Remote work is fast catching on to become a preferred way of how the corporate world works. With tech companies getting more and more innovative with how remote work goes, its given rise to coworking spaces, which could be argued as being an equally innovative idea in the sense that it gives remote work structure, purpose and does not make it feel too much homebound. While there are many benefits of coworking spaces, today we’ll be looking at both coworking space benefits and challenges to figure out the perfect balance in online coworking space.
But before that, lets look at what a virtual coworking space is, since it is a relatively new idea and for those of us unaware of what the benefits of coworking spaces are, we’ll proceed to look at the pros and cons.
What are virtual coworking spaces?
For remote work, the idea of working from home is sometimes a little too boring. Which is why, the coworking space was introduced. Think of it as an office away from the office, except you dont have to be formal, bring lunch from home and act like a grownup. Instead, a coworking space is a fun place to interact, work and have fun, all at the same time.
After coworking spaces also had their fair share of issues, the world was introduced to virtual coworking spaces. These are simply the better version of coworking spaces, where you get the services of online business tools, meeting spaces and other resources that make it feel like an office, without the disadvantages the normal workplace has.
Virtual coworking spaces can be used by remote workers to manage all aspects of work in an easy and convenient manner that gives them the freedom to personalise their work schedule, but also gives them a sense of being a team player and that of being in an office.
Now, lets look at the many benefits of coworking spaces.
The many benefits of virtual coworking spaces
The advantages of coworking spaces are alot, and we will discuss these coworking space benefits in detail below.
No travel or commute at all
With a traditional office, you commute alot. On average, people spend more than two hours per day commuting to and from work, sitting in heavy traffic and wasting time that could have otherwise been spent doing something useful. And this is one of the benefits of coworking spaces, especially virtual spaces: there is no commute or travel at all.
Since it’s remote, you don’t need to drive for an hour or two every day. You can just stay at home and work; whether it’s the office or something of your personal interest, with online coworking spaces, you have a lot of time to invest in work rather than waste it in transit.
Flexible, personalized routine
Another one of the benefits of coworking spaces (virtual) is the fact that they are all about your convenience. They are designed around the worker, their preferences and their schedules. Which gives them alot of flexibility over how they work. Whether its the time, the routine or anything else, with an online coworking space, you get the flexibility of working as per your wishes. Personalisation in these coworking spaces is key and the way it works is simple: how the person likes it. Its as simple as that and another wonderful coworking space benefit.
Saves resources on office maintenance etc
Think commute costs too much? Well, running and maintaining an office is another big headache, one which is also solved with one of the advantages of coworking spaces. Instead of having a fully staffed and stocked office which requires alot of resources, virtual coworking spaces make your office go online.
No more igh utility bills, no more catering to the refreshment needs of the entire office and no more taking your lunch to the office: your personal space is your office now, and online coworking spaces make this a reality. Everything from office supplies to security to parking and rent, all of it, is just solved thanks to the many benefits of coworking spaces.
Access to a better talent pool
With a conventional office space, your talent pool is limited to a city. With coworking spaces under the hybrid work model, that range is maybe extended a few more miles out there. But with online coworking spaces, you virtually have access to any resource on the planet.
Your talent pool, thanks to the many advantages of coworking spaces, is increased by alot since the person does not have to commute to the office everyday. With a permanent remote work setup, it could be so that say, a game developer in Canada could be working with an organisation in Japan. And that’s another one of the benefits of coworking spaces that are online; you get access to an unrestricted talent pool.
The best solution for startups
Startups aren’t exactly generous with their resources, since they have a limited number of them. So, one of the coworking space benefits is that if you are a startup, you get all these benefits of online coworking spaces and you dont have to spend extra on say, running and maintaining an office.
Many startups do actually prefer coworking spaces, and that is because of the many advantages of coworking spaces. They get a better talent pool and save alot of their resources on paying rent for office space and utilities and whatnot. An online coworking space is geared for the startup to succeed and flourish.
Ease of teamwork
In an online coworking space, the ease of working as a team is simply too significant to ignore. The modern team is resourceful and organized, and virtual coworking spaces offer resources to enhance that aspect of teamwork. The entire team is at the lead’s disposal, at all times, and this makes projects a breeze.
Important meetings can be held in a minute, notifications and announcements go seamlessly and the entire working experience gets easy and convenient. It really is one of the best benefits of coworking spaces.
The challenges of virtual coworking spaces
While the advantages are aplenty, there are still some minor issues that could potentially, disrupt the functioning of an online coworking space. Lets look at some of these now.
Over-reliance on the internet
Obviously, online working spaces depend heavily on a steady internet connection. Some places have that, some places might have a shaky connection. Power outages, natural calamities or any other factor could affect the performance of the connection, which could then affect the virtual coworking space, possibly putting a resource out of the loop for a considerable amount of time. That is one unfortunate challenge to a virtual coworking space.
Little or no social interaction
The conventional office space and the coworking space is great in the fact that you get alot of social interaction. People with different identities come together, work together and make the office a dream destination. Unfortunately, that is not the case with online coworking spaces.
There just isnt any sort of human interaction outside of the home, which can be very detrimental to the mental health of a person and could seriously affect their performance and their physical health too at some point. In that case, a coworking space like WeWork is better, since it allows for human interaction and remaining socially active gets much easier.
No office refreshments/ perks
With a conventional office, you get alot of perks and privileges, not to include, refreshments! These keep you motivated towards your job, and serve an important function as part of your compensation from the office. With an online coworking space, not so much. You lose your office perks and any refreshments you might have since there is no longer an office.
ZEMLAR coworking spaces: no disadvantages, all benefits!
With ZEMLAR, coworking spaces and virtual offices are more than just spaces. They are destinations for your perfect work-life balance, for an experience unlike any other and services that are the best in the business. They boast all the advantages of the best coworking space has, like,
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- Interactive environment.
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- Ornately designed workspaces.
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- Snack bars, vending machines to keep your refreshed.
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- Online coworking services with the best packages.
ZEMLAR’s virtual offices give you a suite of services designed towards implifying control of your business and your team. The meeting rooms are impeccably furnished and are designed to give you and your team a relaxing environment, all the while keeping an air of professionalism that feels like an office space away from the actual office. Moreover, the coworking spaces are filled to the brim with engaging activities and fitments that make the space a place you would want to be in, whether its for work or not.
