How we work has been evolving for centuries, but it takes a global pandemic to really shake things up, doesn’t it? During the past two-plus years, even the most corporate of environments have eased into hybrid or purely remote models. But for some employees, the appeal of working from home, and all of its work-life-balance-glory, has long lost its luster. Why? According to Ben Fanning, author of The Quit Alternative, the novelty of working from home simply wears off over time. See Exhibit A:
We get it. And because we’ve been doing this coworking thing since before the pandemic, we thought we’d offer up some rational, evidence-based talking points for those who are ready to approach their bosses about the benefits of investing in a coworking membership for their employees.
1. A Coworking Membership Can Save Your Company (Even More) Money
Companies that bid farewell to their office leases during the pandemic have been basking in some serious savings due to factors beyond reduced rent—in August, the research firm Global Workplace Analytics found that for every employee who works remotely for two or three days per week, companies can save up to $11,000 per year due to increased productivity and lower absenteeism and turnover.
This is great news, of course, but when shifting to a WFH model, one of the biggest headaches—for both employees and employers—is figuring out who pays for what when it comes to basic office expenses beyond your favorite gel pens—think bigger-ticket items like WiFi and IT troubleshooting. Thankfully, coworking spaces provide these office luxuries, sans tedious expense tracking. All of ALX Community’s membership tiers include fast and reliable WiFi, generous copying and printing credits, and friendly tech support, wrapped into one simple fee starting at $199 a month. You could tell your boss, “Considering the average cost of WiFi alone in Alexandria is $100/month, that membership fee is quite the steal.” Ok, maybe don’t say exactly that, but you understand the assignment.
2 – Coworking Can Enhance Employee Growth & Team Building
Just because a company’s team members no longer interact in person doesn’t mean team building is a lost cause. In fact, team building becomes even more crucial when employees are remote, and natural opportunities for fostering camaraderie like shared lunch breaks and happy hours simply don’t exist. If your company is small, one of our private offices or suites is an instant facilitator of the kind of daily interactions once enjoyed in a traditional office setting.
Coworking also offers more formal opportunities for team building. In lieu of sponsored activities with an external facilitator (think corporate retreats with icebreakers and day-long meetings), our member programming—such as our TALX series featuring local leaders and experts—create unique opportunities for both individual and team growth, with the added perk of expanding business endeavors via the networking energy that’s simply inherent to coworking. Try to expand their horizons by saying, “Our next big {opportunity/partnership/sale/hire – whatever best applies to your work!} could come from connections made in the space!”
3 – It Leads to Increased Employee Retention—and Happiness
Back in 2015, the Harvard Business Review published findings from a Stanford research study showing that over the course of nine months, employees who worked from home had 50 percent less staff turnover and were 17 percent more productive—to the tune of almost one full work day per week—when compared to their in-office counterparts.
On the flipside, however, this same study found that half of the WFH participants decided to return to the office once the study was over due to feelings of loneliness. Today, for companies that are without a physical office to return to, employee isolation remains a challenge. Maybe you feel that your job performance is being negatively impacted by the work-from-home blues. Let your boss know, “My mental health would benefit from the social component of a coworking environment.”
4 – Dogs
That is all.*
*We kid! Sort of! ALX Community is very stoked to be a dog-friendly workplace. We suggest just sending this gif and letting Piper’s soulful eyes be the final nudge your boss needs to schedule a tour and learn more about a coworking membership today!