What are the pros and cons of co-working spaces vs. working from home?
We all know the impact that Covid-19 had on the way we all work. Suddenly (almost overnight) we all had to work from home, even industries that had never experienced it before.
Thankfully we’re not in the same situation anymore, but more and more companies are choosing not to return to full-time office work, meaning many people, employed or self-employed, are in the situation of either choosing to work from home, or finding a co-working space to work from. This is a common dilemma that freelancers have been facing for years. Working at home can get lonely, or too distracting, and the popularity of co-working spaces has never been higher.
What is a co-working space?
In short, a co-working space is a shared office where people can rent a desk in the environment for an amount of time. Often based in cities, they offer a place where you can go for meetings, or just for a change of scenery.
In this blog post, I’ll explore the pros and cons of co-working spaces to help you to decide whether they’re a good idea or not.
Cons of a co-working space
The cost. Obviously, they’re not free and some of them can get pretty pricey, so it’s an additional cost to factor into your business, is it worth it to you?
Distractions are everywhere, and as much as you have them at home, you can at least control your environment to stop people from talking to you!
The equipment may not always be tailored to your needs, you’d need to have a laptop, but if you’re used to working with a monitor, you might find the neck strain tough after a long time working somewhere you can’t customise to your exact needs.
Security can be a concern, either of people overhearing sensitive conversations, along with perhaps worrying about your laptop whilst you pop to the toilet.
Pros of a co-working space
Having a distinction between home and work is often something people miss once they start working from home, it’s too easy to get distracted on your lunch and take longer than you would at work, or to just pop onto your computer after dinner to finish off that piece of work. Going to a coworking space gives you the separation of home and work that so many people need.
Networking opportunities. You never know who you’re going to be sitting next to at the co-working space, and having a chat whilst you make a coffee with someone is a great way of doing some natural networking.
Excellent WiFi. You can guarantee that a co-working space will have a brilliant internet connection, useful if you have someone at home hogging the bandwidth or your connection just isn’t that great.
Often have very good snacks and drinks options, especially handy if you don’t have much in the house!
Personally, I do love to work from home and the freedom it gives me, but I also enjoy using a co-working space or coffee shop to work from, when I’ve had enough of my own four walls. I’m often more efficient and less distracted when I work somewhere else.