The pros and cons of coworking
Coworking spaces are much more than a passing trend. They’re an ideal way to break out of your routine, meet new people and access a wide range of services designed for businesses. But are they right for you? Would you be better off in a café, at home or in offices of your own, with a lease in your name? To find out, let’s go through the pros and cons of coworking.
What are the advantages of coworking?
Grow your professional network
LinkedIn isn’t the only way to grow your professional network. That’s exactly what coworking spaces are for, too. One of the biggest advantages of coworking is that your business can grow through the people you meet. If you’re a freelancer, you might meet your next clients there. If you’re an entrepreneur, you might meet investors. And if you’re a company, you might find your next recruits. On top of that, other coworkers can give you advice to help you build your skills in a given field (marketing, for example).
Access professional equipment and services
Coworking spaces come with plenty of equipment, such as printers, phone booths, lockers, a kitchen with unlimited tea and coffee, high-speed Wi-Fi…
To stand out from the competition, some coworking spaces offer less common amenities, such as a gym, a crèche or a table football table.
Some also offer services for professionals, such as:
- a registered business address (company domiciliation);
- meeting room hire;
- tailor-made events…
Enjoy a work environment that fosters focus and creativity
When you’re running a project or working for yourself, working from home can quickly become monotonous. Coworking spaces offer dynamic environments that are good for productivity. Seeing everyone around you hard at work helps you find your motivation and drive again. The stimulating work environment that coworking spaces provide is one of their main advantages.
Save money
Wondering whether coworking really saves you money? It certainly does! Let’s take an example: a 21 m² private office in Lyon 3rd will cost you around €800 excl. VAT per month (parking space not included). For an unlimited-access desk at Panda Coworking (Lyon 7th, 7e arrondissement), you’ll pay just €350 excl. VAT per month. In short, you’ll cut your monthly costs in half. It’s a win-win for startups and freelancers looking for an affordable workspace.
Enjoy plenty of flexibility
Need to rent two extra desks? No problem! In fact, a coworking space gives you maximum flexibility. If your company grows, you can easily bring new employees into the coworking space. That isn’t always so simple when you rent traditional offices. You can’t push the walls out!
What are the disadvantages of coworking?
A lack of privacy
Most coworking spaces have open-plan layouts, often called “open spaces”. The downside of this kind of layout is that other coworkers can see what you’re doing on your computer. They can also overhear your conversations if you take a call in the corridor, for example. This can be a problem if you have a lot of private conversations with your partners and/or clients.
Fortunately, many coworking spaces, such as Panda Coworking, provide soundproof phone booths for their coworkers. That way, they get optimal privacy when they need it most (for example, when negotiating the terms of a contract over the phone).
Possible distractions (background noise)
Even if you love getting to know new people, there comes a time when you need silence. It’s what allows you to focus and move your projects forward.
But when lots of people work in the same room and do different things at the same time, background noise can quickly build up. And when there’s a lot of noise and bustle around you, it can be hard to concentrate. The distractions caused by all this activity are therefore the second downside of coworking.
To get rid of this drawback, many spaces offer soundproof phone booths. We also recommend using earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones. They’re very effective at creating your own bubble of focus, even when there’s noise around you.
What’s more, we recommend choosing a studious coworking space where noise levels aren’t excessive.
The pros and cons of coworking at a glance
As we’ve seen, working in a coworking space has more advantages than disadvantages.
Here’s a summary of the advantages of coworking:
✅ Easier networking
✅ Professional services provided
✅ Stimulating work environment
✅ Excellent value for money
✅ Flexibility (hours/memberships)
And a reminder of the disadvantages of coworking:
❌ Lack of privacy
❌ Background noise
Our final tips before you go
All these criteria should be taken into account when choosing your coworking space. If you absolutely need a quiet, private place, we recommend opting for a coworking space with private offices (for one or two people). That way, you’ll protect your privacy and won’t be distracted.
Finally, one last piece of advice: the best way to find out whether a coworking space is right for you is to visit it and try it out.
That way, you can get a feel for the place, its atmosphere and the members who are already won over… At Panda Coworking, our coworking space in Lyon, we offer a trial day so you can make sure our space is the right fit for you.
Torn between a café and a coworking space? Here’s a full comparison of cafés and coworking spaces.