By Serendipity Labs | March 1, 2016

Coworking Goes Corporate

Serendipity Labs was recently featured in an article on Bloomberg about the corporate shift to coworking.

Employees of established companies like American Express, Amazon, GE and Heineken make up 45 percent of Serendipity Labs’ members. And they anticipate that number will increase as companies adapt to increasing worker demands for mobility and workplace choice. Whether it’s to provide a more centrally located space for collaboration or to reduce long term lease obligations, big employers are finding substantial gains from increased use of flexible workplace options like coworking.   Meanwhile, employees have become the new consumers of workplace services.

People who work in coworking spaces are happier with their jobs

As with most significant workplace changes, the driving force in the shift from solo to corporate coworking comes from the workers themselves.

Studies published by Harvard Business Review show that people who work in coworking spaces report higher levels of productivity and happiness at work than those who work in traditional offices.

The reason for this might be that people in coworking spaces feel that their work serves a greater purpose. Where a wide variety of jobs operate under the same roof, the value of each employee’s unique skill set goes up, while office politics and competition (major causes of stress in the workplace) diminish. A person who works at a coworking space isn’t just going to work; they’re also part of a social movement. This creates a greater sense of self and confidence among employees.

Furthermore, a coworking space can provide a welcome balance between the highly controlled, corporate work environment and the isolating, free-form nature of working from home. There is just enough freedom that people feel they can be themselves and think creatively, yet still enough structure that people are able to hold themselves accountable and resist distractions.

Greater productivity and self-confidence, combined with the opportunities and connections that form when you work alongside people from other companies, equate to more benefits for employees and corporations.

There are coworking spaces for all types of workers and businesses

The exciting thing about this accelerating interest from corporations is that it advances the philosophy that led to the creation of Serendipity Labs — that coworking is for anyone who is trusted to choose where and when they work, regardless of industry, company size, or company stage.  That is, not just for for freelancers and startup technology teams.

Serendipity Labs is opening a national network of workplaces that can serve the emerging corporate coworking market. That means targeting suburban locations so members who have long commutes can find more balance.  It means delivering an upscale workplace membership offering that can satisfy corporate goals, while enriching the lives of its members.