Management pass notes... Co-working

What is it?

Co-working spaces are offices for freelancers and entrepreneurs, where you rent a desk and share amenities. You can think of it as the evolution of hot-desking, where companies cut costs by employees sharing a desk. The extra dimension to co-working spaces is a social aspect, where community and the exchange of ideas are encouraged.

Is it for engineers?

Could be. Although don’t ditch your desk quite yet if you are a fully paid-up employee. This is really something for the self-employed – consultants and those running start-up firms. Instead of hanging around at home or in coffee shops, you get a desk and the feeling that goes with working for a company.

So only the lonely need apply?

Exactly. Co-working advocates claim it’s more productive to work near people who are also working but not working with you, as opposed to working on your own. Or not working at all, supposedly. 

Isn’t it for hipsters?

Research shows that two-thirds of co-working space users are male, their average age is 34, and four-fifths are degree-educated. Undeniably it’s an urban app thing – co-working spaces sprang up first in places such as San Francisco and east London, and were populated by smartphone software developers, but they are spreading fast, in geographic and social terms.

How do I find a co-working space?

Websites such as coworker.com, rentadesk.co.uk and others will show your nearest co-working space. Some may even soon allow you to filter your search – if you want your future office to have a swimming pool or craft beer in the fridge, for example.