The transition from traditional offices and work-from-home settings to coworking spaces has revolutionized the way we perceive the workplace. Coworking offices proved that “All work and no play” doesn’t need to be the office norm. Work and at least a little play can coexist harmoniously and effectively while enhancing productivity and creativity in business.
Studies show that people thrive in coworking spaces. If you’ve checked out pictures of The Ranch, this may seem like a given. With our carefully designed workspaces, event rooms, and social areas, we cultivate a sense of Texas charm along with our solid work ethic. The reasons people thrive are varied and create a comprehensive work environment created with success in mind.
Amenities of the Office
Office amenities top the list of factors needed for a functional office. With a coworking space, people find those needs met without any stress or decision making required. Coworking offices are created with functionality embedded into the design. Desks are selected and spaced to optimize privacy and sociability. Seating areas serve as respites from your desk as well as being areas in which people can network.
Internet speed is a priority for everyone, and The Ranch provides high-speed internet. Printers are available and stocked with paper and ink. Remote workers don’t need to worry over office maintenance or supplies; they can focus on completing their work. The office is clean and secure, and there’s plenty of parking available for coworkers and any business associates with which they need to meet.
Routine and Freedom from Routine
A common work-from-home challenge is the creation of structure and routine. Distractions from home coupled with a feeling of isolation easily lead to procrastination and unfocused priorities. By taking the workday to a coworking office, the day takes on a familiar form. Structure and discipline are introduced by having an office at which you can complete your work. By arriving at a certain time and planning to leave at a certain time, you create bookends for your day. Socializing with others, or simply knowing you’re being observed by others, creates a sense of accountability absent from the home office.
However, unlike the traditional office, coworking spaces allow people to budget time in ways that best serve their lives. Greater job control allows people to take more responsibility for their days. This, in turn, creates a sense of autonomy often absent when someone needs to receive permission to take care of even the most mundane life details.
Doctor appointments, repairmen, and old friends coming into town no longer require awkward time-off requests. Since coworking spaces include portability, work doesn’t have to end as soon as you leave the office. As long as you have the internet, you’re able to work from home while the repairman replaces your water heater or while you wait for your overbooked doctor to see you.
After lunch with your friend, you can return to the office and continue working. The Ranch is open 24/7. When you feel the need to compensate for lost time, you can work as late as you need. You can also come in during non-standard hours to make sure you get your projects done, or you can do them from home. Either way, you can resume your schedule when it works for you.
Connection to Others
Whether you work in a traditional office setting or from home, work can be isolating. At home, it may just be you sitting there feeling your mind wander while you’re alone. Similarly, at a traditional office, the cubicle is meant to separate you from your coworkers. Even if there is a cliche watercooler where people congregate, the traditional office isn’t designed for chatting and cultivating relationships.
Coworking offices make networking and peer-building feel natural by including places that facilitate conversation. Although many areas are designed to foster focus, others are more casual and even fun. At The Ranch, you can grab a beer and settle in on the patio to relax and talk about work ideas or family vacations before you head back to work or home. Interaction is encouraged, and many coworkers find it personally and professionally beneficial.
Aristotle wrote, “Man is by nature a social animal.” Days without the potential for interaction are stressful and isolating. Scientists know human beings are wired to connect. The Ranch provides space for coworkers to do just that. These connections are enriching, both personally and professionally. When people connect, they thrive.
Sense of Community
One of the most valuable characteristics of coworking spaces is the sense of community felt by those who work there. Coworking offices often are created with a specific vibe in mind, a character that influences the people it attracts and the way people feel when they’re at work.
The vibe at The Ranch is high-energy business with a twist of home. We strive to create a place that inspires new ideas and collaboration while simultaneously providing you a place to put your feet up and take a break and chat with fellow coworkers.
Working in a coworking space doesn’t feel stuffy and restrictive like a traditional office. At The Ranch, you have the freedom to be yourself while you do your best work. Surrounded by others who are challenging themselves to be their best self daily, you’re motivated to dig deeper and take pride in what you do.
It’s not unusual for someone to find their skillset to be valued differently at a coworking space as opposed to how it’s viewed in a traditional or home office. The mix of professions creates opportunities for freelance work and professional advancement that are impossible in standard environments. It’s exciting to get reactions, requests, and input from others when you’re using your skill set in a coworking environment.
Working Among Friends
If you want to keep to yourself in a coworking environment, you can. There’s no requirement that you interact with those around you. You can choose to be as private or as social as you wish.
For those who choose to be more extroverted, coworking provides the option to work among friends. They may be friends who choose the coworking space with you, or they may be new friends you meet at the coworking office. Either way, these are more than just a group of people all hired by the same employer to do similar or related tasks.
Diversity abounds in the coworking office. Unbridled from the stress of trying to impress or constantly stay on their A-game, people can open up and form bonds with people from various backgrounds and experiences. You might decide to hire one of your new peers for help with a project, or you might decide to see a ballgame together. You can grow the relationships you choose in the way that you choose when you’re working in a coworking space.
Thrive
A Global Coworking Study by Deskmag found that 85% of participants felt more motivated while working out of a coworking space, and 70% were “very happy” working out of one. A study by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that participants said they were more productive (89.1%) and better able to concentrate (71.9%) at a coworking space than they were when working from home. These studies and others like them demonstrate that the impact of coworking spaces on work is clear. Not only that, social and psychological benefits abound as well.
To thrive means to grow, develop, or be successful. At The Ranch, you can grow, develop, AND be successful. So bring your entrepreneurial spirit and dedication, and watch as your membership in our coworking space helps you thrive, too.