Coworking is being touted as a brand new Social and Workplace movement, which is sweeping worldwide across the Real Estate and Services Industries. The benefits of Coworking to Small Business as well as larger organisations is clearly emerging and these workspaces have become easier to access with the advent of cloud technology as well as faster and more secure internet services.

Some of the reasons behind this growth include:

• Growth in part time employment.
• Growth in the consultant industry.
• A connected community able to engage with each other in the space.
• Interesting accessible, relevant events.
• Comfortable edgy fit outs, which allow people more access to common and casual spaces.
• Interesting, functional and accessible meeting rooms, function rooms and training rooms.
• Access to reasonably priced, well located, well designed workspaces.
• Access to an immediate and open business network.
• Large Businesses are also trying to connect and take advantage of small business entrepreneurial skill and growth and connect with their market.

The gap between Coworking organisations and Business centres/ Serviced offices/ Executive Suites also seems to be starting to narrow as:

1. Coworking organisations are taking up more space and are trying to attract and accommodate the corporate market.
2. Some players in the Coworking market are becoming more corporate, and offering a wider range of professional services.
3. Business Centres are reacting to the Coworking desire for connectivity and transparency.

The days of the isolating organisations behind closed doors without inter-business and inter-personal interaction is coming to an end and franky I am very happy about it. The old traditional business centres with a small kitchen and no real place to connect is ending.

We are social and our ability to connect collaborate, enjoy our surroundings as well as the interactions with our co-workers is critical to create a balanced and efficient work experience. In my experience interactions social and business, whether they are in the same organisation or not, improves our overall work experience. Isn’t that how we have been trained and developed from our earliest primary school days?

Communal classrooms at Primary, Secondary and University level is the way we have all been schooled and interacted for most of our young lives. I don’t see this Coworking movement as a new social concept but more a normalisation of our 2017 workplace.

Yes, there are some organisation who will always require private team rooms. However, this is contemplated in the Coworking / Revitalised Business centre model. However, as one steps out of the secure private space there is definitely a need for collaboration socially and from a business point of view.

I come from the Business Centre world and I have attempted to transform our workspaces at CSBC & ClearEdge Offices to take heed of the Coworking phenomenon, whilst providing the range quality services we have become known for in Melbourne. Business Centres/ Serviced Offices are practical places where real business grows, develops and with the advent of Coworking I believe the Business centre model is being revitalised and the industry is growing as a result. I expect some business centres will be left behind and the Business Centres with foresight will embrace the changes and grow and develop accordingly.

Author: Michael Benson

If you want to hear more from Michael Benson – join us at GCUC AU as he will be speaking.