By now, we must all already know about the benefits that coworking brings, how it helps a business scale and the bustling community it comes with. Coworking has been more than a trend but a way of life and likely also the future of all offices.

Here at Coworking Resources, we gathered a few real members of coworking places to ask them what is it really like working at a coworking space. They shared about what value they see in coworking and what life is like spending over 8 hours a day at a shared space.

This is what we learnt.

Life Working in a Coworking Space

There are many different types and styles of coworking spaces, some being more corporate like WeWork, technologically enabling like NewLab and community-centric like Acme-works.

We asked our interviewees what a coworking space means to them and what life is like working in a coworking space.

Phoebe:

Ideally, a coworking space should stimulate collaboration, peer to peer learning, encourage interaction, provide a space for organising business-related programmes, networking events and so forth. To me, a coworking space is one that can help its member-businesses gain exposure and can help the freelancers in its space grow. For some start-up businesses, it’s also a nice place to bring your investors and clients to compared to a dingy space off the corner somewhere.

Coworking spaces are all very different. Some places are very lifestyle-focused, organised for social interaction like how its like at WeWork. But for me, that may not foster very meaningful collaboration because music and so on can be very distracting. I like it here at my coworking space because it is spacious, quiet and conducive. With the sheer amount of members here, I also know I can reach out to them if I needed help with a project or some user testing.

James:

To me, there are generally two options. Either a typical office environment or a coworking space. Without batting an eyelid I will choose and have chosen coworking because it’s more fun! More social in its core, more shared resources, more enjoyable. That is my impression of coworking spaces and what my experience has been like.

Jax:

A coworking space means a collaboration space to me. Being a small business here, it is firstly cost-saving since I get to share resources and take advantage of various opportunities. In my coworking space, there is me, and also a hundred over companies doing tons of other things. You just never know what collaborations can come out of a place exploding with possibilities.

What People Like About Working in a Coworking Space

Phoebe:

I like meeting more people and attending different events they hold in this space. It gives me the chance to learn and network. The mass of people here also gives me a potential marketing opportunity. I get a chance to test my products here with a helpful community.

James:

People may think this is unimportant, but you don’t realise the importance of design until you start spending 80 percent of your day here. What I love most about my coworking space is its gorgeous architecture. The high ceilings and big space helps me feel at peace and allows me to be very productive. Honestly, working in a pretty place makes you feel happy coming to work.

Jax:

I like the fact that my coworking space curates the companies and members that work in here. The community is filled with carefully selected cool people and I love talking to them. I like being in an environment I can meet a lot of people.

One benefit is that I can chat with people other than my colleagues. It’s good to have a break from work-talk and also get new perspectives from people.

Disadvantages of Working in Coworking Spaces

Phoebe:

Privacy is surprisingly not a concern. As for security, I think my coworking space has got it covered with access control and security cameras. Noise however, is one for me. It is more easy to get distracted here compared to your traditional, quieter office. Location is also another concern for me since the subway is farther from here.

James:

Noise is not a problem for me, in fact I think I work better when there’s some background sounds. If I were a hedge fun, privacy would be a problem since everyone can see your screen and what you do. But currently, I don’t see any problem with the openness of my working place. The only problem may be the lack of food options nearby which causes some inconvenience.

Jax:‍

I personally don't have any problems working in a coworking space, though I know of people who dislike the fact that there's too much social interaction. The thing is, there are a hundred over coworking spaces out here in New York and you can definitely find one that suits you, be it music related, less or more interactive, ones with yoga classes and so on!

What Is the One Thing You Value Most About a Coworking Space

Phoebe:

To be able to be a part of a larger community. My coworking space has a happy hour every month, on top of other events that create opportunities for its members interact and connect. We also use Slack as a platform for communication between the different members.

James:

A conducive environment. Space needs to be created and designed for productivity. I don't want to be in a place that blasts music all day.

Jax:

Opportunities to learn is important to me. This can be in the form of interactive events where I can learn more from people or skills workshops.