Why Build a Satellite Office in a Coworking Space?
Setting up a satellite office is a major decision; there are many aspects to consider. With the rise of coworking spaces, these buildings may be the perfect location for you. Read on.
Not only is it often a costly one, but creating a satellite office can require:
- A rigorous hiring process
- The creation and transportation of a crew of employees to the new location
- The legwork of scouting for a good location
- Beginning negotiations on a lease, and getting started on stocking up on all the necessities of a basic office
Sometimes, the need to be present in a specific state or area is transient rather than permanent, making new offices far too expensive to justify (while still requiring a physical presence, often through frequent back-and-forth transport across state lines).
What is a Satellite Office?
A satellite office is an office located in a different location than the company’s main corporate location. They are used for many different reasons including:
- Expanding into new markets
- Opening a new branch
- To increase sales across many locations
- To benefit employees in terms of locations offered, commute, etc
- Create more local presence
While we live in a time of telecommunication and an increased reliance on outsourcing and cooperation between large companies and freelance contractors, it’s important not to understate the value of physical presence.
Satellite offices are necessary for expanding companies, especially when they choose to double or triple their operation by expanding to a new and underserved market. Yet for most startups and SMEs, the cost of doing so is simply prohibitive. This cuts into the potential of many companies, who feel constantly outdone by the better-funded competition.
But the ability to move into pre-made and managed flexible office spaces eliminates many of these problems. Coworking spaces have grown rapidly in the past few years, expanding across major cities all over the globe, giving smaller companies the chance to set up a physical presence across state lines and national borders in ways previously unimaginable, at a far lower cost.
There are a variety of reasons to start a building satellite office in coworking spaces:
1. It’s Much More Cost-Effective
Setting up a satellite office can be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming, yet necessary for many growing businesses wishing to take advantage of potential markets, partnerships, and opportunities only afforded to those physically present within certain locations across the country – or across the world.
Satellite offices are still easier than planning a mass migration – which is often a logistic nightmare – but they require the acquisition of an office, and the obligatory setup that follows.
Shared office buildings for a satellite office are far less expensive, and allow companies to not only reduce costs, but cut entire items off their list of potential costs, from cleaning services to utility costs, the acquisition and installation of new gear, and the upfront cost of a year-long lease.
2. Better Productivity for Satellite Office Workers
Studies and polls show that coworking spaces are boons for productivity, in comparison to traditional office spaces.
The lax environment, melded work culture, availability of amenities, and focus on providing a welcoming atmosphere. This is combined with the perks of interacting with workers from different industries focused on different projects. In turn, this helps in providing a further benefit to worker creativity, leading to better results.
Shared spaces allow companies (and satellite workers) to approach work in a new way – instead of enforcing their own office culture, the workers set the pace among themselves.
They become comfortable with their environment, which in turn helps them perform better.
3. A Chance at Cooperation
Having workers from different companies working under one roof might, in the eyes of some, further a more competitive and hostile environment – but the opposite has been true.
Regardless of what they’re working on or who they’re working for – and plenty happen to work for themselves – many who choose to come to coworking spaces to work tend to be more open to cooperation and socializing.
They enjoy broadening their horizons and sharing ideas in a way that is productive for everybody involved.
Fostering connections between people is something companies have learned not only to appreciate, but to take advantage of. All companies in these spaces enable the cooperation of workers through:
- Scheduled social events
- Networking events
- Training programs, and more
And all this has born fruit in the form of better results for the companies involved.
4. Coworking is a Growing Phenomenon
The numbers speak for themselves. Previously centralized in developed countries – particularly the US – coworking is becoming a global phenomenon.
By 2022, up to five million estimated workers will be working in coworking offices.
As the lines between life and work further blur, and as workers seek ways to minimize burnout, our idea of the workspace is constantly in flux.
It is undergoing rapid shifts as companies scramble to find ways to address the pressing questions brought about by:
- Digitalization
- Continuous urban sprawl
- High real estate costs
- Automation
With all that in mind, a fleeting look into a potential future grant us a vision of the world with a new way of thinking surrounding how and why we work, especially when it comes to the smaller, locally-based satellite office.
As more and more industries and jobs are using automation, companies, and ventures will go out of their way to either find:
- Workers who are willing to put their health and safety on the line for meager pay,
- Or, workers who put the time and effort into honing their individual abilities to come up with smarter and more efficient ways to contribute to their respective employers and partners.
It’s not just a matter of putting in the hours or devoting yourself to the leg work. You can’t clock in and expect to do well. There will be days when you’re feeling unproductive, and the need to recharge your ideas becomes critical.
Conclusion
Coworking offices are a prototype of this new working environment, where professionals gather to share ideas, inspire one another, create a welcoming and personable environment that remains conducive to productivity and creativity. Take advantage of this trend for your satellite office, it is not just a smart business move, but an eventuality.
The work culture of tomorrow has to emphasize creativity and adaptability, and flexible office spaces maximize both by bringing people together from various backgrounds to work on a variety of projects and potentially meld ideas in ways previously unexplored. There’s no way to know what exactly the future has in store for us, but coworking is a definite part of it.