More often than not, we associate bigger with better. A larger home gives us more living space, but the expenses and cost to maintain it also increases. An SUV may seem like an upgrade from a sedan, but it may not be the best choice when you factor in fuel costs (especially in 2022). And while there are positives to having a bigger home or a larger vehicle, it’s not an indicator of bigger being better—just more desirable. The same is true of coworking.
Higher Productivity
Unlike larger workspaces, which can be crowded, smaller workspaces have fewer people, making for a less distracting working environment.
Focused Networking
Much like large offices, large coworking spaces can make it challenging to get to know those who share the workspace with you. In a smaller coworking space, coworkers can spend more time getting to know one another. According to the Global Coworking Study, 85 percent of people in smaller coworking environments choose permanent desk memberships. This means you’ll get to meet more of the same people and develop more in0depth working relationships.
Relative Privacy
While coworking is a public working situation, when it’s in a smaller setting it can give an air of privacy when work areas are spacious and the layout allows for breathing room. We often overlook privacy in coworking when many consider the type of environment we want to cowork in, but it should be a priority. Smaller coworking spaces, like Work/Place, emphasize comfortably spacing each desk out to avoid packing its members in too tightly.
Member Commitment
Since larger coworking spaces emphasize hot desks over permanent desks, people who work from large spaces are more likely to have to share space with more people. A Global Coworking study also found that over 50 percent of coworkers would rather share coworking spaces with less than 20 people. Smaller coworking spaces make it easier for members to buy-in by providing an environment where work is less bustling with fewer people, which leads to fewer distractions.
Parking
One of the most overlooked and most beneficial aspects of choosing a smaller coworking space is parking. While many larger coworking spaces situate themselves in the middle of higher trafficked downtown areas, smaller coworking spaces are typically in office parks that are just as accessible but not as crowded. The last thing you’ll want on a Monday morning when traffic hasn’t gone your way is to have to fight for a parking space, or worse, have to buy another weekly parking pass. For many smaller coworking centers, parking is provided.
Access to Conference Rooms
While it’s true that larger coworking facilities have a plethora of top-of-the-line amenities, the question remains: how long does it take to gain access to them? When you’ve bumped up a scheduled meeting or needed to move a podcast recording to another time block, can larger coworking spaces accommodate sudden change? This is a perk of smaller coworking centers. When fewer people are working within the environment, it’s easy to amend schedules, negotiate a change in time, and comfortably reschedule your appointments without stress.
Yes, larger coworking spaces can offer more desk access by volume, the latest amenities, and gobs more people to interact with, but for how you want to work, is that what matters most? We believe the best coworking spaces offer a more intimate coworking environment where relationships can be built and maintained, where amenities are available when you need them most, and access to parking and an available desk are always waiting.
