Young professionals around the world are ditching the usual office work and switching to coworking. The number of shared office spaces is snowballing to meet these demands, and in two years, 50 percent of all large companies will be benefiting from coworking and shared office spaces. However, what attracts these young professionals to coworking, and how different are these shared offices from the usual corporate settings?
1. Little Supervision
No bosses are looking over your shoulder in coworking spaces. You have a task or project, and it’s up to you to finish the job or make contributions to the project. This takes away a lot of the pressure and lets you work at your own pace. Contrary to expectations, people work faster and with more efficiency in a coworking environment bereft of actual supervision.
2. Unlimited Breaks
With limited supervision, coworkers are free to take as many breaks as they want. Having short breaks after finishing a part of a task gives the mind time to relax and lowers a person’s stress levels. You can play a quick game with the latest console or have a match with another coworker in foosball. These little stress-relieving breaks increase productivity throughout the day and keep morale high. Eating out or having coffee is also no problem as shared office spaces usually have meals and drinks available for coworkers.
3. No Dress Codes
Shared office spaces have no dress codes, but coworkers still need to maintain a certain degree of decency and hygiene. You can dress as plain or as flashy as you like without being judged. You can dress for comfort without the fear of having your boss look down on you for how you look.
4. No Hierarchical Office Interactions
In a coworking setting, you can be yourself. There’s no need to be particularly friendly to the higher-ups or feel obligated to do small additional work handed down to you by a senior employee. Shared office spaces get rid of all unnecessary office interactions, including forced pleasantries and small favors. You don’t need to go out of your way to be friendly or impress your superiors; you only need to think about your work.
5. Output Is All that Matters
Coworking is all about output. Doing the job on time is all that matters. Whatever you did to finish the work or how many breaks you took is irrelevant. You can work as little or as much as you want as long as you complete the task at hand. If you finish early, you can leave early or ask for another job. An output-based setting will highlight your expertise and work ethic more than a standard office setting will. How you look, how friendly you are, how many breaks you take—none of that matters. All that matters is the quality of your work.
Ultimately, coworking gives almost unlimited flexibility and freedom to employees. This, in turn, creates happier and more efficient workers. The benefits of an output-based system are seen in coworking.
