow your business, find partners, agencies and potential clients well within the community itself. In such a case, it makes good business sense to choose a coworking company with a thriving strong community base.

Enterprise level facilities

Many coworking spaces provide 24X7 facilities like access to cafeteria, meeting rooms and workspaces along with a standard protocol for meeting downtimes in line with the requirements of many corporates & MNCs. The nighttime access is ideal for people/businesses working in night shifts for overseas clients or ones in creative fields who prefer to work during the night hours. Such people find coworking spaces the model spot to let their creativity juices flow effectively regardless of time and facility constraints. A number of large enterprises are opting for shared workspaces due to the efficient standard of services provided which is an important consideration for corporates. Coworking spaces have facilities which successfully meet operational processes and service-level agreements (SLAs) for such corporates.

Inspiration & Collaboration

Coworking spaces offer a platform where numerous professionals, startups, artists, freelancers and entrepreneurs meet and help each other to grow their business. Likeminded people come together to use their creativity, intellect and resources to help each other achieve professional & personal goals. The people working together are not only an inspiration for each other but also pose as mentors that go together a long way. It fosters community building within the ecosystem leading to various collaborative opportunities.

Coworking is ever evolving and make a perfect choice for startups, freelancers, SMEs as well as large corporates. They offer a range of seating options, bouquet of amenities, networking and event opportunities, community building activities, avoid overhead expenses and gives the ability to focus on work while space providers handle the rest.

The article was originally published in Realty Plus and can be read at: http://realtyplusmag.com/5-factors-to-consider-before-choosing-your-coworking-space/