What to Look for in a Co-working Space
Choosing the Right Co-Working Space for Your Business
Finding the right co-working space is key, as not all managed co-working spaces offer the same type of working environment.
Your co-working space will ultimately affect how your team feel, their productivity and their ability to deliver. Great co-working spaces should offer:
- Opportunities to connect, inspire, motivate and collaborate, fostering productivity and growth
- A professional, well-maintained and motivating environment
- The option to be part of a supportive business community
Facilities & Infrastructure
The facilities you have access to, can shape the experience you have with a co-working provider. At a minimum, a great co-working space should have high-speed Wi-Fi, ensuring interruption-free and reliable working.
While additional breakout spaces are not available in every managed office, they can enhance flexibility and comfort throughout the day.
At WorkWell, we offer more than just a co-working desk. We provide soundproofed booths and Zoom pods for solo sessions, private calls or conferences.
Community & Culture
Culture
For many businesses, the appeal of co-working lies in the opportunity to naturally connect and collaborate with others. Culture plays a central role in forging that experience.
When deciding what the most suitable type of workplace is for you, identify the qualities of a workplace that would best suit your business. You can better understand a company’s culture by observing things like behaviour during your tour. i.e. Are people welcoming? Do people demonstrate they have a community-driven culture?
It can be useful to establish who you may be working alongside. The types of business within a managed office space often reveal a great deal about the type of culture there.
Community
Experience is as much about the culture of your work environment as it is about increasing the chances of connecting with individuals beyond your business. For freelancers and self-employed people, this is a major factor in selecting co-working.
When trying to identify if a co-working provider created collaborative or networking opportunities, look at their social channels and website to identify any community-based events. Businesses that clearly signpost event calendars or member programming are ideal, as they explicitly demonstrate their ability to connect members.
Avoid gravitating to businesses that use buzzwords without backing up claims with evidence. It’s easy for businesses to say, without really doing. Finding evidence of these types of events is a more effective way to ensure the community you’re joining is aligned with what you want.
Flexibility & Pricing
Flexibility is one of the major benefits we often consider with co-working solutions, but that isn’t always the case. So, it’s important that when you’re signing a contract, you know exactly what’s in it.
Look at the contract’s length and terms; some contracts may be fixed dates, whilst others may be shorter-term contracts designed to adjust at a moment’s notice to accommodate evolving business needs. Identifying things in the contract, such as:
- Price increase
- Deposit requirements
- Renewal terms
- Exit clauses
True flexibility means having the option to scale up, scale down or leave without heavy penalties.
If you expect your business to grow, assessing the provider’s ability to adapt with you is essential. A strong co-working provider will aim to make any transition smooth, allowing your business to remain within the community while adjusting your physical workspace.
Questions you can ask
One of the best ways to prepare for setting up in a co-working environment is prepare questions for different providers to gauge how suitable the space and company are.
1. What is covered in a basic co-working contract?
2. What kind of businesses already utilise the co-working space?
3. What are the business hours the space operates under?
4. Are there parking or transport links that make it efficient to travel there?
5. Do co-working members receive any business support? I.e. a business address, mail handling, etc.