Would you want to co-work?

Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need Voltaire

Around a month ago we were looking for a technical developer for a project I am working on. A friend of mine asked me whether there were any co-working setups where I could possibly go and scout for talent. Frankly, before that discussion I did not really know what co-working was all about. The concept is pretty straightforward to understand, I had not however realized there was a global community behind these spaces. When I began researching available spaces in Singapore, I discovered there were actually a couple of places offering such spaces. I have since become really interested in the concept and am talking with some people and looking into opening such a space.

When I talk to individuals who do not know too much about co-working, I tend to get questioned primarily about the benefits of the concept of co-working.  I have hence decided to dedicate a series to this question. Before we get started, here is the definition of co-working from Wikipedia:

“Co-working is an emerging trend for a new pattern for working. Typically, work-at-home professionals, independent contractors or people who travel frequently, end up working in relative isolation. Co-working is the social gathering of a group of people, who are still working independently, but who share values and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with talented people in the same space.”

The main concern that has been brought up is that there is very little difference between the facilities provided by such a space and working from home. Hence the whole concept of paying to use a facility which is similar to your home office setup is something most people do not seem to understand. The main benefit of co-working as I see it, is the ability to interact with people who may share similar interests as you. This is the reason that has been the driving force behind the hundreds of co-working spaces which have been setup recently. People do find themselves being generally more productive and enjoy work a lot more when they are not working in isolation.

The question I have is, would you be interested in using a co-working space? If so, what are your reasons? Likewise, if you would not want to use such a space, why not?

I would really appreciate your comments and feedback.

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