If you work for yourself, you might not be able to rent off some professional office space just yet and might have to make do with working from home. For some people, this is absolutely fine, and working in a home office is suited to them. Unfortunately, though, this isn’t the best set-up for some people, as they find that the isolation of being home alone all day every day can be very overwhelming. Does that sound like you? If so, you might want to look for a co-working space. Co-working spaces are communal offices where individuals can rent out a desk for the short or long-term. They give freelancers and home-based workers the chance to benefit from an office environment.
Ready to look for a co-working space? Here are some things you should look out for when you view one.
Community
One of the main things that most workers love about their co-working space is the sense of community it gives them. For instance, many plan evening events to try and help all of their members to meet eat other and mingle. So, when you are viewing a potential coworking space, you need to consider the community feel it has. Do you think you would feel at home here and be supported well enough?
Noise
When you are looking around a space, try and be aware of all the noise. Do you think it is still quiet enough to work in? Sure, you should expect to hear a bit of chatter around the space. After all, one of the main reasons choose to rent out desks in these kinds of places is so they can chat and collaborate with their coworkers. However, if it seems too noisy, you might want to look somewhere else.
Safety
Try and keep an eye out for any noticeable hazards and safety issues in the co-working space. Even though the co-working space team will be held responsible for any accidents that happen as a result of these safety issues, you still don’t want to rent a desk in a hazardous space. So, if you are uncertain that a co-working space will bring you complete safety, it’s best to look at another one.
Private Areas
Even though you want to benefit from the whole community of an open office space, you will also no doubt need some private space for some of your work. That is especially the case if you want to bring clients onsite for meetings. Thankfully, most co-working spaces will offer private meeting rooms to their members. Some will even feature small discrete telephone booths as well so you can hold all of your calls in private too.
A Kitchen
Can’t get any work done before your first coffee of the day? No problem; the majority of co-working spaces feature fully equipped kitchens. You might need to take your turn looking after the cleaning, though, but that’s certainly a small price to pay for all that fresh coffee!
Make sure your new co-working space has all of the above!
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