In recent years, coworking has become a popular phenomenon around the world. While some believe it is a trend, several studies, such as the Global Coworking Growth Study 2020, show that coworking is a concept here to stay.

Apart from offering comfortable and flexible workspaces for students, freelancers, self-employed, and employees, coworking has proven to have many other benefits. Many studies show, for example, that this type of work environment has significant effects on productivity.

Below we will take a closer look at how coworking can improve productivity and why.

Efficient problem solving

When a problem or dilemma occurs, you can always turn to the members of the coworking community and ask for their advice. Many of those who work at coworking spaces are experts in their field and have knowledge, skills, and talents that you could benefit from.

By asking your coworkers, you will not only get valuable advice and insights, you won’t need to look outside the office for professional help. In other words, you will learn new things at the same time as you minimize time wastage.

Brainstorming is a natural part of coworking. When working closely together with passionate and goal-oriented people, the risk of getting ”stuck” is heavily reduced. Instead, your ideas will flow seamlessly, which will fuel your productivity.

Sense of belonging

Several studies show that shared workspaces make people happier in the long run. Between 75% and 90% of those surveyed state that they enjoy the personal connections coworking offers and that they feel more motivated to work.

Another study made by Smallbizlabs.com shows similar results. Out of the respondents, 79% say that they have expanded their social network thanks to coworking. As many as 83% states that they feel less lonely since they started working at a coworking office and 89% feel happier in general.

There is no doubt that coworking creates a sense of belonging among employees, a feeling which in turn can make them feel more motivated and engaged in their work. All these positive feelings combined will increase productivity and boost work performance.

No hierarchy

Hierarchy is a common phenomenon in traditional offices. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for employees to treat other coworkers as “less valuable”, even though they should be working as a team.

This is the reason why managers on high horses tend to set seemingly impossible targets for their juniors and expect them to work like there is no tomorrow. As you probably understand, this kind of hierarchy is a recipe for work-related stress, which nowadays is seen as a global health issue.

Coworking spaces eliminate hierarchies since everyone is working on their projects. There is next to no competition at all in coworking spaces. On the contrary, this type of work environment stimulates employees to help each other to reach their individual goals.

Besides eliminating hierarchies, coworking also helps employees stay focused on their tasks. A study by Udemy shows that 54% of employees aren’t performing as well as they should because of workplace distractions. Because of this, as much as 20% of people working in traditional offices state that they aren’t able to advance in their careers.

Better work-life balance

Two common problems among remote workers are loneliness and the inability to separate work and leisure. Coworking can solve both these problems by creating a healthier work-life balance.

Coworking creates a community where like-minded people can socialize and exchange knowledge to help each other reach new carrier goals. Many coworking spaces also arrange lectures, meet-ups, and other exciting events to help coworkers expand their social networks.

A common problem faced by remote workers is the inability to distinguish work from free time since they usually work from the comfort of their own home. Coworking allows remote workers to separate work and leisure, which in turn creates a better work-life balance and – you guessed it – stimulates productivity.

There are many benefits of coworking, increased productivity is just one of them. Besides helping you stay motivated and engaged, coworking is a great alternative if you are looking to expand your social network.

AUTHOR

Alexandra Eriksson is a writer at Entreprenören.nu