Coworking Evolves

Office Evolution Overland Park is a proud member of the Preferred Office Network group of the premier shared space and private offices around the world. As they are industry experts in flexible office space and SAVING companies money, I love to share their blogs as they pertain to our industry and changes.

Results from the 2017 Industry Financial Survey from The Global Workspace Association are in and it’s clear the coworking industry is evolving to meet the demands of today’s workforce. Recent Huffington Post article explains how one myth the survey helped to dispel is the notion that coworking space is open workspace without privacy or dedicated space. As the survey highlights, 80% of coworking spaces offer private offices!

And, which types of employees and businesses use coworking space? GWA survey data indicates that 20% of users are freelancers, while the majority of users are small businesses at 47%. Mobile corporate users comprise the remaining 12%, and contribute to much of the recent growth in coworking space use. Surprised? Coworking has shifted its offerings to include a wider variety of spaces, and because private offices and meeting space are in the highest demand, coworking centers are adjusting to meet that demand, by adding more of these spaces.

Global Workspace Association (GWA) Executive Director, Jamie Russo, sums it up well. “The future is about flexibility, and a lot of corporations are still trying to figure out what that looks like for them and how to logistically manage it. The trend is moving toward choice, but the biggest shifts will come from gathering data that helps us measure and improve future offerings. What we have discovered with coworking is that professionals need other brains. You simply can’t do great knowledge work alone.”

Thanks to Preferred Office Network (https://preferredofficenetwork.com) for this information!