It's a trend with a pretty misleading name, that's for sure. Anyone who has even a passing command of English and hears that “coworking” is currently on the rise will want to get their head around it. Of course, ideally colleagues work together and, yes, the time of lone wolves in the office is over. But calm down: this is about a somewhat broader form of collegiality. What this means is that freelancers, creative people or small startups come together to use larger spaces together. It goes without saying that this can result in synergies and this effect is definitely intentional. However, the idea also owes its popularity to the limited living space situation in cities and the resulting high costs for a job that individuals can hardly afford.
More and more freelancers are discovering the advantages of coworking for themselves. You can find out exactly what these are and how to best use the coworking advantages here.
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
- Coworking advantage: The manageable costs are the biggest advantage
- Not just a thing for hip metropolises
- What are the possible benefits of coworking?
- Can you concentrate in a coworking space?
- How much flexibility does coworking offer?
Interdisciplinary collaboration
One could almost speak of a modern success story whose brilliant moment is that necessity becomes virtue. Because coworking benefits outweigh the benefits. A quick look at the real estate market reveals where the need is in this case: When it comes to rental prices, according to information from the real estate portal “immobilienscout24”, Munich is the front runner with currently an average rent of over 15 euros per square meter for apartments. In second place is Frankfurt (over 12 euros), third place is occupied by Stuttgart with only a small gap, followed by Heidelberg, Ingolstadt, Hamburg, Düsseldorf (over 11 euros) and Wiesbaden, Berlin and Offenbach am Main (over 10 euros). Things don't look much better in the surrounding areas of the cities: those who can no longer afford the city move out to the countryside, where, with a little time lag, living space becomes scarce and therefore expensive. Since the prices for commercial real estate follow those of private properties, albeit with a time lag, the calculation is simple: Business people in Munich, Frankfurt and Stuttgart and the surrounding area are also hit hardest by the costs of company premises.
The first to suffer from such a development are traditionally individual freelancers, small startups, mini-companies or creative professionals. In terms of earnings, they tend to be at the lower end of the line, and small office spaces in the moderate price segment have become rare like winning the proverbial lottery. The result is that they often house their workplace in their own apartment and this becomes the center of everyday life. Get up, go from the bedroom to the kitchen for a quick breakfast, take a quick shower and then go back to the bedroom, living room or even study to the desk. What initially sounds like freedom and self-determination actually requires a high degree of self-discipline. What of course has many advantages - the laundry can be done in a short break, as can the dishes - but also poses dangers: If you literally live in the office, you can see your work in front of you at all times and risk that your lifestyle becomes a kind of mix of work and private life. The quality of both is significantly reduced - in short: the quality of life can decrease.
OUT OF THE BUBBLE AND BACK INTO SOCIAL WORKING LIFE
There is also an important aspect: life in the bubble leads to isolation, both professionally and privately. As annoying as business meetings and on-site appointments can be, they are valuable, for example in laying the foundation for new orders, getting to know colleagues and customers or opening up new opportunities for collaboration. This social side of office life, which many employees may curse, especially during busy times, is now gone - but it can be very valuable. Private relationships also suffer from the fact that work is constantly present at home and the self-employed person practically never has time off. The idea is therefore that it was a freelance individual who, after a few years working from home, remembered the positive aspects of his time as an employee. And immediately came up with the idea of coworking. Maybe no one invented it at all, it just happened that way.
The fact is that the trend comes from the USA, where real estate prices in major cities are known to have been going through the roof for a little longer and more rabidly. The first to appear there were so-called coworking spaces, i.e. fairly large and open offices that freelancers, artists, programmers, filmmakers or newly founded companies rented and jointly paid for the necessary infrastructure. The next step was for commercial providers to offer coworking spaces on the market - often in spacious, prestigious office complexes where real estate dealers had difficulty finding strong individual tenants. They provided workstations, Internet access, the network, printer, copier, telephone, meeting rooms, projector for presentations and rented out the workstations individually. A great business idea, as it turned out: the offices filled up desk by desk - individuals who coexisted side by side became acquaintances and, ideally, even colleagues. Because where can you find a suitable web designer for the upcoming project quicker than at the coffee machine in the kitchen or sitting on it? Office chair in the room next door?
Keyword “coffee machine”: The quietly bubbling machines and the rooms in which they are located have an important meaning within coworking spaces: Here, the workplace tenants get to know each other in a relaxed manner and may even become “real” colleagues for the next project. By the way: It may be a sign of the times that business connections are now only concluded on a contract basis and that desk rentals are preferred on a daily, monthly or project-related basis to a fixed rental agreement. Coworking advantage: The non-binding nature of awarding contracts to freelancers instead of to in-house departments is now reflected in an entire professional group.
The manageable costs are the biggest advantage of coworking
Apart from the fact that professional lone wolves can come together at coffee machines and take on larger orders as a team, the big advantage for users of coworking spaces is the manageable costs. The hourly, daily, weekly or monthly rent depends on the location and condition of the premises. However, the cost of having your own desk outside of the home is usually far less than that of having your own office. Large companies also take advantage of this fact and outsource workers who they employ seasonally or based on orders to coworking spaces.
This is particularly true for a special type of coworking, namely FabLabs. This refers to coworking spaces that have special equipment, such as high-end equipment, in addition to standard office furnishings. They can be of interest to companies that want to explore a new product or try out a new business area without having to invest in expensive, cutting-edge technology such as lasers, 3D printers, plotters, mainframe computers or film studios. “FabLabs” therefore appeal to a specific clientele who can in turn benefit from the loose collaboration. New insights can be shared and the acquired knowledge can be increased by leaps and bounds. Another coworking advantage.
Not just a thing for hip metropolises
The large coworking providers are naturally located in metropolitan areas. Nevertheless, the idea of interdisciplinary collaboration also finds fertile ground in rural regions. Over time, a wide variety of offerings have developed depending on the needs of the individual areas: There are special workspaces for skilled trades including the necessary equipment for tailors, restorers or architects - or bright, quiet rooms in the backyards of old patrician houses in small towns for agencies, event organizers and journalists. Some providers focus on prestigious design offices, others on abandoned warehouses that they convert into creative quarters with ateliers and studios. Other providers have their sights set on the business of empty workstations: If a colleague is on vacation for a longer period of time, company owners can temporarily leave them orphaned Desk Earn money – as I said, there is hardly any place in Germany where there is no need for flexible workplaces.
A look at the numbers confirms this:
There are currently around 1.3 million freelancers in Germany, plus over 300,000 new startups every year and around two million expanding small businesses. This means that there are always several hundred thousand people who need a desk in the Federal Republic. No wonder that a lot is happening on the market: “shareDnC” has established itself as the largest job broker in this country. The costs for one of these are between 100 and 400 euros per month, depending on the region. An overview map shows lots of locations in and around Hamburg, Berlin, Magdeburg, Hanover, Frankfurt am Main, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Bonn, Wuppertal, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Karlsruhe, Munich or Nuremberg - and the trend is rising.
What are the possible benefits of coworking?
The most obvious advantage of coworking is of course its cost-effectiveness. Because if you don't have to rent your own office, but just an office chair, you'll get a lot cheaper. And the money saved can flow into the company elsewhere.
The Infrastructure of the office can be used by all coworkers. The coworking advantages also include that you do not need your own internet access, printer, scanner or meeting room for appointments with your customers.
Networks: Making contacts to collaborate with people from other industries is very easy. Coworking offers a flexible and fruitful working environment.
But despite all the advantages, there are a few things you need to pay attention to if you are interested in coworking.
Can you concentrate in a coworking space?
When many different people work in a non-committal environment, problems can also arise. This can be the case, for example, if there is no more space left in the office when you need it. Maybe the infrastructure is in use or out of service when it is needed for your own project.
This in turn does not promote concentration. However, many coworking offices have so-called silent rooms, where there is the necessary peace and quiet for working.
In the other rooms, a conversation with colleagues can inspire and help clear your head. Most coworking spaces have a pleasant, homey atmosphere with natural light, pictures, plants and maybe even pets. An office home in which everyone feels comfortable ensures relaxed work and increases concentration. The limited time spent at work also creates a certain routine. Unpacking, working and putting away the work materials helps with concentrated work. Since there is no compulsory attendance, self-discipline is necessary. However, the opening times structure working hours and events can provide motivation. This also helps you concentrate on the jumps.
How much flexibility does coworking offer?
Anyone who has to rent office space is usually committed to a long-term lease. Things are different with coworking. Here the places can be rented spontaneously and for a manageable period of time. This means that if an office space is needed, you only need to pay for the time you actually use the space. And you can also cancel your office space spontaneously.