Top 10 Advantages of a Shared Workspace Environment

In an era where flexibility of working conditions is high on the agenda of many employees, we look at how a collaborative approach to workspace can merge the benefits of an office environment with the ‘work from home’ feel. Here are our top 10 advantages…

1. Ease of Set-up

When it comes to starting a business or finding a home for a newly established one, it is easy to under-estimate the time and effort required to find suitable premises and the expense and hassle of furnishing them to your requirements. With a shared office environment, a ‘turn-key’ solution means the weeks of preparation and moving time can be avoided, meaning a stress-free transition for you, your staff and your customer base. With furnished offices, WiFi at the ready and coffee on the brew, a shared working space is ready for you and your employees to get straight to business.

2. Cost-Efficient Space

Business is all about risk taking, but many businesses can financially strangle themselves in their infancy by committing to long leases in office space too big for their current company size, in the expectancy of quick growth. With a shared office space solution, there is no long-term commitment and you can easily add additional units to your lease as the business grows.

3. Networking Opportunities

The opportunity to network with other like-minded business individuals is perhaps one of the strongest attributes which collaborative working brings. The ability to ‘knowledge-share’ is much more accessible in this environment and companies can flourish with the help of the entrepreneurs, freelancers and remote workers with which they are surrounded. From potential new clients to new business partnerships, some of the best business ideas can be born from collaborative working. Indeed, many global companies place employees in collaborative spaces to enable them to absorb new and innovative ideas from people to whom they would not ordinarily have access.

4. Striking a Balance

In an era where the demand for flexible working is at an all-time high, the 9-5 approach to office working appears archaic in principle. However many will admit the ‘working from home’ approach lacks the glamour they might have envisaged. Shared working spaces provide the benefits of both approaches, with a less formal feel than a strict office environment coupled with the benefit of the company of other like-minded business individuals on site.

5. All-inclusive approach to amenities

In a rented or company owned office space, companies are liable for utility bills, office consumables and other amenities, which not only account for a large financial expense, but will generally require an office manager or administrator to oversee. With a shared working environment, utilities such as electricity, heating and WiFi are included in the cost, as well as tea and coffee, cleaning supplies, printing and mail services. This all means less administration and more certainty on monthly outgoings.

6. Scalability

With growth high on the agenda for most companies, regardless of size, a collaborative working approach can help a business to scale up in a manageable way. Whether you are dipping your toe into new markets or opening offices in several locations in a short space of time, shared workspaces can help to create a cohesive working environment and allow employees to hit the ground running.

7. Impressive Meeting Spaces

A suitable space to meet with and present to existing and potential clients can be a sticking point for some sole traders and small companies. Coffee shops and home offices often lack the privacy required and the professional impression desired. With the shared meeting facilities provided in collaborative working environments, you can create an impressive meeting backdrop for customers and assure them of a professional approach.

8. No long-term commitment

A shared office environment lacks the rigidity of a long-term lease, with many shared office spaces offering rolling weekly or monthly contracts. Indeed many collaborative spaces offer a daily ‘hot-desk’ facility on a pay-as-you-go basis, allowing a completely flexible approach to your office requirements.

9. Flexibility of working hours

With many shared office spaces now offering 24-hour access, you can build your working hours around family and other commitments to achieve a true work-life balance. Easy key-card access and round the clock security means you can build your working day around your schedule and that of your staff.

10. A Tailored Approach

Despite the ‘turn-key’ approach to office space, a shared office solution can still provide the opportunity for you to put your own stamp on your workspace area. Create a space that defines your own company values by reconfiguring the existing space, adding soft furnishings and artwork to reflect your brand identity and corporate colours, and branding your door with your logo. Shared workspaces need not preclude you from announcing your brand presence to those around you.

To find out how you can avail of these advantages in the Armagh area, contact us today:

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