From the way we coordinate with our team members all the way through to the hours we work and how often, more people than ever have had the chance to experience what remote work has to offer in quarantine. A lot of this has been on the cards for a while, but we just needed a little push over the edge to really get the ball rolling.
The infrastructure needed to now accommodate the numbers of people working from home is also changing. With more employees working outside the office, online services and tools have to be put in place to fit in with this changing world. The traditional coworking space is also no exception. By blending the benefits of remote work with the coworking space, we’re now beginning to see the rise of brand new virtual coworking spaces.
What exactly is a coworking space?
First of all, let’s take a step back and look at the history behind the coworking space as we currently know it. Typically freelancers, remote workers, and other workers with more flexible conditions can rent a desk or space within a coworking space to use their facilities. It creates a different atmosphere to simply working at home, but also is different in many ways to a typical office experience.
You may have even already heard of some of the bigger chains out there like Impact Hub and WeWork. When we look at the trend over the past few years, the number of coworking spaces globally has more than doubled from 12,100 in 2016 to over 26,000 this year.
They’re a really popular alternative for people who want to have a social office experience whilst experiencing the freedoms of remote work. You can usually expect to pay anywhere between $350 – $800 per month in the US for private office space, so for many, it’s not always a cheap option if your company isn’t subsidizing your costs.
But the more popular coworking spaces become, the more it feels like they are losing their original flair. For a long time, they have had a reputation as places for innovation, individuality, and networking within the remote world. As more large corporate companies incorporate remote policies into their working conditions, the more they offer coworking space subsidies to their employees.
Now it’s not uncommon to see whole teams with access to a coworking space, turning it just into an extension of their main office. But like the rest of the working world, definitions and perceptions are changing and so too is the coworking space. As we move further into the virtual and digital world to complete our work, it looks like coworking spaces are doing the same too.
What is a virtual coworking space?
Virtual coworking spaces are a modern solution that seeks to blend even more the benefits of remote work and working together with other remote individuals. As more corporates take over the physical spaces, virtual coworking spaces look to bring about all the traditional benefits and perks of their physical versions in a way that is more suited to home workers.
Virtual coworking gives you the freedom to experience it from the comfort of your own home and at a time of your choice. By making use of online digital tools, a digital community can be created that we sadly seem to be losing in brick and mortar coworking spaces.
The benefits are far and wide of taking the coworking space online
The benefits of taking the coworking space online are similar to remote work in general: cheaper costs, a more global pool of people to interact with, and more flexibility when you work to name just a few. By replicating what has always made coworking spaces innovative, the virtual coworking space can make it even more into the digital world.
Now especially in the time of COVID-19, it’s become even more important for us to maintain distance as much as possible. But this doesn’t mean that we have to miss out on the coworking experience. With a lot of large tech companies now giving their employees the chance to work from home for the rest of the year or even longer, it’s a great way to stay in the loop and tap into the innovative feel of coworking.
As we mentioned before, distance becomes obsolete when interacting online in a virtual coworking space. You can now work, exchange ideas, and get feedback from talent all around the globe. Receiving comments and exchanging opinions from people from different cultural backgrounds is a great way to find out how you can improve your own work from perspectives that you may not have yourself. This also helps a lot in building up your global network with real contacts that you have engaged with already in a meaningful way.
With the virtual coworking space, you only get members there who want to engage and connect with others. It’s not being used as a replacement office, so you’re sure to only find people who actually want to use the service for its intended purpose. The point of the virtual coworking space is to replicate that innovative flair that unfortunately seems to be getting lost in the real world. By joining one, you’ll find yourself only with like-minded people.
The Remote-how Virtual Coworking Space
By noticing the need for a real online community that provides support and opportunities for interaction, we have created our own virtual coworking space for doers. It combines everything that is great about a traditional space, but we’ve even gone a few steps further to really make it tailored to remote workers.
With facilitated deep work sessions, guest lectures, wellbeing, and workout sessions, and even more, we’ve really pushed the boat out in what a virtual coworking space can offer.
We’re making sure to pre-vet all members too, so there are no empty profiles and no advertisers either. To secure your virtual desk in our brand new community, make sure to head to our community page and check out all the juicy details!
2020 has changed a lot, but it doesn’t have to be too different
The recent switch to remote work has been a challenge for a lot of us. For those who are used to working in a coworking space and are missing out on the great benefits provided, then there’s now an alternative for you to try. With events, networking, and great productivity-enhancing benefits, you can stay safe at home and still get the community spirit you’re looking for.
If you don’t want to join any of the existing virtual coworkings or communities, you can always think about how to adapt their activities to your company’s schedule!
