Coworking is a (relatively) new model of collaborative engagement, professional development and work place design.
As of this writing, there are more than 18,000 cowork facilities operating throughout the world. Cowork facilities range widely in their size, member demographics, locations, programming and amenities.
Cowork spaces have grown quickly to accommodate the needs of independent workers (e.g., programmers and tech-related workers, graphic designers, writers, educators, all range of professional disciplines) who aspire to working in collaboration with others.
Whereas a handful of cowork and shared office companies lease hundreds of thousands of square feet of office space in cities across the world to independent workers, tech entrepreneurs, off-site corporate staff, etc., most cowork facilities are 3,000-10,000 sf independently-managed, neighborhood-based work spaces.
Rather than work exclusively from home offices or from the headphone-protected world of cafes and restaurants, a class of Millennial, Gen-X and actively engaged baby boomer creatives and professionals are finding tremendous value and benefit from working in cowork facilities that are thoughtfully designed, comfortably appointed, well-serviced with office equipment, meeting rooms, mail service and high speed internet.
Defying a practice of work wherein people operate “alone together” (i.e., in relative isolation within a café), cowork facilities allow people to share their skills, resources and passions in an informal but focused workplace setting. By their presence and participation, cowork members can enjoy a workplace environment that is safe, productive and socially fulfilling.