How to Find the Right Shared Office Space

The need for shared office space is rising rapidly. Coworking spaces have grown more than 50% in the past five years, and given the increased supply and demand of remote and hybrid work, that growth won’t slow anytime soon. 

Of course, this rapid rise has also made it more difficult to discern whether the office space you’re renting will actually benefit you. How can you ensure that your coworking space will be soulful and nurturing rather than cold and uninspiring?

If you know the answer to this question, the benefits of finding a shared office near you can be immense. This guide will help you get there. 

The Value of Finding the Right Shared Office Space

Don’t settle. With the growth of coworking spaces, you’ll find both great and less-than-ideal options. Spend the time to find the right space and you can benefit in a wide range of ways, including:

• Working productively in an environment designed to make you comfortable
• Meeting with clients and co-workers in high-level conference rooms that balance form and function
• Networking with other professionals and finding connections in your and other industries
• Improving your work-life balance by being able to separate personal and professional time

Plenty of studies support these benefits. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, positive work environments created through shared offices result in 70% of members improving their physical health, 68% improving their focus, and 64% becoming more timely in achieving core tasks.

Those benefits sound great, of course, but they’re far from automatic. Shared workspaces can differ significantly from each other, and such differences will impact the potential advantages you can achieve. That’s what makes finding the right shared office space near you such an important task.

7 Tips to Find the Best Shared Office Space Near You

Finding an ideal location starts with asking yourself these simple questions. What kind of environment do you want to work in? How can you make the most out of the potential advantages that coworking spaces and other types of shared office spaces offer? The following seven tips can help you in your search.

1. Flexible Workspaces for Collaboration and Privacy

Naturally, the first and most important consideration has to be the type of space in which you’ll work. You’ll come across plenty of options for shared office space, including most commonly:

• Coworking spaces in which you know you’ll have a desk available anytime you need it.
• Dedicated desks that wait for you each time you arrive for work. This allows for more customization, like leaving your monitor or desk decor when you clock out for the day.
• Private offices into which you can retreat if your work consists of confidential conversations or you just need space to focus.

There is no single best option among these three. That’s why the best shared spaces offer all three, along with the flexibility to move between them as needed. That gives you room for both privacy and collaboration, with an environment that matches your needs rather than the other way around.

2. A Nurturing, Natural Environment With a Feeling of Home

The next consideration revolves around comfort. Put simply, few people feel comfortable in an aging office building with drop ceilings and fluorescent lighting. Incorporating nature into the workspace, on the other hand, can increase both the wellbeing and creativity of employees by 15%. 

Sure, adding some plants helps, but it goes beyond that. The more nurturing and natural the environment feels, the more inspired you will feel as you arrive to work for the day.

For your shared workplace area, that approach can take a variety of forms. Natural lighting plays a major role, as does furniture crafted from real wood. But it’s also about common spaces, like sitting areas and lofts that provide a sense of the space being about more than just work. Call it hygge, gemütlichkeit, or something else—it’s that difficult-to-describe, natural feeling of comfort that you get when you first walk into a space. 

3. The Right Tech Amenities to Maximize Productivity

Flexibility and comfort are the first two parts of the workplace engagement trifecta. The third is productivity. And while both of the first two parts contribute to it, it’s impossible to be productive without the right technology at your side.

For your coworking or other types of shared workspace, that means high-speed internet above all. You have to be able to rely on a connection steady enough to download files, conduct video calls, and more.

Related: Why Do People Thrive in Coworking Spaces?

But it also goes beyond that. Even in today’s digital world, you still might need to scan or print items for your work. Consider these your baseline of productivity: the items any space you’re considering just has to have if you want it to help you succeed professionally.

4. Outdoor Tables and Gathering Spaces to Refresh Your Mind

It might not seem like a core consideration, but you will be surprised how important outdoor space becomes to your daily life once you have it. The effects may be so impactful that you’ll realize you miss it if you suddenly have to work without its comforts.

Especially in warmer climates like Texas, outdoor spaces allow you to switch it up. That can come in the form of taking your laptop to work outside for a bit, or in more informal gathering spaces, you can just step away and breathe for a moment of respite. 

There are scientific benefits to having outdoor workspaces available, as well. Completing at least some of your daily tasks in fresh air improves your memory, happiness, and productivity. In fact, one recent survey found that working outside for just 29 minutes can improve productivity by 45%, in part because 63% of respondents reported feeling better after that outdoor time.

5. An Inclusive Community that Inspires Connections and Spans Industries

Don’t underestimate the power of community. In a traditional office space, you’re working with the same people at all times. In a fully remote position, isolation can become an issue. Only shared office spaces can expand the community horizon of your daily work beyond that.

Related: Why You Shouldn’t Work Only From Home — Even If You Can

In shared spaces, you’ll become part of a community that reaches far beyond your company and even your industry. You’ll meet and work next to professionals from across the spectrum. And that’s before even mentioning the network effect of bustling environments that draw more people who want to be part of it, becoming more vibrant and bustling over time. 

Of course, the shared workspace you’re utilizing has to be set up for this type of environment. Communal spaces, from kitchens to gathering spaces, matter as much as an openness to attract professionals from multiple industries. You should consider a space that embraces the creation of this type of community.

6. Flexible Membership Options to Account for Changing Plans

As aspirational as office spaces can be, you still have to account for the basics. That means ensuring the space you’re considering has plans in your price range and that those plans are flexible enough to adjust with your needs.

Look for flexibility that permits you to adjust your plans when needed, year to year, allowing you to remain a member even as your personal and professional situation changes.

7. An Active Desire to Share the Office Space

The final tip when looking for a great shared office space is in its name. Can you find an active reason why you’d like to share the space to begin with?

This is about more than just finding the right space for you. It’s about the ability to share space with your colleagues and co-workers, allowing for in-person and real-time collaboration without compromising any of the other benefits and variables mentioned above.

For example, you might want to look into the types of conference rooms or multi-person private offices you can rent at a given location. Compare the availability with your team’s needs. But above all, it should be a space that you want to share with others, one that’s so good at meeting your needs and preferences that you simply cannot keep it to yourself.

Ready to Find the Perfect Shared Office Space Near You?

There is no single formula for finding the perfect shared workspace. Instead, it’s about understanding your situation and preferences then finding a space that can accommodate and surpass them. It’s about ensuring the basics, like private workspaces and high-speed internet, then combining them with environmental elements that simply feel like home.

To get there, you’ll need to take a look at the space in question yourself. Vuka offers coworking, dedicated desks, and private office spaces in two Austin locations, both designed as cultivated coworking spaces that offer holistic support and connected impact.

Book a tour today to evaluate our shared office space against your needs and ensure that we’ll be the right fit to enhance your productivity and work-life happiness.