Fun. Friendly. Inspiring. Collaborative. Productive. If you wouldn’t define your workplace with any or all of those terms, you may have to ditch your own desk and take a seat at a co-working space near you. Even if you aren’t an entrepreneur or freelancer, the benefits of co-working, according to Deskmag’s annual Global Co-working Survey, are pretty hard to ignore: 71 percent of participants reported a boost in creativity since joining a co-working space, while 62 percent said their standard of work had improved.
Renting a co-working space can be a great way to launch your startup cheaply—and expand your professional network in the process.
The contacts you make will likely be the biggest benefit of renting a co-working space. You get instant connections with other entrepreneurs who may be able to offer you valuable insight into your business, on everything from strategy to services and hiring. They could turn out to be essential partners. And you could make a difference in their business too.
Basically, co-working is a shared work environment where independent professionals gather. In a co-working environment, you can get a dedicated space or sign up for first-come-first-served space. This space could be an office, conference table or even cubicle-like desk.
The bottom line: co-working office space is gaining momentum for all those reasons and more. Co-working office space is springing up in large cities like Los Angeles as entrepreneurs continue looking for ways to incubate new ideas, collaborate with like-minded professionals and save money on office space.
There are many financial, social and business-related reasons to join a co-working space. These benefits were quantified by the Global Co-working Survey, conducted by Deskmag, which asked coworkers how their work style has altered since joining a co-working space.
Co-workers said their productivity had increased and their business networks had expanded since they joined a co-working space. 93% said their social circle had increased significantly, 86% said their business network had grown, 76% reported an increase in productivity, and 88% said their isolation had decreased. In addition, over one third of co-workers surveyed confirmed that their income had increased since joining a co-working facility.
Co-working by the numbers:
- 50% of all coworkers access their work space around the clock
- 71% report a boost in creativity since joining a coworking space
- 62% said their standard of work had improved in a coworking space
- Almost 90% of coworkers report an increase in self-confidence
- 70% of coworkers feel healthier than they did working in a traditional office
- Between a third and half of all workers are flexible and mobile
- 64 percent of coworkers are better able to complete tasks on time.