Coworking spaces, essentially shared spaces, comes from the word – coworker – meaning colleague working in the same environment.

Initially this concept was an alternative to working at different locations merely due to reasons such as travel, the need for flexibility or difficulty, and time spent commuting from one place to other. With rapid digitization and the rise in start-ups and freelancers, Coworking is becoming popular day by day as these are physical spaces for such independent and mobile workers.

When the COVID19 pandemic struck each and every part of the world, all were confined to their houses, within the four walls. But we all are now eventually coming to terms with it. Initially, it was a learning and experimenting period for each one – to adjust to the “new normal.” Staying home, work from home, online schools, online meets – that went from those with office people to family meets, friends, catching up online, playing games together online to even attending all functions online and many more…..This all soon became a part and parcel of life with social distancing norms to be followed and still ensuring that we pull on through this pandemic.

We often see people work remotely – thanks to the digital world, work is thus becoming something without any boundaries. But in this, workers now seem to experience a lack of routine, no proper workspace set- up, dearth of peer association, and these being few of the major factors which are of paramount importance influencing the efficiency, this is where Coworking precisely comes to the rescue.

Coworking – meaning using common infrastructure, the utilities, services, internet, all with the benefit of flexibility- freedom to work in a way that’s best suited to oneself along with the professional set up. The work from home concept has isolated the worker and human interaction is minimal. So, allowing employees to enjoy flexibility but in a professional setting is what Coworking spaces do. The spaces provided are of a wide range from individual desks, to cabins to group spaces, and all of this for a short term or even for longer durations. They provide the state of art facilities with mostly 24 x 7 access, and of course no maintenance thus proving to be cost-effective business models. Most Coworking spaces accommodate people from varied backgrounds thus offering opportunities for social interaction, networking, and increasing work efficacy. The work from home concept was appreciated initially by many – individuals as well as companies and with work efficiency being something that the companies want to foster, it is equally necessary to concentrate on another aspect — the mental and physical health of the employees. Over the years, there have been a number of studies showcasing the relationship between social support and the quality of physical and psychological health. Social relationships are adaptive and crucial for survival. Research has shown that having a strong network of support or strong community bonds nurtures both emotional and physical health and is vital for all.

In this current situation, when we want to be careful and conscious about our health, Coworking has thus metamorphosed the way we work.

We see Coworking gaining importance because it helps both- the companies as well the employees get better control and manage well as it furnishes an ideal platform and fresh perspective creating an intense working environment and the desired balance in work and personal life with facilities that support individual lifestyle. More and more companies now prefer remote working options, to reduce the business cost – which is the workplace – and turn it into more flexible options which will not only offer cost savings but also lesser maintenance but at the same time provide a traditional working environment. These spaces are fine alternatives for companies so as to be able to augment operations if the need be.

Workforce is not restricted to physical locations anymore and blended workforce is in vogue. Consequently, we now see many companies considering Coworking spaces as an integral part of their plans. Coworking spaces now constitute and are intrinsic, thus we can rightly say – the need of the hour.