It’s PROVEN! Coworking Spaces make you Happier & Smarter!
Coworking spaces make people happy and keep them more engaged as compared to offices with endless cubicles and zilch sunlight. This is not a random opinion. Surveys and researches have unearthed data that prove it as a fact.
As per various studies:
- 62% of people found an improvement in their standard of work after they become a coworking space member.
- 70% of people said joining a coworking space made them ‘very happy.’
- 71% of people agreed that a coworking space amplified their productivity.
These numbers are hard to ignore, but we’ll still give you one more. A study included in the Journal of Organisational Behaviour says that on a scale of 7, people who work out of a coworking space average at 6.
What does the scale measure? The level of thriving at work.
Why is the answer surprising? Because 6 is a pretty high score for thriving and it is higher than that given by people who work in a conventional office.
The 6 Dimensions Of Happiness In A Work Environment
Here are six things that people associate with happiness in the workplace:
- Optimism, i.e., does the work environment fosters creativity and innovation?
- Mindfulness, i.e., are you able to fully engage with your work in the space?
- Authenticity, i.e., do you get the freedom to be yourself during work?
- Belonging, i.e., how well do you connect with others in the place?
- Meaning, i.e., does the work give you a sense of purpose?
- Vitality, i.e., does the workspace have the tools that allow you to get-up-and-go?
Coworking places put a checkmark in front of each of these six dimensions.
- Their very community is created to be a font of creativity that makes people take an enthusiastic approach to work.
- They are physically designed to keep the brain fully present in the moment while allowing you to take breaks when you’re overwhelmed.
- Unlike traditional offices where a person has to conform to set rules, coworking proffers you the freedom to be who you are.
- Shared workplaces are all about building social links so that each member feels connected to others.
- The collaborative and supportive environment of coworking delivers you a sense of accomplishment because you can do more in the same set of hours when compared to old-style offices.
- From the support of mentors to stable and fast Wi-Fi connections, coworking spaces come equipped with every tool possible to make working easier. Conventional offices only partly fulfil these.
How Coworking Spaces Help An Individual Personally And Professionally?
Global Coworking Unconference Conference and Emergent Research say that 83% of co-workers feel less lonely, 84% of them feel far more motivated and engaged, and 89% are happier in coworking.
The fundamental reason for it is the personal connections that shared workplaces nurture. The stronger the bond between people, be it socially or professionally, the higher the productivity. And more productive employees are happy employees. Let’s take a look at how else coworking spaces help an individual.
How You Work
Coworking spaces give you absolute control over how you work. If you wish for a quiet corner where you can focus 100% on work and not be disturbed by other members, there are private offices you can rent. If you hope to work with others to create something better, there are open areas where you can rent a hot desk.
There is even a third option – if you desire a relaxed setting where you can listen to music turned down low while you answer pending emails, then lounge areas are the best. This elasticity to choose how to work is unfathomable in cubicle-filled offices.
When You Work
The flexibility shared workplaces provide is not limited to the style of work; you have complete liberty of time. A kickass coworking place (like us) is open 24X7, which means early birds will find a desk ready for them at sharp 7 am and the night-owls will have a space to work even in the dead of night.
What’s more, if you have to take a quick personal break during your work hours, coworking allows you to do so. Don’t want to punch into work for a day because you would rather work from home? That’s possible too.
In short, shared workplaces have none of the rigidity of the old-style offices.
What You Work (On)
Corporate offices come with defined processes and authority structures. You work on what you are assigned. If you want to branch out or share ideas with another team, it is nearly impossible to do so because traditional offices are not accustomed to it. This compromises an employees’ sense of purpose and accomplishment.
On the other hand in coworking spaces, the work environment is positive. It is highly conducive to sharing ideas not just within a team but across them. You can work on a project with a freelancer or another start-up; the choice is yours. The ability to pick what you work on creates an innovation circle that is impossible within a typical office.
Another reason coworking helps individuals is the exposure to different perspectives and thought-processes. In a shared working place, people from diverse academic and industrial backgrounds work together. Therefore, you experience a plethora of outlooks that can be a catalyst for better things.
With Whom You Work
The final and biggest reason why people are happier and smarter in their work is the community. Unlike conventional offices, where you work next to mere ‘workmates,’ coworking spaces are places where you work next to friends.
The sense of belonging, the ease of socialisation and the autonomy to bounce off ideas with people, are advantages that typical offices can never replicate.
As ever, we urge you to give coworking a try. As ever, we promise one day will be enough to prove that shared workplaces indeed make for happier employees.
