Coworking spaces and workplace culture: How they go hand in hand
Jul 3, 2023
4 mins read
Employee Experience
Workplace culture has long been aligned with an actual workplace, aka a physical office in which employees gather on a daily basis.
But as companies began using coworking spaces, either as a benefit offered to remote employees or as a company “hub,” researchers wanted to understand how a company fosters a workplace culture when the space isn’t really theirs to being with.
That’s what the Harvard Business Review, along with WeWork, studied back in 2019. And while their results are decidedly pre-pandemic, the findings indicate a strong connection between coworking spaces and workplace culture.
With that in mind, let’s take a deeper look into the different ways coworking spaces and workplace culture are strongly connected.
5 ways coworking spaces and workplace culture are deeply connected
- Diversity and collaboration: If a workplace culture of diversity and collaboration is important to you, your remote or hybrid employees will find that at a coworking space, as they bring together individuals from different backgrounds, industries, and organizations. This type of environment fosters collaboration and idea-sharing, whether it’s with their own colleagues, or with individuals from other companies who are working in the space.
- Community and networking: If networking and creating community are important to you, your remote or hybrid employees will be able to experience those opportunities at a coworking space. From events and workshops to professional development sessions, employees can feel as though they are a part of a community, and meet other like-minded professionals.
- Flexibility: If flexibility is important to you, then you probably already know that coworking spaces provide individuals with the opportunity to work outside of their home office. As the HBR study found, working in a coworking space gave employees the feeling of legitimacy and professionalism, which is often difficult to feel in a remote work-from-home setting. It also showed the employees that their employers cared about them and their needs.
- Shared values and purpose: If you want to promote your company’s values and purpose, coworking spaces are a smart way to accomplish this. According to the HBR study, individuals who worked in a coworking space actually had a better connection with their own company’s values and purpose. Not to mention that most often, the individuals who work in a coworking space often times have a similar approach to work and a shared sense of identity.
- Overall well-being and mental health: If your employees’ well-being and mental health are important to you, imagine the mental health benefit of being able to connect with other people. We know that humans need connection, and while remote work offers flexibility and more equity in the workplace for some individuals, it can be stressful and challenging from a mental health standpoint. Being able to connect with other people, both socially and professionally, can support positive mental health and the well-being of your employees, which is paramount to successful workplace culture.
Fostering a positive workplace culture can be challenging when your team is remote or distributed, but just offering your employees on-demand coworking space benefits is one step to showing they what your company values and cares about, not to mention what using the coworking space itself can promote. With Flexspace, companies are able to seamlessly book on-demand coworking spaces, as well as manage the bookings and budget, all in one insightful platform. This way, you can focus on what’s most important: your employees.
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