Coworking Space vs. Traditional Offices: What’s the Difference?

Selecting a flexible office space for your business is challenging these days. With so many different creative workplace trends popping up, choosing the best way of working, and the space that fits it, can be tricky. In addition, ever since coworking spaces emerged, it seems that the traditional office model has been in decline. Or has it?

Read on as we examine the differences between opting for a coworking space vs. a traditional office.

The World of Work Has Changed

Following the Covid pandemic, the world is no longer the same. Affecting many aspects of our lives, it also had an impact on the way companies operate. Trying to cut costs and restructure budgets for better use, more and more companies are leaving behind the traditional idea of office space and are turning to coworking spaces.

Traditional office spaces are dedicated to just one business and have specific office hours. This used to be the most accurate definition of office space for a business. Today, however, flexibility and efficiency have become higher priorities for businesses than the stability and longer-term nature of traditional office spaces, leading to a rise in the use of coworking spaces.

What is a Coworking Space?

Coworking spaces are working spaces with a sense of community, where people from different companies come together to work, such as a satellite office. It’s a collaborative environment with plenty of networking opportunities and is suitable for remote workers, freelancers, small businesses, startups and others.

These spaces offer an open-space layout with comfortable furniture, where members can share ideas, tips, and the occasional cup of coffee. The reason for the popularity of coworking spaces lies in their flexible working hours. Most of these places are open 24/7 and allow users to be flexible with their working hours.

A coworking space is very similar to working from home, yet it ensures you’ll be working in a distraction-free environment, but with the opportunity to book meeting rooms. But, before we write off traditional spaces completely, we need to stress that both options have their specific advantages and disadvantages.

Coworking Space vs. Traditional Office: The Benefits

The benefits are the selling points of every office space, and here are some for traditional offices and coworking spaces.

Benefits of Coworking Spaces

• Endless networking opportunities and social interaction. Experience working alongside a variety of professionals from your industry or a different one that is complementary to yours can strengthen your business.
• A non-restrictive environment. Working in an environment that is less restrictive and doesn’t impose working hours and routines on employees increases productivity.
  A relaxed environment, the use of different colors, and inspirational decor also adds to productivity.
• Less hassle. No need to worry about office management anymore. With coworking offices, there are no hidden costs, and all the overheads and community activities are included..
• Paying on a monthly basis. One fee that includes everything makes it simpler and easier to manage the office. Instead of worrying about renovations and utilities, staff can concentrate on growing and expanding your business.
• Dynamic. One can never be bored in a coworking office space – there is always something going on – whether it is a lecture or a happy hour or networking event and there are new people arriving all the time. With this concept, no two days are the same.

The Benefits of Traditional Offices

• Private and distraction-free. Traditional offices offer a quiet and professional environment, privacy, with little or no distractions, and no-conflicting schedules between departments and colleagues.
• Personal branding. The office speaks for the brand and can define the company’s mission through its look and feel.
• The right values. A traditional office promotes the value of strong workplace relationships with colleagues and good employee-manager communication.
• Perfect for routine lovers. It’s a good environment for those who like to feel a sense of familiarity, a stable routine, and know what is expected of them.
• Controlled environment. Having your personal working station means you can have complete control over it and your space

Coworking Space vs. Traditional Office: The Disadvantages

But nothing’s perfect, let’s take a look at some of the disadvantages of both the traditional office and coworking spaces.

Disadvantages of Coworking Spaces

• Too distracting at times. Because it’s a shared space that might become crowded at times, it could be distracting if you are trying to concentrate.
• Unstable structure. Due to its flexibility, there is not always enough structure and routine in coworking spaces. This can impact internal communication.
• Occupied meeting rooms. Since everyone shares resources in a coworking office, meeting rooms might not be available at the particular time they are needed.
• No personal branding. The space may lack corporate branding which is problematic if you are trying to differentiate the company or impress a client.

Disadvantages of Traditional Offices

• Lack of diverse networking opportunities outside the industry. You can form relationships inside the office, but social interaction with professionals from other industries is limited.
• Too familiar and high-strung. The feeling of being burnt out is typical with employees who work in traditional offices. They are so familiar with the space and the faces, that they start to feel bored, become unproductive and lack motivation.
• More paperwork. Renting offices requires signing long-term contracts, which means the business has to stay in that space for years.
• Extra spending. There are additional fees that need to be paid, including office maintenance fees, property taxes, and others.

How to Find the Best Fit – Traditional Office or Coworking Space

Choosing between a traditional furnished office space or a coworking space comes down to what your business actually needs. Both have their advantages and disadvantages and are intended for different types of businesses.

If you are a freelancer, a small business, or just starting, a coworking space may be a great place to start. You won’t be tied in with long-term contracts and be required to manage the offices. At the same time, you can create a good network to expand the business.
A coworking space becomes the stimulus for employees to boost their creativity.

If you have a larger team and require meetings with clients regularly, the traditional office may be a more suitable choice. It will provide the privacy you need for your meetings without distractions from other businesses. Scheduling the use of a meeting room will not be a problem. Individual productivity is usually emphasized in traditional offices, although team collaboration is also highly appreciated. In a coworking space, both are highly valued.