There are a lot of different trends emerging in the business world these days, and as a savvy business owner, you should be taking the time to learn everything you can about the successful ones. One of the most interesting trends emerging is the concept of shared workspaces. Things like hot desking and coworking spaces may sound like odd concepts, but they are proving to be the wave of the future.
While there are many advantages of hot desking and coworking spaces, it’s wise to choose the right option for your business in order to be as productive as you can. You might be wondering what the differences between hot desking and coworking spaces are. Depending on the size and structure of your business you are going to require different things from a workspace, so it is best to do your research.
Keep reading to learn more about what you need to consider when choosing between the two concepts.
What? Who? Why?
You really have to start from the roots of your business when deciding on hot-desking versus coworking spaces. The size of your business and the number of employees you have will be major factors in your decision. Hot desking is basically having a first come first serve system for desk space, or at least some form of a reservation system. This works great for a type of business where employees aren’t always stuck in the office and run on different schedules.
Using the hot desk system allows you to give freedom to your employees to come and go at their own convenience, as long as they are getting their work done. This is going to promote self-sufficiency and create trust between you and your employees. It will also very easily weed out any bad apples in the bunch.
Isn’t That What Coworking Is?
If you think that we just described coworking, you wouldn’t be the only person. The concept of coworking spaces extends beyond just one business. Coworking spaces are rented out by different companies, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and are used more as a common area to work, socialise, and network. If you have a very small staff and don’t want the expense of running an entire office, this option will drastically cut costs while providing a productive and comfortable workspace.
The Social Connection
As you may see, both of these models are similar in concept but completely different in execution. The main drive behind this is to open up the flow of communication between employees who may have never had a chance to interact before. Your workers will consistently be rotating who they are working beside, and will therefore, build stronger relationships with more coworkers.
With coworking spaces, the little guys have a chance to work alongside some of the bigger players. You can develop amazing connections in a coworking space, and are more likely to do so than with a hot desk setup, as there will be people from different companies and backgrounds. Coworking is a better situation for smaller to mid-sized companies but is still utilised by some larger businesses too.
The Choice Is Ultimately Yours
Now that you know the difference between the two different concepts you can stop and think about what your business really needs. While they are both based on the principle of socialisation and communication, they are very different after that. If you are a small startup with three other people working under you, it would make no sense to even look at a hot desk situation and renting a coworking space would be a better choice. On the other hand, if you run an office with over a hundred employees, switching up the seating arrangement could really help to motivate everyone.
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