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Whenever I look at a coworking space, I feel like they are missing the point. Companies are globally distributed and people spend a LOT of time on conference c
by deepspace 3y ago
Whenever I look at a coworking space, I feel like they are missing the point.
Companies are globally distributed and people spend a LOT of time on conference calls, but most coworking spaces have an open layout that is at best not conducive to conference calls, and often they are not allowed.
I have been working effectively remotely for the past 15 years. Until COVID hit, still commuted to the office, but had very little interaction with local co-workers for actual work. I did appreciate the social aspect, though—water cooler conversations, lunches, company events.
Now that I am fully remote, I would appreciate the opportunity to get out of the house one or two days a week, but I am unable to find a single coworking space that offers private cubicles. They all want you to rent an entire meeting room for conference calls at an exorbitant price.
- mullingitover 3y agoBingo. I spent about six months working out of a reserved office at a WeWork, and because it was just a satellite office for my company, there were tons of conference calls I needed to be on. I couldn't join those calls in the open plan office, so I spent a ridiculous amount of time walking the halls of the WeWork trying to find an unoccupied booth. Half the time I couldn't find one, and when I did they were dark and cramped.
- xnx 3y agoA lot of self storage lockers would be better places to work from than WeWork.
- rickspencer3 3y agoThis very much matches my experience with co-working. When the time spent on calls went over 2 or 3 hours a day for me, my days became a constant hunt for comfortable and private places to make calls. I ended up making a room in my condo into an office. I did find co-working to be quite enriching though. I made a few friends, and it was nice to see some of the same faces each day. It was very key that none of the people that I socialized with at the co-working space were people that I was working with.
- kpennell 3y agoI think people often go to them in the afternoons, maybe when they have fewer calls. Or just grab a booth when they need to do a call that others shouldn't listen in on. Or just do the calls from the open area. I go to coworking space to get a bit of human interaction in my day after feeling isolated at home or on zoom.
- synaesthesisx 3y agoPrecisely. I do utilize coworking spaces quite a bit, however I tend to go in on days where I don't have many calls scheduled. Also, my home office setup (ultra wide external monitor + 4K external camera and mic etc) wins when I actually need to be productive. Yes, most coworking spots have phone booths, but they can tend to be claustrophobic and limited in availability.
- wly_cdgr 3y agoEvery WeWork location I've ever used in New York (about a half dozen, I think) has multiple private single-person cubicles available for use. Actually, I've never seen a co-working space that doesn't have this. I do wish each location had way more of these booths, though.
- dimal 3y agoBut open layouts are so conducive to serendipitous collaboration! And collaboration is key to generating creative solutions in today’s information economy! All the CEOs say so!
- jbverschoor 3y agoWhat I want in a co-WORKING-space: min 2 screens, a proper desk and chair. I'll bring my own keyboard. If I to sit on a couch drinking coffee, I'll go somewhere else.
- rchaud 3y agowhen you charge by the desk, packing 'em like sardines into a open plan office looks very attractive.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]