When coworking spaces are also popular with employees

Coworking isn’t just for freelancers or self-employed entrepreneurs. More and more employees are choosing to work in these dedicated spaces, as an alternative to telecommuting from home, which isn’t for everyone.

At first glance, coworking spaces seem to correspond to the values and way of working of young entrepreneurs or freelancers, but many employees are also taking up these spaces.

The first coworking space opened in Germany in 1995, but it was in the USA in the early 2000s that the trend really took off. Coworking is a new way of organizing work, offering an environment entirely dedicated to professional activity, with services and even access to leisure facilities (gym, restaurants, events).

Working alone, but surrounded

Since Covid-19, telecommuting has become an established part of the working world. And yet, while it has many positive aspects, the darker side of the practice is not to be overlooked: a feeling of isolation, difficulty concentrating, the need for a space in the home or the impossibility of “disconnecting” from work once the day is over.

The advantage of a coworking space is that it remains a territory dedicated to work. The facilities provided (photocopier, meeting rooms, telephone, etc.) offer employees a working comfort they didn’t necessarily have at home. What’s more, they benefit from another essential aspect of coworking: the atmosphere and the notion of community that make it a place of exchange and interconnection. Églantine Hue, senior product manager at BlaBlaCar and resident of Le Connecteur in Biarritz since February 2022, confirms this :

“I started my telecommuting assignment in the Basque Country, as BlaBlaCar’s offices were in Paris. I quickly came to appreciate working at Le Connecteur. Here, even though I’m the only BlaBlaCar employee and work in isolation, I’m surrounded by other workers, and it’s very rewarding to talk to them on a daily basis.”

In this way, employees can choose to work where they want to live, at a distance from their company but still in a collaborative working environment, surrounded by people, even if they are not their colleagues.

Good for business

And companies have made no mistake. By offering their employees the coworking solution, they ensure the mental health of their teams by giving them the freedom to work wherever they like, in an optimized working environment. BlaBlaCar is one of those companies that encourages remote working, offering its employees numerous advantages and real support to help them find the place and formula that suit them best.

I didn’t feel like working in my apartment in Biarritz, with no space for my desk,” continues Églantine Hue. I needed a space dedicated to my professional activity, and to see people! Le Connecteur is a magical place, and if I need a break I just wander around the atrium, the very calming aspect of the place helps me to take a step back.”

Coworking spaces not only boost your creativity, but also improve your network, enabling you to do business with a company you wouldn’t necessarily have met elsewhere, and make your business more visible…

More pragmatically, paying for coworking spaces is a more cost-effective solution for employers than paying monthly rent for dedicated premises, especially in these times of skyrocketing real estate prices.

Maintain corporate culture at a distance

Employees working away from their company’s premises need to be monitored and given special attention by their managers, so that their sense of belonging does not suffer as a result of the distance. Regular telephone appointments, return trips to head office and informal conversations about the employee’s feelings can help maintain cohesion between teams, even at a distance.

Églantine Hue admits: “Not working within the walls of your own company necessarily isolates you, and you don’t have the same level of interpersonal contact as if you were on site. Not everything can be said over video, and discussions around the coffee machine, which are often very instructive, are not possible at a distance.”

Visiting BlaBlaCar every month, the young woman takes the opportunity to talk to everyone, and catch up on what she’s missed.

But like many employees who have tried coworking, she wouldn’t change her business model for the world. Both employees and employers benefit, at a time when well-being in the workplace is becoming just as important as productivity.