How a Coworking Space Benefits Part Time Work Jobs
Are you doing part time work? You’re not left in how coworking can provide many benefits for you. Read on.
The distinct advantages of a coworking space can be distilled into accessibility, affordability, and opportunity – features that are central to anyone relying on part time work and gig-based incomes.
A coworking space is more than just a workspace. It can be a vibrant community, a productive environment, a haven for organic networking, and an incubator for growth as a self-employed contractor.
Sure, being your own boss is pretty great – but there are a lot of downsides to spending most of your time working alone, and coworking spaces can help drastically alleviate those feelings of professional loneliness and isolation. Studies show that these issues have been on a rise, especially with the recent pandemic, and working on alleviating them can help you live a healthier, happier, and more productive life.
What Are the Benefits of a Coworking Space?
Coworking spaces are rentable communal workspaces built to cater to multiple different paying parties. Coworking spaces are usually utilized by solopreneurs or self-employed contractors who need a place to work, but don’t have the resources to own or start an office space of their own, and don’t want to be stuck working solely from home.
However, while the predominant customer base for coworking spaces is still the individual, independent professional freelancer, there has been a noticeable trend towards coworking spaces as an alternative to traditional satellite offices for established enterprises, as well as a better alternative for startups, who might not have the resources to lease office space for their team.
Affordability and Accessibility
One of the reasons coworking spaces are an attractive option for a lot of different companies and professionals is because they offer the amenities and benefits of a well-equipped office space without the prerequisite investment.
Affordability is crucial in a time like this. Competition is stiff, costs are rising rapidly, and it’s getting harder and harder to secure capital. Coworking spaces provide access to a functioning workspace environment that is not only sufficient, but high value, providing organic networking opportunities, plenty of different ways to work, and the financial flexibility companies need from top to bottom during a crisis period.
Coworking spaces don’t require hefty, frontloaded fees or down payments – a monthly subscription is usually all that’s required, and any company or individual can just quit paying, use up the rest of their month, and find another arrangement whenever they need it.
For part time workers or seasonal freelancers, the ability to finance a workspace whenever it’s needed, for whatever time it’s needed, rather than needing to finance a long-term commitment such as an office space lease or drum up the money to renovate an official home office, is much more feasible.
While it is just one point of interest at the end of the day, it’s important not to underestimate the value of affordability. Coworking is more than just a bang-for-your-buck savings option, it’s a genuinely superior alternative to working on your own, working out of a public space, or getting an office space to call yours.
Expanded Amenities
Just because working out of a coworking space is affordable does not mean it is cheap. Coworking spaces are a competitive industry, with many cities offering dozens to hundreds of different spaces to tech teams, entrepreneurs, contractors, and large enterprises.
That means coworking spaces invest heavily in carving a niche for themselves, whether that means employing a unique aesthetic or design, or offering certain rare amenities, from an artisan coffee bar to nap rooms.
Coworking spaces are often better equipped than your average office space, with ergonomic furniture, comfortable common areas, private meeting rooms, and lots of natural light.
For part time workers, this means having access to a work environment that promotes productivity and simultaneously attracts the greatest local talent, creating not only a workspace but an environment where professionals from different backgrounds flock together to focus on their work, meet other people, and breathe life into new projects.
Blending Collaboration and Solitary Productivity
Most coworking spaces get around the argument that a shared workspace can be chaotic and difficult to work in by providing a distinct set of different environments for tenants to work from.
Some coworking spaces offer special isolation rooms where people can go to work in silence for an hour or two, as well as larger common areas where people are free to engage in conversation, take a break, or get a little work done in between meetings.
Most coworking spaces also offer meeting rooms where companies and teams can brainstorm and discuss ideas without worrying about privacy issues or plans getting leaked to nearby competitors.
Not only does this variability allow for teams and individuals to coexist on the same office floor, but it also accounts for the fact that we don’t always need the same environment to get our best work done.
A varied workspace is one of the most critical features of a coworking space. Sometimes we aren’t in the right headspace to work with others around us and need peace and quiet. Sometimes we need to be around other people to feel productive and get our best ideas out there. Sometimes, we need a conversation to spark interest in a project. And sometimes, we just need a moment free from distraction to completely concentrate on the task at hand.
The Benefits of a Supportive Coworking Community
Coworking spaces are akin to little communities, identifying through their shared experiences in the same workspace despite different industries, backgrounds, goals, and motivations.
The impact that a real sense of community can have on your motivation to work and improve yourself is palpable, even if that community isn’t in any shape or form related to the work you are doing.
In other words, you can benefit from a “company culture” without being part of a company yourself, by taking part in coworking community events, teambuilding activities, and annual casual get-togethers.
Part time workers and entrepreneurs will often miss the social aspect of working with others and collaborating with fellow team members on bigger projects. Coworking spaces let you benefit from that without needing to join a larger company or hire other people to work for you. This can help breathe new life into your projects and keep you sharp.
Not all coworking spaces are made equal. Some will better suit your professional and personal needs, whether through location, aesthetic, or niche. Finding the right coworking space for you is critical.