Coworking is gaining popularity over time and may soon overtake the traditional set-up of an office work-space. It is believed that by 2020, co-working spaces will be the norm in various places. This is especially the case for professionals such as independent contractors and freelancers. It will be keen to note their impact on the nature of workspaces.
Here's what entrepreneur and business owners had to say about the future impact of co-working.
#1- Shifting toward extreme growth
The future of co-working spaces is shifting toward extreme growth in part because of the increasing cost of office space. THAT is going to shift larger businesses into using more and more co-working spaces for their remote workers.A lot of remote workers are still on their own as far as finding a place to work, but more and more of them are realizing that home is NOT productive. So they are negotiating with their employers to include paying for a place to work. But again, the cost of an individual office is HUGE. It saves corporations a TON of overhead by getting those remote workers a membership in a co-working space. The availability of co-working spaces will continue to fuel the growth of remote working and using non-local employees which will cause a huge shift in the way everyone does business.
Thanks to Kayla Pendleton, Her Space – a Co-working Space for Women in Fresno!
#2- It's going to be the way we work
What we now refer to as ‘co-working’ will most likely just be the way we work and think about office space. I believe the key behind the success of the co-working model is our instinctive need for connection. We know now that by 2020, 43% of the workforce will be made up of freelancers, further shaping a quickly expanding gig economy. These spaces promote an immersive and engaging experience often characterized by a pervasive atmosphere of innovation; all of a sudden freelancers, startup entrepreneurs, small business owners and their teams find an ideal environment to cultivate collaboration, co-creation and a higher level of creative thinking. I see this directly impacting my line of work: as a Digital Marketing agency embracing remote work, we directly tap into our large and highly specialized network of contractors and freelancers, who become integral part of our team. We all access co-working spaces from wherever we are, allowing for higher social integration as well as a high degree of flexibility, necessary in our constantly changing industry.
Thanks to Laura Ciannamea, Remotely Collective!
#3- Adoption of coworking as a solution for innovation teams
The impact of coworking on the freelance and startup communities has already been felt globally, and in the last two years, more enterprises are adopting coworking as a solution for innovation teams, for smoothing out fluctuations in growth, and for global expansion. But while companies came to coworking for its flexibility, they stayed for the unique experience it provides. This benefit has far-reaching impact on the future of work as employees will start to expect the same work experience as the standard in their workplace. Consequently, it will change the dynamics between tenants and their landlords, putting the pressure on landlords to provide more than just space to lease. In the future, great coworking providers will become experience providers for entire buildings, campuses and office parks.
Thanks to Dan Zakai, Mindspace!
#4- Teaching communication skills
I think the future impact of coworking, for entrepreneurs that choose to work out of coworking spaces, is that it will teach individuals valuable communication skills. Most coworking spaces place people together from all backgrounds and industries to share the same space to work and co-exist in. These individuals might not have met one another otherwise, so coworking allows for the ability to network and build a community with fellow ‘coworkers' you wouldn't have had otherwise!
Thanks to Deborah Sweeney, MyCorporation.com!
#5- Perfecting every niche
The future impacts of coworking are numerous and powerful. From a mental health perspective, it allows people to have more social interactions when they might otherwise be isolated working alone. From a productivity perspective, it motivates people to stay focused without distraction, as they’re in an environment where everyone is working and they’re not at home where the television is so close by. And from a work perspective, coworking allows for better output of ideas and skills because independent contractors have an opportunity to learn from each other and bounce ideas off one another. For all these reasons and more, coworking is here to stay.
Thanks to Nate Masterson, Maple Holistics!
#6- Harder times convincing their employees to work in-house
I am watching my colleagues that are scattered around the world and work remotely for my company. The future is already here. Something I couldn’t dream of 10 years ago, now is a reality. The focus of handling people within an office space has completely gone, but some other phenomena popped up. Many of my employees work at co-working spaces and they seem to enjoy it very much. They have their freedom, their flexibility, and they are invested in work that was unimaginable a decade ago. The main impact of co-working I predict will be that business will have harder and harder times convincing their employees to work in-house. Once the people taste the freedom of freelancing in a co-working space, it is very hard for them to comply with the rigidity an in-house job usually has.
Thanks to Nick Galov, Hosting Tribunal!
#7- A mixed ecosystem
I see the future as a mixed ecosystem when it comes to co-working space. For a company like ours, which relies on the development and maintenance of our own IT systems, office space is going to remain central. Increasingly though, for international roles and remote workers in marketing, sales and some other roles we've come to rely on co-working spaces too. As we've expanded into different territories we've learned the value of those colleagues having access to collaborative places to work, so it's something we support them with. We even have some trusted partners who come in and use our office as a place to work as well, so the idea has even become important there too.
Thanks to Robert Stolk, Pointer Brand Protection!
#8- Normalization of self-employment
Coworking is becoming a huge trend and will have a huge impact on those who are deciding to become freelancers or self-employed. Now that coworking spaces and communities are more common, those considering working for themselves are more likely to do so knowing they would have a community and space to do so in. Coworking spaces are normalizing self-employment. They are also making it easier for people to work for themselves, and as they continue to grow, they will be the reason more people feel safe to take the step to self-employment.
Thanks to Stacy Caprio, Her.CEO!
What will be the future impact of coworking? Tell us in the comments below. Don’t forget to join our #IamCEO Community.
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