For newcomers to the scene, you might hear coworking and imagine rows of soulless desks, daily battles for meeting rooms and a sad kettle in the shared kitchen. Thankfully those outdated cliches are a distant memory. The reality is that coworking is often a far more vibrant alternative to traditional offices.

Not only are shared offices made to accommodate multiple businesses, they’re actively designed to encourage flow. With a range of workspaces, seating styles, nooks and rooms, fully equipped kitchens, social events and inspired environmental design, the world of coworking is positively utopian.

But beyond the aesthetics and practicalities, what coworking truly offers is flexibility. From the working hours to the functional space, the access and the mindset. Flexibility is the greatest opportunity to be gleaned from coworking, and if harnessed correctly, it can transform your workforce and your output.

Coworking success

A simple and effective way to start your coworking journey is to build a picture of what coworking success looks like for you and your company. This will keep your practical decisions rooted in your overall vision and give you a metric to measure your success by. 

Are you looking to revamp your company culture? Change from a full-time office to a hybrid model? Increasing staff retention? Or making your projects more collaborative? Whatever your goal, matching these with practicalities can help you achieve each objective fully.

• Looking for a hybrid model, choose the most convenient location for most of your employees. You can also explore the option of multi-office coworking spaces. These allow your company to work wherever suits them and provide more occasions to connect in person.
  

• Creating more collaboration, choose a shared office with plenty of breakout spaces and rooms.
  
• Increasing morale and retention, choose an area with plenty of social opportunities and great places to connect outside the office.
  
  

What to avoid in coworking spaces

As you explore the world of coworking, there are a few things to look out for that can slow the process and lead you down a rabbit hole.

• Choosing style over substance: This is an easy mistake on your first look around coworking spaces. It’s important when choosing your office to consider not only its aesthetic but what it can provide. Is it in the right location? Does it have a range of practical spaces for your size of company? And is it the right fit for your business style?
  

• Not asking for feedback: A change of office space is a move for the whole company, and, with that in mind, the entire company should feel involved in the process. Though the buck stops with you, getting feedback and suggestions from your wider company can provide a bounty of useful information and give you a guide for where your workforce is at.
  

• Not knowing your needs: As defined in the above section, knowing what success looks like to you is imperative to your search, and ultimately this will lead you to your perfect office. So, when it comes down to the pros and cons list of each office, ask yourself which office ticks the most boxes for you?
  

Now that you’re equipped with a wealth of information on how to find your new coworking space, why not check out the Clockwise offering?When it comes to coworking, we’re experts From our nationwide locations to our flexible plans and incredible decor, coworking with Clockwise could be a perfect fit for your business.

Contact us today to find out more.