What is Coworking - The Ultimate Guide
Whichever name has hit your radar, you’ve likely heard (or at least thought) of coworking. Not just for the bubble of creative entrepreneurs and selfie sticks - these shared spaces support a hybrid work model, aiming to cater for everyone willing to invest in productivity.
So, What is coworking space?
For the people who for whatever reason don’t have a dedicated workspace, coworking spaces offer a place to separate our working hours from home life.
Let’s face it, not everyone is a running on an unlimited supply of self-motivation. Some of us feel supported by routine, a lot of us want structure… but we’d probably all like a bit more flexibility. In fact, in 2020 67% of people already preferred a hybrid work model and that was before the pandemic (Gensler UK 2020 workplace survey).
“Those working in a hybrid work model are most likely to feel empowered, creative, and satisfied in their jobs” (Gensler)
It’s no secret that the way we work has changed for good - the pandemic tipped the office environment further toward the people that inhabit it every week, by empowering their autonomy. But as coworking spaces become part of a wider discussion on the future of work, they also provide an alternative option for managers and business owners to foster productive working environments for their employees - if they choose to use them.
Find shared office space in a city near you
…AKA on the go. Last minute Lauren’s, we see you! 👀
With 2020 crumbling the old ways in favour of such a cultural shift around the way we work, the number of portals to help you find the perfect coworking space on the go has also increased each and every year. From Hubble HQ, to NearU and Coworker.com you can now find space to work in nearly any city, ideal for getting over the anxiety of cafe hunting that’s just right before your lunchtime Zoom meeting starts.
But coworking spaces aren’t just for digital nomads, they’re also a perfect place to switch up your environment for the day. Since the Design Chapel has been listed on the many shared space portals, we have seen more and more bookings for remote teams to get together in a casual yet work-oriented setting. Not dissimilar to a favourite picnic spot or country to travel to, finding and exploring the world of coworking and shared office space brings a new kind of freedom to work that has the ability to take the mundane out of your Mondays.
Is there a difference between coworking and hybrid work?
Hybrid work is the crux of the cultural change, while coworking spaces like The Design Chapel bring uniquely flexible solutions like day passes. This is key and not many other spaces offer a day pass. It opens what could be seen as a luxury channel for big companies and corporations, to recognise a diversity in working people and their needs.
The Design Chapel is for supporting the people that might have previously spent long commutes getting from Southampton to London, the working parents that love their kids (whether human or animal) but just need a bit of space to concentrate, and the freelancers that work in isolation.
6 benefits of using coworking spaces
Whether you already work for a company offering flexible working or you’re just getting started on your venture into alternative ideas to an office, coworking spaces like the Design Chapel have a lot to offer in Southampton… and further afield. To help you work out whether coworking could be an ideal solution for you, here’s a few handy benefits:
Dynamic Social Environment - We’d all love a 4 day week, but productivity boils down to how you promote wellbeing during working hours and beyond…Freelancers and small businesses tend to flock toward coworking spaces as a cost-saving and social effort during the week (whether or not they have space to use at home), but coworking can also offer incentives that benefit full-time employees and their bosses too. With generally smaller spaces comes a dynamic social scene, particularly for those working from home for the past 2 years, coming closer to / completely reshuffling your coworkers daily could be a catalyst for powerful insights and sense of purpose… hence boosting productivity and personal growth. Say goodbye to the same old conversations day in and day out!🥱
Reduced Travel & Commute Time - Locate your ideal space locally whether you’re a team or one person businessAnother really great benefit of coworking spaces is they’re all a little bit different! Whether it’s down to decor or capacity for individual desks and privatised phone calls, you’ll be able to visit a few in the most convenient area and cut out commuting for good. We’re totally sure no one is desperate to take the train into London complete with price hikes and delays, subtracting time you could be using to spend with your family or actually taking time to relax before the next working day.
Why not take the power back and utilise pricing packages like our 4 shorter days bundle, ideal for people who want to take the premium out of dedicated working space or simply spend a few days in a different setting! 🌱
Save on Office Spend - How can businesses benefit from coworking? Never having an empty office.
If you’ve got employees opting to work from home, you sacrifice the social environment others might derive much needed motivation and structure from. By utilising office alternatives around you like coworking spaces, you not only make an economical and environmentally impactful change, but you also retain a social space purpose-designed to foster productivity. Bonus: with a lot of coworking spaces adopting a token price structure, you could only pay for those who choose to actually use it🧑💻
Grow your Network Organically - How much time do you currently take out for networking events? Make that £0 for organic networking and out of hours while growing your business.
Not everyone is a dab hand at networking digitally or in person, and that’s okay. By using a coworking space you organically open up opportunities for business collaborations, as well as getting a bit of advice from your new coworkers. It can be as simple as a friendly face that keeps you and your dream going! All you have to do is be here 💒
5.
All the perks, without an actual cafe - Go on, how many cafes really let you stay on one coffee before you get those looks? It’s proven that we can do our best work in public settings.
Some of the most creative people in history have done their best stuff in coffee shops and cafes. The BBC brought out the big guns with names like JK Rowling, Picasso, Simone de Beauvoir and Bob Dylan in their list of cafe-goers. From background noise to other people going about their day, a visually dynamic environment, informality and coffee… The Design Chapel actually has all these things for the ultimate productivity brew. With the total consumer spending on coffee, tea and cocoa rising to £289 billion in the UK in 2021, you could save yourself a pretty penny in addition to electricity throughout the week by swapping those coffees for coworking. For a bit of maths, 79% of people drink 2 or more cups of coffee per day from home during the week, on average a cup of coffee is £3.23 in the UK. That’s £136 per month.
Our monthly coworking membership includes bottomless coffee and tea (including alternative milks and flavoured syrup) as well as the perk of a unique location on Southampton Common, complete with dedicated meeting space comes in at just £150 per month.
6.
Free More Space for Housing - Did you know Southampton has a lack of affordable housing stock? You could positively contribute to the National Housing Crisis.
As a coworking space situated in a converted Grade II listed building, regeneration is close to our heart. In 2001 a UK Parliament publication stated “Southampton's private sector housing stock of some 65,000 dwellings—where around 50% were built before 1945 and 1:5 dwellings are either unfit or require essential repair… a recent Housing Needs and Housing Market Survey suggests Southampton needs an extra 779 units of affordable accommodation each year”. In 2014 Hampshire County Council put out a New Housing Developments research report putting a figure to ‘dwellings within new development output areas’ - 2599. Fast forward to 2022 and the City still faces an affordable housing crisis.
So, about that office…🗯
