Co-working and all the ways that you can use it!

Co-working and flexible office spaces are phrases that are taking over the workplace world. We’ve all heard them used in a number of different contexts by a variety of different companies and their employees, so what are the different and most effective ways to use a co-working space?

Flexible working – freelancers, or often individuals working for a larger organisation, sign a hot-desk membership with a co-working provider so that they can access the space as an alternate place to work.

Global touch-down – people that travel a lot with work, particularly to locations where their company has no office, can use a global co-working access membership to work from, or host a meeting. Global providers such as WeWork (33 countries) or Regus (120 countries) cater particularly well for this market and both offer a global access card.

Project space – in the instance where a business has a specific project to undertake, particularly if it requires them to hire additional contract staff for a finite period of time, a private office within a flexible office space can provide the perfect solution, with the option of increasing or decreasing staff numbers over the course of the contract period.

Swing space – in some cases, businesses can be caught between spaces when moving offices, for example if the new office has not yet been finished on time, and require temporary space to operate from.

Tech/innovation team – an increasing trend for corporates is to put their tech and innovation team into co-working space as opposed to the existing HQ. This can prove beneficial for staff in terms of collaborating with other like-minded businesses and talent and can also help with productivity and retention.

Sales function – some companies use co-working spaces to target new clients by infiltrating themselves amongst the community of businesses in the co-working space. This provides them with an opportunity to sell their services, be it professional, such as accountancy or legal, or more tech based, such as web-development or digital marketing.

Talent attraction – the flexibility, atmosphere and environment that can be found within serviced offices, not to mention the access to other like-minded individuals, can sometimes act as a draw to retain and attract new talent and we have therefore seen businesses targeting this type of space for that reason.

Regional HQ – By using co-working space in regional cities, businesses can expand their footprint and establish a presence without committing to a permanent lease.

International expansion – going global is a big step for any business, and entering a new country has many risks, which is why many businesses looking to enter a new geographical market for the first time chose a serviced office over a lease. A monthly contract allows for them to test the location and quick expansion if needed!

Own custom HQ – many providers now offer more bespoke space, where you can have input on the design, furniture and layout of the space to create your own space, a space that reflect the company culture.

There are so many different ways to use co-working space. Interested in moving into a flexible space? Our website helps to make office-hunting simple, browse through our catalogue of spaces or speak to one of our team of experts who can help you through the whole process.