Any new thing that is introduced to human society, comes with its myths. People tend to form opinions about them even without knowing about them adequately. The coworking spaces are no different. There are already quite some popular beliefs that have been associated with these shared workspaces that are not true and needs to be rebutted. Sometimes prevailing stereotypes prevent people from trying the best of options, and we do not want you to remain deprived of the numerous gifts the coworking office spaces have for you. So here are the top 5 stereotypes you need to get rid of about coworking spaces-
1. They Are Unorganized
This is a misconception that is common among professionals representing a generation that is used to the strict corporate culture, and therefore the evolved workspaces and the working model appears to them as a little too much from outside. Although they have visualized these spaces as unorganized, that in reality is flexibility and freedom. Coming to work at any convenient time, sitting wherever you feel like, and while working to socialize with other professionals are some of the proven contributing factors to workers as well as companies’ overall growth. At the same time, coworking spaces have dedicated facilities that also represent the uniformity that the previous generation is used to. That clearly means coworking spaces have more options than the traditional ones- not necessarily alternatives of the same. Therefore, to call these unorganized is unfair.
2. These Are Only for Freelancers
Undoubtedly, coworking spaces -and the evolved work culture that they accommodate- are best for freelancers, but in no way that is confined only to them. In fact, many big corporate houses are encouraging their innovation teams to work from coworking spaces not only to save time, energy, and escape traffic and travel but also for cost-cutting purposes when it comes to office maintenance- and more importantly, for better quality output from employees. Similarly, big companies try finding human resources and directly engage with them in the coworking spaces. Apart from that, a coworking atmosphere can also be created within one company where different teams can be allowed to work in a more flexible way where they get to socialize and understand their teams as well as the processes better.
3. These Are Designed for Start-ups
Coworking spaces have been designed to suit start-ups, and beyond them, there is no usability of these unconventional office spaces- this used to be a big myth about coworking spaces until recently. People are now starting to realize that the flexible working ambiences’ alternative and creative ways how people engage themselves with work, networking opportunities, collaboration scopes and access to markets etc. are not just necessities of the start-ups but also that of the Small & Midsized businesses as well as established corporate houses. Therefore, coworking spaces for startups is a theory that lacks clarity. The idea is changing because the corporate houses saw how the new work culture and environment could positively contribute to their own success and started promoting them very actively.
4. They Are Fancy; They Cannot Be Affordable
One of the major stereotypes abut the coworking spaces which actually refrains people from trying them is that coworking places are fancy, so they are expensive. This cannot be any farther from truth. Just a simple google search will prove this notion wrong, but many people just believe in gossips, you know? On the contrary to the belief, the very idea of shared coworking spaces refers to affordable office spaces for all. Not only conveniences and amenities of the highest qualities but also escape from managing the services come in a compact manner where people share these while paying less. Had they been expensive, freelancers would rather prefer working from home, wouldn’t they? But the trends and statistics are the other way, which show that an office in a coworking space or a business center costs less than a traditional office space.
5. They Are Same Everywhere
Another stereotype that sounds quite illogical is, all the coworking spaces are like the same. This is like saying all the houses in the world are like the same, so are all the supermarkets. All the traditional offices were rather more similar than any other thing until the shared offices came into being. The fact is, no two coworking spaces can be the same. Size, collaboration scopes, level of social interactions, diversity and location etc. separate them from each other. In these lines, our coworking space in KL, for example, is completely different than a coworking space in a smaller city. Who the office provider is also matters. Similarly, the kind of creative people that come with different orientations and values also shape these ambiences to a great degree. Therefore, it is a very unjustified statement to say that coworking spaces are the same everywhere.
Coworking spaces are successful in attracting more number of entrepreneurs and professionals every day. This shows that the stereotypes about these postmodern workspaces are no longer deciding their impact on the working folks. No matter what, a few preconceived notions would always travel along with office space types. It is advisable, therefore, you arrive at a conclusion only after researching a little.