As more and more offices and places of work switch to a flexible solution, the question "What exactly is a coworking space?" seems to be on everybody's mind.
Ever since the UK Government imposed COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, the nature of how we work and interact daily has changed and this is the result of a monumental shift in demand for the workspace.
In 2020 millennials made up more than half of the entire global workforce and as most of these found themselves working from home - companies and developers continued to innovate.
So what does it all mean?
Well, when we talk about a coworking space, we're generally referring to a neutral space where people collectively gather to work independently. The key difference between a regular office space and a coworking space is that typically in a coworking environment, people aren't always working for the same company.
What's all the fuss about?
Harvard Business Review recently wrote a blog titled: "Why People Thrive in Coworking Spaces" where they posted findings of years of research into how employees thrive. They found that employees who belonged to a coworking space reported 'levels of thriving that approach an average of 6 on a 7-point scale'. This was said to be at least a point higher than those who didn't belong to a coworking space.
Are they here to stay?
Given the monumental shift in demand for the workspace, and the large number of startups looking for inexpensive office space, it seems as though demand for coworking spaces is only going to increase moving forwards. As more and more serviced coworking spaces appear throughout the UK, even some larger companies are considering switching to a more flexible model of working to ensure that their staff have the best work-life balance.
As always, we're uncertain what the future holds but it definitely looks like coworking is here to stay and if you're looking for an affordable, yet well connected space, Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire may be the place for you. If you're not sure, read why the Kind Group relocated their business to Staffordshire
A perfect example of this is the co-working space being created in Stafford Town Centre in the historic Shire Hall. This will be an exciting addition to Stafford as part of the wider Town Centre Masterplan, and is just a short walk from the Train Station with direct access to Birmingham, London and Manchester.
In 2020, Stoke-on-Trent ranked in the top 10 places to start a business and Make It have recently launched the new Smithfield Works in the city centre shortly at the successful Smithfield Development.
If you are searching for start-up space and support, check out available spaces here