Are Coworking Spaces the Offices of the Future?

When I first wrote this article, I was happily working at a coworking space in South East London, enjoying the community, friendly owners, and a welcoming atmosphere. I thought all coworking spaces were like that, so I was fully on board. But, since then, I've had a different experience, which has changed my perspective...

I moved to London from Barcelona not long before lockdown (I’m sure you’re wondering why!) I’m self-employed, so the transition to working full-time from home was technically and logistically straightforward.

As I’m a freelancer, you might assume that I already worked from home most of the time and you might also reason that I enjoyed it. Not true. I quit my full-time, office-based job mostly so I could become location independent, or a digital nomad as it’s often known.

In the 18 months I spent as a freelancer before the pandemic hit, I worked from a variety of different places:

• I worked from my parent’s house in Northern Ireland during August to escape the hottest months in Barcelona

• I took trips to Croatia, Denmark, and Majorca, bringing my laptop and my work with me

• I ate and typed in cafes across the world enjoying many brunches with fellow freelancers

• I worked in coworking spaces in Barcelona and other cities

I have never been someone who enjoys working from home. I appreciate the freedom I have to do it every so often, but pre-lockdown, you’d mostly find me out and about. So, in March 2020 when the world went into lockdown, I wasn’t mentally prepared.

I wasn’t prepared for how much time I’d have to spend in one place (although I was thankful I wasn’t spending lockdown in my crappy flat in Barcelona). I wasn’t prepared for spending so much time alone. I wasn’t sure how I’d continue to be creative when the only change of scenery was moving from working in my living room to my bedroom.

So, when a coworking space opened up in my neighbourhood at the end of 2020, I knew I had to sign up to become a member. I did an interview with this coworking space, talking about why I find these spaces so valuable in terms of finding a community, being more creative, and maintaining good mental health.

Since then, my life circumstances changed. I got ill and I got an in-house remote job, which also happened to offer free WeWork membership. While I enjoyed seeing my colleagues (and taking advantage of the barista coffee and free beers!) and getting out of the house, it gave me a different perspective on coworking spaces.

WeWork never felt like a community. It was just a series of different companies working in one location. It didn't feel any different from working in the many different office blocks across London. It was so impersonal. Nobody talked to anybody who they didn't work with. It was fine while I worked for a company, but there was no way that I would have signed up to work there as a sole trader.

Maybe this is just a London thing and coworking spaces in other parts of the country are more social--I'm from Ireland, and I don't think I'll ever like the lack of friendly chat in London--but this experience changed my mind completely.

I still love my local coworking space and it serves as a great example of what these places could be, especially with the ongoing loneliness epidemic. They could be a bedrock of the local community.

-----Side note, when I did a vision board workshop with my book group in January, almost everyone had "community" as one of their words of the year.------

Imagine, instead of forcing people to commute across the city (I used to do a three hour round trip across London), you could set them up in an office near their home where they could get real social interaction without the stress. And if there are a group of employees who live near each other, they could regularly work together at a coworking space.

Or, you chose a different coworking space each week near one of your employees, and everyone works there for one day a week. You still get in-person collaboration, but people don't have to face the dreaded commute.

While WeWork may be a thing of the past, coworking spaces still have a place in the future of work.

#CoWorking #Freelance #DigitalNomad