In an industry that continues to evolve and test the boundaries of how we work on a daily basis, its no surprise that virtual Coworking is a thriving trend. What exactly is virtual Coworking and what are its benefits?
Consider being part of a physical Coworking space, with many of the amenities, but just not being present in person. For example, members can get the community feel, can be visually present for meetings and events, just without the tangible desk space allotted to traditional members.
Virtual Coworking still serves to combat many of the isolation factors involved with working from home. Rather than driving into the building, virtual members can still feel involved with other members, create relationships, network, and even have a seat in the virtual floorplan of a space. In a short time, virtual Coworking has come so far as to create avatars for each member, and a corresponding position or seat, so anyone can see who’s in, where they’re located, and even who’s using a conference room. You can even shut a virtual door for no interruptions!
Benefits
As Entrepreneur Magazine noted, the typical internet speed grows exponentially every year. In 2017 alone it jumped by 30%. What does this lead to? More and more opportunity to seamlessly work without having to be physically present anywhere. Connections are getting so strong and reliable that members are starting to become more accustomed to doing everything virtually.
For companies that have employees in different cities, virtual Coworking is a revolutionary change to doing business. Being virtually present aids in teamwork and camaraderie, in ways that you will not achieve via emails or calls. Plus it is more inclusive to team members who aren’t in your city. Beyond that, it will be more cost effective than having full offices in multiple cities, or even renting a desk at multiple Coworking sites.
Cost efficiency is of course a benefit to the member as well. Virtual seats are much more affordable than dedicated desks. At the same time, the operator is finding a way to increase revenue while not having to reconfigure space to allot more seats. Or build out larger meeting rooms.
Arena actually provides a link for entrepreneurs to work with eachother. They feature forums, events, and much more in their virtual space. More physical Coworking spaces will be implementing concepts like that of Arena.
An underrated benefit to a startup business or entrepreneur is the distinction of a physical address. With a virtual Coworking membership, they can establish a presence at a real address, which is a reputable step up in class.
One of the words most associated with Coworking is flexibility. Members want flexibility as to what hours they work, for office layouts, and for where they work from. What’s more flexible than giving someone the option to join a meeting, an event, or a regular day at the office from anywhere in the world?
To learn more about how technology is shaping the way Coworking evolves, click the link below to discover Yardi Kube.