It’s hard to ignore the shared workspace revolution that is happening all around us; coworking isn’t just something that happens at the front line of modern urban life. It’s happening everywhere – from cities that never sleep to small towns.
Coworking is here to stay. The reason is simple; it’s a win-win-win. Entrepreneurs can accelerate their business growth, freelancers can carve out the working life that they actually want, and companies can encourage their workers to flourish. Oh, and generally everyone gets more done, and you can save money. Win-win-win, right?
That’s all great, but one of the most important reasons why shared workspaces are emerging all over the place is the tangible benefits they offer. Because let’s face it, somewhere along the line, a lot of company offices forgot this key fact. We are people. We don’t all necessarily thrive sitting in the same fluorescent cubicle day after day.
Coworking enables people to thrive, not just survive, and one major reason for this is the fact that whether we realise it or not, a shared workspace teaches us values that the average corporate office simply doesn’t. No training manual, or (shudder) corporate teambuilding exercise can ever come close to the skills and values learned organically by simply living them.
1. Collaboration
Encountering different people from different professional backgrounds is always going to mean you’re exposed to more ideas and greater opportunities. Coworking brings you into contact with more opportunity for collaboration. Instead of rejecting a project because it requires a skill you don’t have, a shared workspace becomes a pool of talent where you can seek out your next collaboration.
Collaboration requires another important skill; communication. Without a doubt, a shared workspace enables you to naturally build up your communication skills. Talking to different people, however formal or informal the chat; whether you’re discussing your work, their work, the current political situation or that series you’re both binge-watching, all adds up to better communication skills. For more on the power of collaboration see our blog: More Than Just a Desk.
2. Openness
A shared workspace brings you into contact with more people, sure, but it also requires you to work on you. The temptation to hide away in a company office is very real and working from home is a series of pitfalls and temptations that often leads to very little work getting done (a ten-minute nap, you say?). Coworking means you bring your A-game. There is no-one curled up on their desk asleep and – hopefully – nobody is watching movie trailers in their pyjamas. Everyone is there because they want to be. Everyone is aspiring to be as productive as the example set by everyone else.
If you’re struggling in a shared workspace, solutions are everywhere. There is freedom to move to another place in the office, to shake it off or shake it up. There is an area where people can chat, a kitchen where you can refresh your cuppa, the friendly guy who you spoke to last Tuesday who knows all about the software that has just shut down on you three times in a row. Openness might seem like vulnerability, but once you embrace it, openness really means security, and that is great for your wellbeing. For more on coworking and wellbeing see these top tips.
3. Diversity
A modern shared workspace introduces you to diversity in every possible way. Sure, you’ll meet people from all over the place, but when we talk about diversity in a shared workspace, we can open the term right up. Shared working environments attract people from all stages of their working life. From the young entrepreneur with a flourishing startup to the experienced older business owner and from individual freelancers to team players. You’ll meet people who are at the top of their game, and those who are embarking on an entirely new career. Check out our piece on networking for more on this.
In no other place will you work alongside people who are in a completely different industry. Yesterday an architect, today a designer, tomorrow a writer. From each of these people, you will learn something new. That is the true value of diversity in a collaborative workspace.
Article originally published by Areaworks. Read more https://www.areaworks.com/7-values-shared-workspace-can-teach-freelancers-and-employees-alike/
No comments:
Post a Comment