The COVID-19 pandemic forced employers to open up to the idea of remote working and also showed employees that working from home has its own drawbacks.
Obviously, the past two years have changed how we think of offices. Even the companies reopening their offices are doing so with new checks and protocols in place. Setting up socially distanced tables, the increased frequency of sanitization, etc. implies a higher operation cost.
For many companies, it has become more beneficial to operate out of co-working spaces rather than a centralized office.
As a result, the question today isn’t whether to get back to the office or not but rather, to continue working from home or a co-working office space. Let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of both.
Advantages of Work from Home
Working from home has 2 undeniable advantages.
- Lower operation costs:
For employers, minimized operational costs have been one of the biggest work from home benefits.
Some companies paid for employees to get the basic infrastructure required for home offices, but this too is lower than the cost they would have incurred to rent and maintain office spaces.
- Flexibility
For employees, flexibility and comfort have been the two biggest coworking space advantages. There is no commute time to be factored in and many people have attended office meetings in their pajamas.
The capability of waking up 10 minutes before work starts for the day is enticing for many.
Disadvantages of Work from Home
Once the initial excitement wore down, both employers and employees figured that there was another side to the work from advantages that were first celebrated.
- Team management
Companies that deal with sensitive information must still maintain control over information flow. This becomes much more difficult when everyone is working independently. Fickle networks and communication systems also sometimes led to lags in projects.
Of course, some people took unfair advantage of the situation to procrastinate. Keeping teams motivated remotely is a challenge.
- Lack of personal time
When you look at the situation from the employee’s point of view, flexibility, which was one of the biggest attractions led to blurred lines between personal and work lives.
While families did get to eat their meals together, they were frequently interrupted by calls. Many found themselves working longer hours as there wasn’t an office space they could exit at the end of the day.
Disadvantages of A Co-Working Space
Co-working spaces seem to be advantageous for both employers and employees but these two have certain drawbacks. Though the cost of renting a table in a co-working space is not the same as maintaining a full-fledged office space, it is considerably higher than working from home.
No Privacy
Renting out only desk space may also lead to a lack of privacy. Co-working spaces are rarely as quiet as home offices unless you’re sharing your home with an infant. Renting only a desk also means that your ‘place of work’ may shift every day depending on which desk is available.
There’s usually a significant difference between the price of renting a desk and renting a private space.
Advantages of A Co-Working Space
A co-working space can be beneficial for employers and employees.
- Shorter Leases
On the corporate side of things, companies get to set up professional spaces for their employees to work out of without taking on additional responsibilities of complying with the new safety regulations.
Desks or private working spaces can be rented out for anywhere between a day or a few weeks or months. Thus, companies are not tied down with lengthy leases.
- All-inclusive costs
When you take on a co-working space for rent, all operational costs and infrastructure needs are taken care of within the rental amount. Infrastructure ranging from printers and scanners to coffee machines and kitchenettes are available to all without any additional costs.
- Branded spaces
Companies renting out a private unit within the co-working space may also be allowed a certain level of customization in terms of décor. Thus, not only is there a professional space for meetings, the space also reflects the company’s branding.
- Separation of Personal and Professional Lives
For employees, one of the main coworking office space benefits is a distinction between personal and professional space without the hassle of a long commute. A company can rent out space at multiple co-working spaces across the city depending on where their employees stay. Co-working spaces can even be leased in multiple cities.
- Networking
Another benefit of working out of a co-working space is the opportunity to meet and network with people. By now, people working from home are aware of how isolating the experience can be.
And, even if you were to go back to the traditional office set-up, you’d probably only be meeting people from within the organization. Since a co-working space is used by multiple corporates as well as freelancers, the chances of meeting potential collaborators are much higher.
The Bottom Line
As proved by the last two years, remote working isn’t for everyone. Even freelancers working by themselves like having a space outside their home for work. Ultimately, it comes down to finding a solution that meets business goals while maintaining a safe working atmosphere for everyone.
When you’re looking at co-working spaces pay attention to the locations and package prices as well as the facilities available. Is the space air-conditioned with backup electricity? What kind of internet is provided? Are meeting rooms and audio-visual conference facilities available? Do they have lockers? And so on…
If you’re looking for warm, ready to use co-working office spaces in Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida, reach out to The Office Pass (TOP) at +91 8999-82-82-82.