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One of the major areas I was unsure of when I first started working remotely a few years back was if I should go down the home office route or move forward with a coworking space. My job was lucky enough in that it was flexible if I decided to choose one over the other but it took me a while to figure out what works best for me.
Working from home is better than utilising coworking spaces if you work from home on a regular basis. Working from home will keep you more focused, productive and help keep any sensitive data you handle as a part of your role under wraps. That being said using a mix of both home working and co working space is a fantastic option to get the benefits of both
So which is better, working from home or coworking spaces? And how exactly can you do both together? Keep reading to find out more!
(Just a heads up a lot of people reading my blog are in the process of designing their own home office. If you want to save some of the painstaking time I did in designing my office, you can find my recommended products here)
Working from home vs coworking space
Let’s face it.
Both home working or using coworking spaces are fantastic options to help get you out the office.
I mean I don’t know about you but I would much rather be in charge of my own schedule then having to get into the office at a set time.
With more of us working from home (in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic) a lot of us are now asking which one is better.
Working from home is a much better option for remote workers than working from a coworking space.
Working from a home office gives you complete control of your environment, diary and also gives you the peace of mind to work comfortably. Whilst coworking spaces are a great option to get out of the house and get some of the social time you may be missing working from home, more often than not you may find yourself distracted.
The best option would be a split of both so you get the benefits of being productive whilst also looking after your wellbeing. A split of 3-4 days of working from home and 1-2 days of working from a coworking space are both great options.
Now if you are still making up your mind about what option works for you (after all, your day to day work life may be drastically different to others) so to help, I’ve created a table below comparing the two
| Factor | Working from home |
Coworking space |
| Timings | Working from home at any time | At the times your home working space is open. |
| Cost | $1000 in total for a clean professional home office | Between $200 to $400 per month per person |
| Productivity | 16.8 days more productive than office based workers. | 16.8 days more productive than office based workers, unless you speak with people then this is likely to be less. |
| Social aspects | None unless you make the effort to invite over colleagues and friends and set up video calls | Easy to interact with other people face to face, all of whom think alike. |
| Sensitive data | Able to work with sensitive data so long as you do not share the office | Potential security issues with more eyes on what it is you are doing. |
| Work life balance | Full control of your work life balance | Full control of your tasks but it needs to be done during the opening times of your office. |
| Roles | All roles that do not require you to be in person can be done from home | Certain roles such as cyber security or making sales calls might not be beneficial for this. |
| Pandemic/ external events | Open unless there are problems with your home. | Closed during pandemics and other external events such as national holiday |
Let’s explore these options below and see which comes out on top.
Timings
One of the major benefits of working from home is that you can work pretty much any time you want, giving you the ability to balance your responsibilities. This is beneficial for those of us who have a hard time getting up in the morning or who are more productive later on in the day.
The majority of coworking spaces are now opening up to longer out of work hours, meaning you can use these at different times to help with your schedule. That being said a lot of coworking spaces have set hours typically based around normal work hours meaning that you might not get everything done you may have wanted to.
The winner: Working from home
Costs
Another major factor us remote workers have to face when working from home are the costs associated with it.
After all, most of us will be saving money on a commute so why would we want to replace this cost with another.
The main costs associated with working from home mainly include bills such as internet, electricity and the cost of setting up a dedicated place to work.
This typically falls in a monthly cost of about £50 with the cost of setting up an office being a one time figure of around £1000 for a decent workspace (we’ll talk more about what a home office should consist of later)
The major cost of a coworking space will be the cost of using the shared office space and can typically cost between $200 – $400 per month. Think of this as a mini rent if you decide to use a coworking space every day.
The good news for both of these though is that if you work for an employer, some of these expenses can be written off as work expenses.
The winner: working from home
Productivity
One of the major things that managers worry about for there remote working staff is a drop in productivity. Whilst the evidence shows we are much more productive, there is still the unspoken rule that when you work remotely you can be seen as slacking.
Which of the two options are better at being productive.
Remote workers who work from a home office currently work 16.8 days more per year then their office based counterparts. They often take fewer breaks and work longer hours that are permitted to them, being able to get more work done.
Working from a shared workspace will also give the benefit of working 16.8 days per year although this may be slightly less if you are the type of person who gets distracted with others.
In reality though this difference is pretty much negligible
The winner: both
Social Aspects
One of the major problems us remote workers have is the habit of not getting a lot of social interaction in, causing an increase in the feelings of isolation.
For remote workers who work from home this is definitely a problem with around 45% of people working from home showing increased signs of loneliness then those who work around people. With working from home leading to a breakdown of the work life balance it can be very difficult to build up any form of social life without a concerted effort to do so.
Coworking spaces are fantastic options to socialize when working remotely, It’s there biggest strength. Getting social interactions in will boost your wellbeing making you feel better and more content in your role.
The winner: Coworking space
Sensitive data
At one point or another you will have to handle sensitive data for your role. It could be as simple as a contacts name all the way to financial information both your organisation
If you are looking at this content on a regular basis it is good to weigh up your different options.
Working from home is the best option if your role requires a lot of sensitive information such as financial records or customer data you do not want to share. This is because you are in complete control of your environments and bear any potential IT issues like viruses, you should safely be able to access this data without much issue.
If you work in a coworking space, managing sensitive data will be more difficult with you having to be constantly aware of who is around you and if you are breaching any terms of employment by sharing the contact out loud.
In both situations then it’s important to speak with your informations security team
The winner: working from home
Work life balance
If you work from home your work life balance may be more destructive. Whilst you will be in control of your diary, you will work longer than normal employees, eating into your day for you to do other activities such as chores and socialising.
Working from a co-working space then is the best option for a strong work life balance as they are only open for set hours during the day, forcing you to go home and shut off.
The winner: coworking space.
Roles
Working from home is suitable for almost any role so long as it requires internet access. So jobs like sales, accounting, psychology finance can all be done from the comfort of your own home.
Working from a coworking space will also allow you to do any role that requires internet access but you may be more limited if your role requires that you share sensitive data or make highly sensitive calls. Roles like lawyers, solicitors or anything medical focused might not be suitable if you work from a co working space.
There are some roles that will not be suitable for either coworking or home working which include:
- Manufacturing
- Retail
- Any role that requires you to be in person
The winner: working from home
Pandemic/External events
If 2020 taught us anything it’s that the world of work is as unpredictable as ever. Climate change, the pandemic and shifting work patterns mean that the way ionw which you work may soon change permanently and we need to be prepared.
Working from home is fairly flexible when it comes to external events so long as these events don’t affect your home such as earthquakes, flooding or general damage to your house.
Coworking spaces also have to deal with these external issues but will be more prone to significant events such as being closed on holidays like Christmas or bank holidays.
The winner: working from home
The verdict
With a win of 5-2 working from home is the best option for remote working which allows you to stay productive and is more versatile than co workings.
That being said a nice balance of both is the best option where you balance both working from home and home working on a day to day basis.
Where should you work from home?
He best option to work from home from
The best place to put your home office if you decide to work from home would be in a loft. If you have a loft conversion, not only can this be a fantastic place away from the rest of the house, setting up a clear work life balance, it can also increase your house value by 20%.
If you are unable to fit your home office in a loft or you don’t have one, a spare living room works best.
Upstairs bedrooms are also a great option to put your home office in however be mindful that if you make any permanent changes to your upstairs bedroom such as knocking down walls or reducing the size so it can no longer fit in a bed then I would avoid this as it can cause a reduction in your home.
If you live in a small apartment or studio and don’t have the room for a office then aim to use one corner of your living space, preferably positioned away from distractions like you TV as a study space – using items like the ones I recommend here can be a great option to not eat into your living space too much and have your office match.
I would also avoid putting a home office in your main living room or even worse – bathroom. This just doesn’t make any sense
To find out more about the best room to put your home office in you can check out this blog post here.
Should you set up a home office?
So now we know where to work from. What should you do to set up a home office?
In my opinion all home offices need the following in order to keep you focused:
You can find out more information about what exactly to look out for on my recommended gear page but the ones I’ve linked to above are my personal favorite – all are available globally and don’t break the bank whilst still giving you the biggest bang for your book.
Where are the different places you can cowork from?
So if you’ve decided to opt forward with a coworking space, where are some good options to work from?
After all there are thousands of options out there varying in price so which one works best?
The first thing you need to do is ask yourself the following questions:
- What is your budget for coworking space
- How often do you intend to use the space every day
- Do you want a space with different people or would you like a space with people specific in your industry
- Are you willing to travel? If so how far
Once you’ve answered those I would look on Facebook or Linkedin first. This is because they often show free coworking spaces close to you.
Failing that I would have a look on Spaceworks.com, Squarefoot or of course weworkremotley.com ( the market leader) – all of which are directory sites ( think of your old school yellow pages book) that have thousands of coworking spaces you can tailor to find your space.
The following five were a few co working spaces/sites that caught my eyes in the USA:
- Union co-work
- Alkaloid (based in Atlanta)
- HUB Sarasota ( based in Florida)
- Serendipity labs ( 8 locations)
- Techspace ( 9 locations)
What are the benefits of working from home
Working from home has a huge number of benefits but the main ones include:
- Increased productivity – remote workers work 16.9 days more than their office based counterparts meaning you will get a lot more done working from home
- In charge of your own schedule – Working from home also gives you the ability to be in charge of your schedule, don’t feel like working 8 hours in one go, then why not take a break, you get the ability to decide.
- Design your own office – working from home allows you to set up your dream office that suits your personality, a fan of superheroes, why not get a batman statue as the centerpiece of your office, it really is your choice and you can design your office for the task or hobbies that you will use it for
- Designated workspace – having a designated home office will allow you to not get distracted. Think about it, working from a living room with a TV or radio it’s only a matter of time before you get the urge to want to watch some. Having a designated office nips this in the bud.
What are the benefits of coworking
Coworking has a ton of benefits, especially for remote workers including:
- Better social life – The biggest thing coworking spaces have is an improved social life over working from home, you will be sharing the space with like minded people with the ability to get their perspective on things.
- Networking – With all these social interactions also come networking opportunities, it’s one of the reasons why so many entrepreneurs use coworking spaces. The talent pool is huge and you may just find yourself getting recruited for your dream job!
- Cheaper for business – if you are a business owner you might find that coworking spaces are actually a fair bit cheaper per month then the cost of renting out your own bespoke office; this is great if you are in the early days of setting up your own office.
- Change of scenery – coworking spaces are often decorated with creativity in mind – as such unlike home offices which can get stale day after day you can have a nice change of scenery with a coworking space
What are the problems of working from home
Now like everything in life working from home, from a home office also has a number of drawbacks, I found the the main problems are as follows:
- Isolation – the biggest problem that remote workers have when working from home is isolation. Around 45% of home workers feel isolated and lonely when compared to only 25% of normal workers
- Lack of boundaries – working from home means that your work and personal life will be merged together and if not managed correctly, you will find that boundaries will start to be crossed, working longer hours and not doing enough to take a break away from work
- Weight gain – being at home means that you will gain weight in the first few weeks as you are at home. It takes a lot of motivation and focus to watch what you eat when you are surrounded from home so ensure you know what you eat.
What are the problems of coworking
Coworking also has a number of issues when working from home including:
- Cost – the cost of coworking is a lot more expensive than just working from home with some coworking spaces costing as much as $1000 per month
- Time – you do not have complete control of your own diary from coworking spaces having to work in them during the hours that said offices are open for.
- Distraction – working from a coworking space means you are likely to be a lot more distracted than you would working from a home office with conversations that are unproductive to your role likely to interrupt your workflow, with a lack of privacy for sensitive work.
Can you invite your colleagues along to coworking?
Some coworking spaces do allow you to bring your friends.colleagues along whereby you only have to pay for one organisation. That being said more often than not each person who uses a coworking space will need to pay to use the facilities of the coworking space
Can you invite your colleagues along to work from home?
Inviting your colleagues or friends to work from home with you from your home office can be a fantastic option to keep you productive whilst also getting some social time when working from home.
To find out more about this I’ve actually written a blog post which you can find out more about here.
What is working from home?
Working from home is a type of flexible working scheme that employers put in place that allows for their employees to work from home during their work week. This can allow for their employees to either work from home full time or split up their work week between the office and working from home.
What is coworking?
Coworking is a type of work in which remote workers use a shared workspace to work from as opposed to working from home. This is particularly popular in entrepreneurial environments and for people who bounce off like minded people in order to do their jobs successfully.
What businesses benefits from home working?
All businesses that don’t require their employees to have a face to face function ( such as retail) can benefit from their employees working from home.
The work environment is changing and as more millennials and gen x’ers enter the workplace they expect greater flexibility when it comes to the roles they choose. Having a work from home policy can greatly improve staff attraction and retention by boosting an organisation employer value proposition.
What businesses benefit from coworking space?
Start up businesses in the software space tend to benefit the most from coworking spaces ( think app and software developers) this is because often the pool of talent is a lot easier to find making hiring for new roles a lot easier.
Best practices of coworking
If you do decide to opt for a co working space the following are 5 rules I would follow to ensure you have the biggest amount of success possible:
- Set yourself a regular hours work day when you will work and don’t go over them
- Aim to only do work that is not sensitive in nature
- Make the effort to speak with people, the social benefits of coworking are the biggest thing it has going for it so make sure you are speaking with those around you
- Consider changing your coworking space if you do not feel comfortable in the first one you choose.
- Respect the space of others around you, that means no smelly food, don’t talk too loudly and respect other people’s boundaries.
Best practices of working from home
On my remote working journey I’ve found that working from home or from a home office also comes with a couple of best practices:
- Stop work when you would normally finish in an office
- Ensure you go out during your lunch break to get some fresh air in and break up your day
- Set up a designated workspace like a home office (you can find my gear here)
- Get dressed in the morning for work
- Communicate regularly with your managers
What do the studies say on home working?
So what do the studies on home working say, I’ve compiled a list of three of the most important ones below:
| Study | Findings |
| Airtasker | Employees who work from home, work 16.8 days more per year then their office based counterparts |
| Stanford | Employees who worked from home worked one day more per year then traditional workers |
| University of Texas | Blue is the best color to paint your home office which has been linked with further increased productivity. |
What do the studies say about coworking?
Coworking spaces also have their own studies – the following three i found are the most important
| Study | Findings |
| Garrett et al | Cowroking gives employees a better sense of community then working from home |
| Harvard business review | Working from a coworking spaces gives employees a sense of professional more so then just working from home |
| Robelski et al | Employees who work from a coworking space are healthier and usually have better mental health than those who are solely remote workers. |
Wrapping this up
So to summarize, in the battle between working from home and coworking space, whilst working from home comes out on top from the information we have looked at today, coworking space definitely does have a benefit too and should be used as a part of your remote working journey.
My recommendation then would be to have a blend of a few days per week where you work from home and a few days per week where you work from coworking location.
Finally a lot of people reading my blog want to know what products I recommend for a home office/remote working. You can find out my recommendations here and learn how I make money whilst working remotely on the side here.
The content on this site has been written by Fehed Nicass who has over a decades worth of experience in sales and has worked remotely for the past 2 years.