Shared office space is a defined location where one or more businesses can engage in work. This concept allows multiple businesses to occupy or rent an office space and share the communal areas such as meeting rooms, kitchen, and bathroom while working from dedicated areas, private offices, and office suites.
With the rise of millennials in the corporate world, companies that offer shared office spaces have been more aggressive. Organizations are now interested in collaborative working spaces, recognizing that the workplace environment greatly affects the productivity and creativity of an employee. The ambiance of the room boosts a positive effect and mood to them.
During my stay in New York, I observed and saw this latest trend in the office leasing business. Instead of the traditional business of normal buy/sell/lease of properties, there’s a more flexible and cost-efficient way of acquiring a space. Evolving from private rooms and cubicles, shared workplace allows greater flexibility and productivity of employees at work.
One case in point is WeWork, a New York-based company that aims to create a world where people work to make a life, not just a living. It offers move-in ready offices to companies of all sizes. It allows reimagining workspaces — through refreshing designs, amenities, and more. No matter what your business needs, it has the right workspace for you. Founded in 2010, it is now one of the most valuable startups. It supports businesses and entrepreneurs and creates spaces where people can work, come together, collaborate on projects, and potentially change the world.
Commissioning themselves to create more engaging and inspiring workplaces that provide the right solution for your culture, goals, and timeline, it takes pride as it provides space, community, and services you need to make a life, not just a living. WeWork spaces are visually and thoughtfully designed where members can spend their maximum time of the day at work productively and interactively. It offers beautiful, collaborative, physical spaces for teams of any size. Their spaces are built with custom-made murals to bring soul and cultural vibe to the various workspaces.
WeWork also has a digital app, where you can connect and work virtually with other members around the world. Members don’t just buy the space and enjoy its amenities, but also get access to a community with similar goals and interests. Aside from providing a table for work, its locations have a community manager — a person in charge of setting up the culture of the location, organizing events, happy hours, and networking lunches. Members have access to health care, payment processing, IT support, payroll, legal and among others. It provides education and training to all of its members and the use of the premium shared spaces and amenities. Members can enjoy fast internet access, scanning and printing services, use of private phone booths, unique common areas, office supplies, plus a cup of micro-roasted coffee. Members can also seamlessly move from one location to another. Some of the dedicated spaces and private offices are accessible 24/7.
The business takes advantage of the network effect, where the more members use their spaces, the more they grow. Like most new startups, it’s value proposition for members is the sharing economy where instead of a business purchasing space for a longer period of time on their own, they can use it as a platform to rent spaces only when they need it and get that flexibility.
This concept of shared office space revolutionizes and redefines the work place — and they are now available in Metro Manila.