The Community Quotient: Co-working spaces as Social Systems

When was the last time you spent an entire week clocking in and out of work at a 9 to 5 job? In today’s knowledge economy, any job in the service sector comes with work from home perks. Gone are the days of catching buses and trains on time, coming home at the same time everyday, and maintaining picture perfect attendance records.

Today, it doesn’t matter what number of hours you work and where, as long as you get quality work done! So if your boss doesn’t require you to follow the old rules, why should you? This is the philosophy that many people live by in this day and age.

However, work from home arrangements come with their own perils- no work life boundaries, burnout, uncertain work hours, overworking, and so on. Enter, coworking spaces. Coworking spaces are shared offices where employees from various organizations, as well as independent freelancers network, finish tasks and take breaks together.

According to a 2022 report by Statista, the number of people opting for co-working spaces has steadily increased since 2015 through 2022. In 2017 itself, there were 524,000 people who had memberships in co-working spaces. As you can see, this arrangement is becoming increasingly popular among American professionals.

Doesn’t it sound just perfect? A place where you come to work any time that suits your work flow. So you don’t have to commute to the office, and you don’t have to chain yourself to your home desk too. Convenience and balance, served to you on a platter- a membership in a modern co-working space.

In this article, we will talk about how co-working spaces create a sense of community and belongingness among members. There are many benefits to being a member, apart from the ones advertised by coworking companies. Let’s dive deeper into these hidden, non tangible benefits of being in a co-working space.

Co-working communities

In 2016, Gerdenitsch and colleagues discovered that social support in a co-working space is positively correlated with performance satisfaction. In this paper, they also emphasized on the importance of opportunities for social interaction in co-working spaces.

Co-working spaces are more than just that, they are hubs of networking and social activity. We are social beings, and we feel comforted when we have company. During the pandemic, many employees felt alienated and isolated.

In remote work arrangements, people find it difficult to reach out to their co-workers for support. Co-working spaces bridge this gap by providing a platform for a supportive community of freelancers, entrepreneurs, digital nomads and many more.

Inspiration and innovation

Co-working spaces are open to people from diverse backgrounds, professions and careers. This is where two people from extremely remote, separate fields, come together and create something awesome using their shared knowledge. For example, a psychologist comes in contact with a financial analyst, and together, they write a book about mind games in stock market reporting!

Bianchi and colleagues (2018) surveyed a group of independent professionals collaborating with each other in a co-working space. In this study, they highlighted the role of trust in forming and maintaining professional relationships, and determining the outcome of professional collaborations.

Career growth

A coworking space allows you to network with different people, without barriers of designation, experience, or department, for that matter.  In a traditional office setting, you would have to get in touch with a secretary, write an email, or fill a form to get in touch with anyone from upper management.

In a coworking space, you might just meet the CEO of a leading start up while you are waiting for your coffee order! Young professionals can interact with established entrepreneurs. People from different generations can learn new skills and benefit from each other’s experiences.

Productivity and accountability

Working from home is tiring because it is too easy to zone out, walk away from your screen, and lose track of your tasks. There is always something to distract you at home, some menial chore, some task, some activity that you can take up. Many of us get distracted by unimportant tasks to convince ourselves that we are being productive, when in reality we are just procrastinating on the important stuff!

Say for example, you have to work on a really important presentation that is due the next day. But you don’t feel like starting, so you convince yourself that cleaning your desk is an equally productive and relevant task. You spend an hour organizing your desk, stacking your files in alphabetical order, and wiping the surface clean! Voila, you have wasted an hour of your precious time.

In a coworking space, you are more likely to focus on your tasks. The moment you feel like walking away from your desk, you will see that you are surrounded by people who are busy making calls, updating spreadsheets, giving presentations, and having a productive day. Naturally, you will also feel like giving it your best- and you will take that task to the finish line before lunch!

Health and well being

During the pandemic, many employees felt pressured by conflicting demands from their work and home. Single parents, especially, had a tough time navigating their remote work tasks. People whose family members had lost jobs also struggled. Moreover, people who were already battling a mental illness were left with little support.

In times like these, it is crucial to have the support of one’s coworkers. An understanding nod, a pat on the back, small encouraging conversations in break rooms, are small things that help people get through the day. In remote work arrangements, we don’t realise that we are being deprived of these hidden support systems.

Co-working spaces fill this gap by providing a community where people can come forward with their mental health problems. In fact, many coworking spaces arrange workshops and awareness campaigns about workplace pressure, burnout, mental health outcomes, etc.

How to build a co-working community?

There are some small steps you can take on your own to ensure a sense of community and shared support in a coworking space.

Reach out to members through emails, texts or informal meetups. Organize casual hangouts, meals and outdoor activities to build rapport. Discuss with them your ideas about creating a supportive community for the mental well being of the members. This way, you will encourage more people to open up about their concerns. Who knows- you might find someone who is sailing through the same boat as you!

You can even go a step further and call in a mental health professional to talk about commonly faced issues in the workplace. A counselor can help members make sense of their experiences. In fact, with some conversations with the management, you can even get a counselor to offer consultation services for the entire community!

Co-working spaces are a second home to all those budding professionals, entrepreneurs and passionate freelancers who are trying their best to make it to the top. It is important to understand that co-working spaces hold immense potential for making or breaking your workflow. If you are a member, make sure you make the most out of it through a sense of community and belonging!