Shared office and co working spaces are becoming increasingly popular. Are such working spaces just for start-ups and small businesses, or is the way we work changing?

Since the start of summer, I’ve been working remotely from one of London’s WeWork locations for a few days each week. For those of you not familiar with WeWork, it is a co working office space for one man bands and businesses alike. The office spaces are modern, stylish and, dare I say it in a legal blog, a little hipster. But it is not all Scandinavian design, brushed concrete and exposed lighting; the office environment is studious, professional and members utilise opportunities to network and collaborate, promoting an enthusiastic atmosphere. Whilst shared office space is not a new concept itself, this environment certainly feels new and innovative and working remotely was a new concept for me.

It is not just start-ups and entrepreneurs making the most of this ‘new’ working style. Established businesses are also using co working spaces for colleagues to network and enjoy the flexibility of being able to work from different locations, particularly for international businesses, whilst avoiding the costs of high rent. As a result of working remotely at a different location, I have felt more productive, enthusiastic, and motivated in my day to day work. 

The benefits of flexible and remote working are, of course, well known to businesses. Working from a different location or from home can boost employee morale and productivity, improve health and wellbeing, it eliminates the long commute and can improve work-life balance. New technologies also make working remotely easier, especially for international businesses across different time zones. However, many businesses are yet to incorporate flexible or remote working into their culture.   

There are inevitably challenges and downsides to remote working, such as a lack of presence, supervision or the training employees can only truly gain from working alongside colleagues. Ultimately, flexible and remote working is not for every business and is not for every employee. It requires a lot of trust from both sides. However, an employee’s presence in the office is not always a measure of productivity and returning to the same desk, day after day, does not always achieve the best from a workforce.  

Overall, I believe the positives of remote and flexible working outweigh the negatives. As shared and co working spaces become increasingly popular, the opportunity to work flexibly and remotely will be something employees look for as part of their benefit package when changing employer. After all, in order to love what you do, shouldn’t you love where you do it?