Mobile technology had been moving the business towards more flexibility in the workplace, even before the pandemic, but the COVID-19 shutdown proved that we can work remotely and be productive, that video conferencing can take the place of meetings, and that our children could learn remotely. While schools are getting back up to speed, with relative ease, coming out of the shutdown, large companies are still working out how to function, moving forward. Some want their employees to work remotely from now on, some want to develop hybrid plans where employees come into the office a few days and work from home a few days a week. While most employees aren’t looking forward to resuming long, expensive commutes, they’re not in love with working from home, either. Large companies can benefit from other options available at coworking spaces that provide a middle ground for their remote workers and teams, plus a whole lot more.
Consider these 5 benefits coworking spaces offer large companies as business gets back up to speed after the pandemic.
1. In-person Meetings
Video conferencing helped us to stay connected during the pandemic with schools, businesses, Broadway casts, and every other possible group meeting in little blocks on computer screens. While video conferencing mesmerized and entertained us throughout the shutdown, with comical missteps, in addition to kids and pets making cameo appearances during meetings, video conferencing can never replace the synergistic energy and spontaneity of in-person meetings.
Coworking spaces offer a variety of different options for teams to meet – including dedicated desks as well as private offices for remote teams working on sensitive projects and meeting rooms that accommodate larger teams.
2. Working in a professional space
Coworking spaces are in the business of making your workday as productive and seamless as possible. With super-fast Internet, all of the business equipment, and amenities that coworking spaces provide, team members enjoy working in a place that encourages them to work where they feel motivated. While your full-time coworking teams may be meeting in private office spaces, they benefit from mingling with a community of other professionals from many different industries and cultures during breaks and in café areas. Coworking spaces keep your remote team members motivated by working around other business professionals from diverse backgrounds. Coworking options for remote workers can help with life/work balance issues that remote workers experience when they work solely from home. Working in a professional office space keeps remote workers from feeling isolated, allowing them to connect to other business professionals in their coworking communities. Coworking spaces, such as Venture X, are offering more flexibility in their plans to accommodate remote workers several days a week or several times a month, whatever works for companies and remote workers. Getting out of the house to work helps streamline productivity without all of the distractions remote workers face working totally from their homes. Splitting your remote workers’ time between home and a coworking space allows remote workers to send and receive mail and packages from a professional address. Remote workers can also meet with clients in a professional upscale setting, instead of commuting into the corporate office for meetings.
3. Companies can hire employees from a wider geographic area
Hiring employees from the local pool of talent near corporate offices is no longer a limitation when coworking spaces are part of the work plan. Large companies can reach out to candidates in far-off places that are the best fit for open positions, extending their talent pool to a broader spectrum of candidates. New employees can work in a coworking space, convenient to the area where they live. This arrangement can also be a better option for teams faced with a hybrid schedule of working on-site and from home. No more long commutes into the office can disrupt the ability to focus on work. Working from a local coworking space can save time and increase productivity as workers have more time to work, instead of spending time and energy driving into congested areas to work each day. Additionally, with remote teams situated in coworking spaces, team members can recommend talent from the coworking communities that they interact with every day.
4. Large companies can benefit from their remote team members’ exposure to new ideas
Working in a coworking space, around other professionals from different industries can spark new ideas for your remote employees and teams. A 2018 Entrepreneur article suggested that “moving development, research, marketing, design or other teams from a more bureaucratic corporate environment to a coworking culture can breathe new life into these creative types.” Large companies can also benefit from teams meeting in coworking spaces for a day away from the office as a way to energize teams and increase productivity. Large companies can also rent meeting rooms in local coworking spaces to benefit from the energy boost in coworking spaces.
5. Large companies benefit from the flexibility of coworking spaces in new markets
The reality of establishing a regional office in different areas of the country or the globe has changed drastically with the advent of coworking spaces. The turnkey opportunities at coworking spaces give large companies the option of testing the waters in new markets before opening their own regional offices. Remote teams working in coworking spaces help large businesses establish a presence in potential markets, connecting with local business communities in various locales. Some large companies may decide to establish their regional office in a coworking space at the Enterprise level, eliminating the massive project of building or purchasing a regional office.
Emerging from the pandemic, business will be different – regardless of your industry. Some large companies are scaling down their physical presence in favor of some employees working solely from home and others are considering hybrid schedules that involve in-person work some of the time, rounding schedules out with remote work for the balance of work weeks. Most remote workers, less willing to tackle their pre-pandemic commutes, are also not interested in working entirely remotely. Coworking spaces offer flexible solutions that meet the needs of large companies to accommodate remote workers and provide a professional place for remote teams to convene for in-person meetings. The turnkey opportunities and the community spirit intrinsic to coworking spaces make ideal options for large companies while the business world finds its new footing in a post-pandemic world.
Contact Venture X to learn how our coworking spaces around the world can work as an integral part of your large business!