Are offices becoming obsolete?

Business workers in myriad industries have taken to co-working spaces over offices in recent years. Indeed, this theme has become present in startup-friendly cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Phoenix.

These spaces usually offer cheaper options for growing businesses, as they have affordable monthly rates instead of a massive upfront cost. Plus, they usually provide versatility, as some have outdoor areas, couches, long tables, computers, and more. They promote collaboration and communication not only within a company but among other companies as well.

One company that has been increasingly popular recently has been WeWork. Most WeWork locations offer food, coffee, beer, WiFi, printing, and more with the membership. The spaces are generally very open, meaning companies don’t have much privacy, but that isn’t always a bad thing. It offers opportunities for collaboration and networking that standard office spaces do not. Plus, it’s very affordable – standard monthly rates start at just $45 per month but vary based on the location.

Regus is another very popular co-working space. Because they’ve been around since 1989, they have over 3,000 locations in over 100 countries. This makes it great for business travelers – membership provides access to all of their locations, which makes it an ideal place for people who need to work in various places throughout the week or month.

Unfortunately, Regus has less transparency about prices – business owners or workers must contact the company to receive a price quotation depending on what option they want. Additionally, previous customers have complained about Regus’s lack of ethics and effort. For example, DF Consulting CEO Shilo Burt published an article about how the company charges customers for miscellaneous fees that don’t pertain.

Other co-working spaces have varied popularity across the globe – Paris has one called Patchwork and Hong Kong features a space called The Work Project, for example. In fact, many cities have local options. For example, Phoenix, Arizona has multiple co-working spaces like The Department or Mod that have increased in popularity in recent years.

At the end of the day, employees have to decide what is best for them. They all have many similarities, but they have also subtle differences that set them apart. The options for co-working spaces are endless for entrepreneurs who want to stray away from standard offices – as innovation continues to increase across the globe, more people will likely turn to these flexible co-working spaces for their myriad business needs.