Coworking 101: what in the world is coworking?

Coworking is something that the Perch brand lives by and encourages - we’re an on-demand coworking space-booking app, so there’s that, and you only have to check out our content to see the Perch community fully embracing it.?

However, despite the working method taking the world by storm in recent years (2020 and beyond, we’re talking to you), you might be surprised to learn how frequently we hear people asking ‘What exactly is coworking?’.?

If you don’t know yourself, fear not - here are the basic ins-and-outs on what it is, what it isn’t, and why coworking spaces are productivity central…

Let’s start by getting technical.

Coworking is a term used to describe a collaboration technique - it’s an arrangement technique where people from different companies, teams and backgrounds come together in a single shared space to work together.?

The point of coworking is to quite literally coexist and grow your venture in a physical space where you have access to all the tools you need in order to success - that includes the small (but very important) things like tea and coffee, WiFi, and printing services, and also explains the panel discussions, film screenings and other events that coworking spaces may organise.?

Why? Because they all believe that decisions integral to growth, like new hires or officialising a strategy, can be influenced by the people and insights being thrown around. They say it takes a village to raise a child - coworking advocates believe you’re often only one conversation or random environment-induced ‘Eureka moment’ away from creating something that lasts, and puts you in a room with a community that can help you there.?

Exciting, right?

Now, what isn’t coworking?

We’ll be following up with a ‘common misconceptions’ article soon for you to wade through, but we couldn’t help bringing this up while the conversation’s a-flowing…

Coworking is not a way for coworkers and freelancers to get away from the usual demands of professional life, strictly speaking. There are assumptions that coworking is a ‘lighter’ way of working, where concentration goes out of the window because of the different people you’re surrounded by and the community events that may happen during working hours.?

Another reason is the fact that explorative digital nomads embrace it, and we see the more recreational elements of their lifestyles more often on social media than the (very hard) graft they put into their careers to make their lifestyles work.

In reality, coworking is what you make of it.?

Perch has spaces for every mood and mindset you want to approach the day with, and our spaces cater to different working modes themselves: if you’re working towards a deadline and you need an environment where you can zone out and be regimental with yourself, we’ve spaces that can give you this; if you want a more collaborative day where you can perhaps run an energetic round table with your team or other start-up leaders, they can cater to this too.?

When did it become a thing?

Coworking has recently blown up as an alternative to the usual static office models we’re used to. But the concept of coworking was birthed in Berlin way back in 1995, by a group of hackers whose vision was to create an environment where space, insights and thoughts could be shared in exchange for a membership fee.?

That same year, the word ‘coworking’ was used for the first time by Bernard DeKoven, who described it as “working together as equals.”?

More coworking spaces around the world began appearing through the noughties as people began to see its benefits of more social working methods: Berlin, New York, Vienna and London were amongst some of the first to ride the wave.?

Moving swiftly to more recent years, WeWork reported that there were approximately 19,000 coworking spaces in the world in 2019 post-pandemic.?

With remote work being the only option for most of us almost overnight as lockdowns were implemented, and businesses being forced to embrace flexible working options or sink, how many coworking hubs do you think there are now?

The future of coworking

Coworking is now here to stay - think of how many articles you’ve read where business leaders have confidently said that there’s no going back to the way we all used to work before - you know, same set desk, same set building, same set city, same set hours.?

Everything’s up for negotiation, and for good measure - coworking studies show a rise in productivity when employees adopt it into their professional lives and leave behind a more traditional set-up.?

And though transitioning to a more open and less controlled method of working might sound intimidating to many a leader, Perch are here to help you get accustomed to coworking spaces and the many things they have to offer - we’ve got Pay-As-You-Go options if you want to dip your toes in first, and rolling subscription plans if you’re keen to try our affiliated coworking spaces around the world in a more standardised way.

Get in touch now by emailing us at [email protected], or download our app for free on Google Play or the App Store to see where you could soon be Perching…