Study reveals co-working office benefits

A worldwide study on co-working offices has found it to have grown in popularity, with coworkers reporting a range of benefits to using this type of working space.

Deskmag, the magazine about coworking and its communities, conducted the study - the biggest of its kind – by surveying 2007 coworkers throughout the world on their experiences working in this type of office space.

The report found there was a range of coworking benefits to be had, with 71% of respondents’ reporting an increase in creativity since joining a coworking office, and 62% claiming their standard of work had improved.

A common claim that coworking offices are distracting working environments was disproved, with 68% of respondents’ reporting improved concentration, and 12% claiming the opposite.

When asked to describe their coworking experience, participants most commonly used terms were; fun, friendly, creative, inspiring, productive, flexible, social and collaborative.

Over 53% of coworkers occupying offices were freelancers, with the remainder being pockets of entrepreneurs, small companies, and 8% who chose “none of the above” in the survey.

There were also strong optimistic outlooks in many respondents’, with 89% of occupants expecting an increase in income, 91% planning expansion and 79% forecasting an increase in company events.

Overall, the report showed convincing results for this type of office space, with many respondents reporting a range of physiological and sociological benefits gained from occupying coworking offices.