Trends are an interesting phenomenon. They emerge out of a cultural necessity or hype, but soon after a new wave of “the next big thing” overshadows their current popularity and pushes them on the shelve with the memorabilia. Would that be the case with the overwhelming buzz about coworking? Let’s look at the numbers.
Working in a shared office environment started more as an experiment, before even having the hip name “coworking”. The first coworking space in Europe opened door as early as 2002 in London. eOffice Founder – Pier Paolo Mucelli was prompted by his own need for an inspiring and flexible office atmosphere, shared by like-minded entrepreneurs, like himself, who would share ideas and contacts in informal interactions. His vision was way ahead of its time, with many people still uncertain about sharing an office space with different professionals.
The boom of the mobile technology and the possibility to be connected anywhere anytime, paved the way to the flexible work concept starting to be adopted all around the world, not just by independent freelancers, but also by big corporations. This created the need for flexible workspaces, giving coworking spaces the necessary attention. So maybe this time coworking a trend to stay?
If we look at the numbers, by 2020 40% of the American Workforce will be freelancers, temporary workers, contractors and entrepreneurs working on their own projects. Coworking spaces will become the main work grounds for this 150 million people that will flood the shared economy, by offering on-demand services.
A study looking at the satisfaction level of people working from coworking places shows that 71% felt more creative which results in 62% stating that they have improved the standard of their work. Despite being a shared office environment, 68% felt more focused and 90% of the surveyed people admitted that they felt more confident when coworking. In addition 70% felt healthier – an important factor in the increasing wellbeing standard of office spaces.