So everybody seems to be coworking these days. But what is it about strangers working separately yet together that has caused this global phenomenon to grow by 200% in the last five years? One of the key trends emerging from statistics on the rise coworking is that it has a huge appeal not just for individual freelancers but also for employees of larger businesses who want a break from their company’s offices, and increasingly for businesses themselves. So what do coworking spaces in Bristol have to offer the business community?
Bristol companies report higher productivity and greater staff retention when they provide opportunities for flexible working. Now that it’s just as easy to communicate, collaborate and exchange data from the other side of the planet as it would be with someone at the next-door desk, there are fewer viable reasons to keep staff bound to a 9-5 office environment.
You might be inclined to suspect your employees of catching up on laundry or drifting into the long-forgotten archives of old Facebook photos on a day out of the office. But evidenced by the number of businesses promoting and frequently funding the use of communal office spaces for their staff, there’s a value added element that comes from a regular dose of hot desking that you can’t tap into when simply working from home.
The networking opportunities that a collaborative working space affords can be beneficial both for an individual stepping away from the company desk and for the company itself. In a city like Bristol there’s a wealth of talent standing at the cowork coffee machine, exchanging knowledge, experience and creative enthusiasm in ad hoc chats.
Freelancers and small business owners are brought together with all kinds of skillsets and often end up gaining new clients, making use of each other’s professional services, or recommending someone further down the line. When employees return to a company office having had a coworking break, they bring back that fresh energy of having made new connections and looked at life through a different lens for a moment.
There’s also a lot to be said for having a physical change of pace. Being able to work on a flexible schedule might mean you can shorten your daily commute and explore the community around a more local coworking area. And it’s a great opportunity to shake up your usual timetable. Going for a swim or attending a yoga class, and then fitting the working hours in later can be just what’s needed to take the strain out of a heavy workload, and give your brain a bit of thinking space.
Keeping a foot in the coworking door can provide some extremely practical advantages for a business – whether it be to free up extra desk space, access conference rooms, or make use of high-speed internet and tech facilities. Companies from London and across the UK, as well as international businesses, who are looking to set up camp in Bristol are increasingly plumping for shared offices or hot desk opportunities rather than investing immediately in their own premises. At Origin Workspace we find that enterprises located right across Bristol city – from the suburbs bordering Somerset and South Gloucestershire to our close neighbours in Park Street – relish knowing there’s a centrally located space they can think of as a home for their business.
If you are looking for a co-working or flexible working space in Bristol for your business, book a showround today or contact a member of our team to see what a working day looks like at Origin Workspace.
Out of hours
Please note Origin Workspace is now closed if you have an out of hours emergency please continue to call us and you will be diverted to a duty manager. If your enquiry is not urgent, please complete the form on the Contact Us page.
Lounge members,
day pass users & visitors:
Mon-Fri: 8am to 6pm
Office, dedicated desk,
& hot desk members:
Mon-Fri: 6am – 9:45pm
Sat: 9am – 5:45pm
Sun: 9am – 4:45pm
