The COVID-19 crisis has been subsiding around the world for some time, and many restrictions that impacted our way of life (and work) have been lifted. Now, in the post-pandemic world, many businesses still choose to retain the remote work model, while many others are insisting that the time has come for their employees to return to the office.

Whether you are a business owner, a full-time employee, or a freelancer, there’s no denying that this new shift is putting you at a crossroads. Should people continue to work from home, or should they return to the office, or perhaps, should we explore coworking spaces as the ideal middle ground that will appease all parties and satisfy their needs?

Today, we’ll be taking a look at coworking spaces as well as coworking hubs such as Freelancers Hub and what they bring to the modern business landscape. Here’s why these spaces may very well be the best post-pandemic alternative to traditional and home offices.

Coworking spaces are built for connectivity

If there is one thing that owners of coworking spaces understand, it’s that a true coworking space needs to facilitate seamless collaboration across borders and physical distances. Contrary to what some may think, a coworking space is not just a physical space where people work together - it is a space that allows people to work remotely. That’s why coworking hubs and communities like Freelancers Hub are so popular among businesses, predominantly with freelancers and solopreneurs.

To allow seamless collaboration in-house and with clients, customers, and partners around the world, coworking spaces need to be optimized for connectivity. This encompasses key tech perks such as a stellar wi-fi connection, a multi-line phone system, and fully decked-out conferencing rooms to create an optimized conferencing experience for everyone.

Coupled with some quality-of-life tech perks like charge spots, advanced security systems (both online and offline), and a plethora of essential business hardware, this creates an ecosystem that allows individuals and entire teams to collaborate seamlessly. For freelancers and employees working from home or even solopreneurs without a fully-equipped home office, this is the ideal space to work - because they’ve got everything they need!

Hybrid work without the traditional office

The concept of hybrid work has been thrown around a lot recently as the pandemic died and businesses found themselves unsure of what to do next. Simply pushing people out of the comforts of remote or home-based work wasn’t such a prudent idea, but retaining the remote work model wasn’t something that business leaders wanted over the long term. And so, the concept of hybrid work became a sort of band-aid solution.

Still, many could not figure out what hybrid work meant for them. For some, the idea behind hybrid working is that employees are allowed to come back to the office while still working from home one or more days a week. For others, hybrid work has more to do with scheduling work hours for different teams and employees in different time zones.

Regardless, it’s important to note that coworking spaces allow businesses and individuals to create a true hybrid work environment and model for their needs. A coworking space is the ideal office space for freelancers and remote employees who are tired of working from home all the time, and the fact that they are fully equipped with all the necessary features and tech means that people can work on a hybrid schedule with their colleagues from around the world.

Facilitating effective and efficient asynchronous work

Speaking of collaborating seamlessly with colleagues, clients, partners, and brands from around the world, it’s important to note that coworking spaces are also ideal for asynchronous work. In a nutshell, asynchronous work encompasses teams and individuals in different time zones but working for or within the same organization.

This is typical for freelancers and remote employees, and with the rapid popularization of global coworking, entire teams are nowadays decentralized to the extent that individuals can be stationed across the globe and still work as a unit. However, this can only be achieved with the proper implementation of async work.

The advantage that coworking spaces bring to the table is that these spaces are equipped to support individuals and entire teams working within a global network of professionals. Because asynchronous work relies on the ability of individuals to work in their time zone, being in a coworking space is a great way to have an office space that you can go to every day without actually being present at the company’s headquarters.

Optimized for productivity and leisure

We all know that the primary role of a coworking space is to enable individuals and teams to do their best work. A coworking space can achieve this with the use of technology, proper interior design concepts, and specialized spaces to accommodate every need - like the aforementioned conference room or even a silent room.

But nowadays, coworking spaces are increasingly realizing the importance of leisure and overall well-being in the workplace. Because it is not just about working hard all day, a good coworking space will always have an employee break room that’s designed for efficiency, relaxation, and a bit of fun.

This means that coworking break rooms should host a biophilic design to bring nature indoors while investing in a quality kitchen space, plenty of storage, and some evergreen entertainment features - like a pool table or a good old pinball machine.

Without a doubt, this is not something you would get by working from home.

Ideal for building a work-life balance

Finally and most importantly, working in the traditional office and working from home can both be detrimental to our work-life balance. When working from home, we can easily forget when to clock out and gradually start working more and more - this is especially problematic for freelancers and the self-employed.

On the other hand, commuting to the office daily is a drain on our time and mental resources. In a busy, hectic city like New York, for example, coworking in Manhattan, NYC, just a couple of times a week is a great way to re-establish a work-life balance without ditching your home office and having to spend the entire day in the traditional office setting.

With this freedom to choose your ideal place of work and how much time you spend there during the week, you can create the best version of your professional self and nurture a true, lifelong work-life balance.

Over to you

Contrary to the belief of many business owners, there is rarely a convincing reason to get people back into the office after a period of working remotely, especially now that coworking spaces present a money-saving alternative. From the business owner's perspective, getting people into the coworking space instead is a great way to minimize overhead costs while improving employee productivity and happiness.

From a freelancer’s perspective or the perspective of a full-time employee, working in a coworking space instead of a home office or a traditional office space is a great way to build work-life balance while having everything you need to thrive professionally. In the years to come, we’re only going to see a rise in the coworking culture, and communities like Freelancers Hub will keep supporting freelancers and business professionals along the way.