So, what exactly is a coworking space?
In recent years, independent professionals, start-ups, freelancers, and even on-the-go clerical workers have found comfort and refuge in the fun, friendly, and inspiring coworking spaces that have been popping-up in nearly every major city across the globe.
Through inspirational architecture & décor, through a thoughtful and warm desk layout, flexible hours, and with integral social and leisurely amenities, the emerging rise of coworking spaces have at their core a set of values that foster both sustainable community-building, and creative collaboration.
These spaces are specifically designed so professionals can mingle and bounce ideas from each other, they are places where people can build fruitful and enduring business relationships that result in friendly cooperation and better work.
Thus forth, the modern coworking space is not a traditional office per sé, it is an organic community of innovators working together, collaboratively, and creatively on their independent business projects.
The Layout
As a common denominator, coworking spaces are usually designed with open-plan desk layouts that encourage group collaboration; nonetheless, they’re also sometimes equipped with private meeting rooms and personal private offices. The rationale for the latter two are not totally contrary to the collaborative philosophy behind coworking: in some particular cases, private work spaces within the coworking setting can in fact help strengthen the social dynamic of the community and improve the general overall productivity of its members.
How so? Let us explain further.
But before we do, let us be clear about one thing here: a private office in a coworking setting does not aim to isolate the individual from the community, as mentioned, coworking spaces are outfitted with fun amenities such as communal kitchens, ping-pong tables, and comfy ergonomic couches. Thus, for those who opt to choose a private office, they can also take advantage of the communal areas and mingle with the others while away from the desk.
For these reasons and many more, a person who chooses a private office in a coworking space is never excluded from the rest of the community.
So here are some compelling arguments on why coworking communities can benefit from private work areas:
1. We All Need a Little Privacy Here and There
We are all familiar with those tense moments when one feels that they could really do with some precious seconds away from a crowd. Not just for soul-searching and all, but merely to ponder over business ideas and/or crunch numbers, and to read in between the lines.
It is for this exact reason that in the traditional corporate environment, CEO’s, VP’s and other high-ranks are often granted the luxury of working in their own private corner offices. In private, business leaders can make the best use of their limited time, they can steer the company in the right direction by reflecting and engaging in heated debates with themselves without worrying about the outside world.
In the traditional corporate structure, a private office is a luxury offered only to those standing in the upper echelons of the ladder, but in a communal coworking space, a beautiful and inspiring private office is something that is accessible to all who occasionally need some privacy.
For reasons beyond counting, sometimes privacy is a necessity, whether it be for the sake of discussing a private and/or personal matter with an external client, or for the sake and love of silence, or whether it be because you just had a bad hair day! Whatever the personal reason might be, for some, a private space can at times equate to better work.
2. Distractions, Distractions
We are human. And the ‘problem’ of being human is that we’re also inherently social beings, and this can be distracting.
Now don’t get us wrong, coworking is all about being social, but as social beings sometimes we will want to poke and distract our neighboring coworker unnecessarily. And to a certain extent, this is harmless, but since we are sometimes inclined to overdo things, most often than not and in some particular cases, it can quickly spill over and become to some degree, a not so productive practice.
Now, by occasionally escaping to a private work space, some people can better draw their mental energy and channel it into completing a meaningful task.
3. Creating a Culture of Comfort
Having the ability to enjoy a private space in a collaborative environment can be highly motivational and comfortable to some, thus leading to increased productivity and a more dynamic coworking environment.
It’s a question of personality. In order to produce good work, some people find optimal comfort in working amidst the company of others –and on the other side of the spectrum– some work more comfortably by distancing themselves from the crowd, and in the middle, some folks feel most comfortable by jumping back and forth between the private and public work space.
Coworking spaces are designed to be as comfortable as possible not only in terms of design and ergonomics, but they also aim to offer optimal comfort in their social design by being responsive towards the individual work needs of everyone in their community.
This is a rather distant contrast to the classical corporate model, where the individual needs of the non-executive class are at times too often neglected, thus leading to diminished productivity and reduced employee satisfaction.
Here at City Desk, we have developed and refined the art of harmonizing the communal sphere with the private office space. Our layout of both private and communal work spaces complement each other and address the needs of all personality types in our community.
And by all means, as we mentioned before, our private desk spaces are not designed to isolate a person from the rest of our community, they are there for those who work best with a little piece of quiet.
Our doors are open to all who want to become part of our vibrant and growing coworking community, located in the beautiful Miami River waterfront, we also benefit from the greater amenities that Downtown Miami offers.
At City Desk we come together to produce meaningful work by sharing our experiences, ideas, and creativity.
