Forget the all-you-can-drink coffee bar and the cute little barista who knows just how hot you want your latte. Instead, your new coworking space has plush couches with throw pillows where you can sleep quietly after pulling an all-nighter. But then, let’s not forget Thursday night’s Meet-a-Mentor event, where you are introduced to up-and-coming entrepreneurs in the city. Since joining this coworking spot, you have made countless friends and maybe even influenced someone.
Regardless of the industry in which you work, your coworking space typically defines your working style. While the creature comforts of the coworking environment are numerous, there are other extrinsic and intrinsic benefits to this work style. For one, coworking spaces allow you to become a part of a community of like-minded people. This familiarity is the foundation that can be used to build relationships in your city.
Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of making your coworking space a familiar place to work.
Emotional Support
If you work at home, you always have your family to support you when you need a pick-me-up. However, you bleating on about a client not fulfilling their part of the agreement might help you vent, but unless your spouse shares the same occupation, they will not understand the impact of your client’s actions on you.
On the other hand, if working in a coworking environment, you are surrounded by entrepreneurs all day long who experience similar issues. Not to say that your spouse is not supportive, but sometimes you need to talk with someone who truly understands the struggles that the self-employed and other business owners have. By its social construct, the coworking environment is a great place to find emotional support.
Social Engagement
One of the reasons collaboration and networking flourish in this environment is that coworking spaces are designed to encourage social interaction. These opportunities that professionals have to engage each other, whether chatting about ideas for business or just sharing a conversation over lunch, sometimes culminate in collaborations that end in some of the most creative, lucrative ideas. Furthermore, sometimes these conversations are informal networking opportunities.
Professionals benefit from networking and collaborating with each other, and coworking spaces make it easier to find mentors. If you attend any of the sessions designed to help groom professionals or if your business is a part of an incubator, then you are more likely to run into an experienced entrepreneur who can be a resource to you as well. In Singapore, especially where most coworking spaces form tight communities, these interactions are important to building your business.
24-Hour Access
One of the great things about working at home is that you can work whenever you need or want. In addition, because the city never sleeps, many coworking spaces, like other businesses in Singapore, are open 24 hours. This flexibility lends itself to allowing more time in the day for you to work in an environment that is not quite home but close enough to it.
Familiarity Breeds Productivity
In the end, finding a comfortable place to work makes working effortless. More importantly, your coworking space is a place where you can shape and form the types of relationships you want. However, this networking and the collaborations that result from these interactions catalyze you to create new products. More significantly, this familiar cocoon has created the perfect atmosphere for you to be a happy and productive worker.