Benefits of coworking, discussion

Foreword

In this article, I want to share my vision of the advantages and disadvantages of co-working centers that are still gaining popularity in Russia. Some of them have become particularly successful and have recouped costs in less than six months, others have closed without starting to bring decent profit, some simply exist, their payback period is more than one and a half years, and the fourth are only going to open.

The idea in the world is not new, although it is less than 10 years old. But it exists in various guises, and many residents of the IT-sphere have not yet used the opportunities that co-working represents.

The purpose of the article is to collect the best qualities of co-working centers in one place, point out their shortcomings and offer material to the work of the fourth group (by what they open), in particular the new co-working center near the Ostankino tower, which is scheduled to open in early 2014 (I I am waiting for him myself, because I live nearby).
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For those who do not know

The topic of coworking is a topic of collaboration, it implies not only working in one team, but at least working in the same room, in the same atmosphere. And this atmosphere should be working, it is this that co-working is most valuable, people come here who want to work somewhere, but not at home (for various reasons), and they don’t want to rent their own office.

Different variations of the same?

There are a lot of clever words, such as: coworking , anti-cafe, time-cafe, time-club , etc., these are all public “institutions” of social orientation (as Wikipedia says), there are even real cafes, and all this is adapted for use by your need. And if McDonalds is struggling with entrepreneurs, removing sockets, then the “institutions” listed in the list are specifically designed to work / communicate with all kinds of people.

There are both similarities and differences between them. In a nutshell, you can describe something like this. Coworking is often positioned specifically for work, and cookies, coffee, etc., refer to bonuses, this is not the main thing. Antikafe (it’s a time-cafe or time-club) is intended for communication, and in communication drinks and snacks are of greater importance (although this is not the main thing in the idea).

And although in both places you can both work and communicate, the emphasis is different, and the comfort in the desired type of activity is also different. The topic of the article is closer to coworking, so we will focus further on it.

Why not office

Very briefly it is worth mentioning the ancient alternative that still works today - renting an office. This option has advantages, and no co-working center of a full-fledged office can replace it, but is own office important for a freelancer, designer, start-up entrepreneur and any member of a small team (2-3) people?

If you are working for yourself or with a friend / partner, then rent an office is:

• high rent every month;
• investments in repairs, furniture and equipment;
• office maintenance efforts (hygiene, communications, etc.).

If you are not ready to rent an office, but you have to work somewhere, then a co-working center is quite a good option. It will be your office without any extra obligations.

My perfect workplace

Of course, the first question that one should ask is when one is interested in a topic (for example, reading this article) - “why is it for me?”. If a positive answer is found, then you can proceed to "what exactly do I want?".

What I would like to see in the coworking center:
1. low prices (I will find where to spend the money);
2. comfortable workplace (normal desk, chair, lighting, printer, Internet, a sufficient amount of personal space);
3. a quiet workplace (most often I want to focus on what I'm doing);
4. fixed workplace (every time to run and look for free to anything);
5. affordable negotiation (a personal conversation or a meeting with the team happens every day, no extra ears or noise are needed);
6. a place to rest or walk (periodically need to be distracted from hard work);
7. kettle (or cooler / coffee machine / microwave);
8. bathroom (preferably clean);
9. storage box (stationery and other accessories will not carry with you);
10. convenient location (accessibility by different types of transport is more important than two minutes on foot after feeling like a herring).

The above are my minimum requirements. Often, in openspace versions, all items are not executed at the same time, but you can get 9 out of 10 by closing your eyes to one (high price or noisy environment). In addition, there are other services, for example (further I will tell why the continuous numbering):
11. training seminars;
12. additional IP phone;
13. shower;
14. dining / cafe;
15. personal page on the site;
16. entertainment programs;
17. 24-hour access to the premises;
18. punching bag (just kidding, but it would be great).

All these additions add to the interesting place. And, of course, do not forget about the atmosphere, this is an additional function (in my opinion), which makes the place more attractive. It is in this atmosphere that you can meet interesting people with whom you can continue to work together on a partnership basis.

Now about the continuous numbering: below in the comments there is an opportunity, having allocated your personal time, to add your opinion structured by points and further discuss it. The format suggested is as follows:
[<№ > < 0 10> (<>)] .
Any opinions would be interesting to discuss.

How to choose your center

In order to choose your ideal workplace, you must clearly understand what you want to do there. There are many options, the main ones: work, communication, get-together (we have already reviewed the first two). If all three components are important to you, then the question of price (item 1) fades into the background, there are such centers, they are located on the first page by the word “coworking”.

But if for the most part work is important to you, the question of price actually influences the choice of office or place in the co-working center, then the choice is not very large (at least for the capital). The monthly cost of a place in the main coworking centers is more than the cost of a small office for two jobs (if you look good), and at other expenses it is approximately equalized on a half-year scale. In this case there is no definite recipe, the final choice will depend on the specifics of the work and personal preferences.

The disadvantages of co-working centers

Among the many advantages, there were also disadvantages, which in one way or another make you pay attention to yourself:
1. background noise;
2. low security;
3. A bunch of distracting events.

These shortcomings are often determined by the openspace format, when too many strangers are gathered in one room. Unfortunately (to my personal), co-working in the format of good old offices where sound insulation is carried out by real walls is not common now. The tribute to fashion and the desire to keep up with the times sometimes save us from using the positive experience of our ancestors.

Modernity and convenience of office

The word "modern" in relation to the office in recent times can be increasingly associated with the word "fashionable", but not "cozy / comfortable." Why, I will try to explain with a small example.

Not so long ago I was in the new German offices in the Nagatinskaya floodplain. There are excellent modern office premises (these are the newest, and not re-equipped old buildings), but the first impression was dispelled as soon as I imagined how I spend my working day there. After that, all the desire to work in such a "modern" office completely disappeared. What was wrong?

Imagine an aquarium, not the one in which the fish swim, but the one in which the staff are sitting. The topic is old, trashed, and surely many people passing by such had an unpleasant feeling when employees with the look of “what you are looking at” turn around at you. It does not bring comfort to the employees themselves, who are all the time "under the supervision of" people passing by. Fashion is changing, and in new buildings there are practically no aquariums, but there are large rooms in which 20 people are crammed, and as partitions (if they exist), wardrobes are used or something even better transmits sound. Inside, nothing has changed, but the environment has changed. A kitchen appeared on several of these premises. This in itself is good, you can go out, pour yourself a cup of coffee, sit at the table and have a snack. But the execution of everything in the best modern traditions leads to the fact that even while having a snack, everyone passing by every now and then looks at you. And not just like that. The eye catches the kitchen located in the aquarium, the most uncomfortable place for food that you can imagine, especially considering the equipment of such rooms with surveillance cameras.

Returning from a snack, we again find ourselves in a “hostel” in which you know 5-6 people out of 20, but all 20 hear your conversations, see everything you do, and create a common background noise (and you are their accomplice). This can not cause inconvenience only if you are on the monitor with headphones and you do not climb out of it all day. But if you want your inviolable space, you make many calls yourself, you spend more than 2 conversations with employees a day, etc., then this option is very difficult to call comfortable.

Recently, almost all co-working centers represent a large openspace, conditionally divided into zones. This approach is close to the modern office, there is fashionable furniture, good finishing materials and a lot of common space. But with a minimum of personal space. Being a visitor to a couple of Moscow coworking centers, I was surprised to catch myself thinking, as if I were in a non-smoking area of ​​a cafe, in which all the same it smells of smoke (and then noise).

And what is the result

As a result, the theme is trendy and successful, it is also embodied well. If you close your eyes to a few unpleasant moments, the workplace in the coworking center is what you need when you are considering an option not only for work.

In my case, when there is a team that has been worked out, and personal space has a high value, it is worthwhile to wait, but in the meantime use the usual office rent. It is hoped that new coworking centers will start to appear in the near future, which, I hope, will take into account my and your wishes.

Now, however, I offer to help collect valuable information in the form of useful ideas and opinions. What is missing in coworking centers for you now?