In today’s day and age, nearly all working professionals have experienced what it is like to work remotely due to the pandemic’s effects on global economies. Although working from home has undoubtedly allowed businesses to continue operations and enabled employees to retain their livelihood, it is not without its shortcomings, primarily the loneliness and isolation felt by the latter group.
Thankfully, the sudden and widespread adoption of remote work paved the way for coworking spaces to become more widely recognised by many professionals and business leaders worldwide as a suitable solution to the problems associated with working from home. Coworking spaces’ rent by desk type arrangement allows freelancers and even entire organisations to find a suitable office space for lease according to their needs. Moreover, employees get to work in the company of other professionals who can add value to their work and network with them to develop mutually profitable opportunities. However, despite its advantages, some might dislike the idea of having to travel to work just to experience its benefits, especially with the pandemic still being an ongoing issue. This is where virtual coworking spaces come in, and we shall discuss all you need to know about them.
What are virtual coworking spaces?
Virtual coworking spaces are essentially coworking spaces with most of the benefits of working in such environments – minus the need to be physically present. As is evident in the name, members of virtual coworking spaces can be part of the community without being in the same place as everyone else, which means they still get the same sense of community and the advantages that come with it whenever and wherever they are.
This is made possible since most virtual coworking spaces generally employ virtual floor plans that make you feel as if you are in the same office as your colleagues. In some arrangements, you can even virtually knock on the doors of your coworkers and take part in meetings with them.
Differences between virtual and physical coworking spaces
In the traditional coworking arrangement, working individuals would have to travel to the coworking office, sit on their rented desks, interact with other professionals throughout the day, and share amenities like coffee and printing appliances. However, in a virtual coworking space, individuals can work wherever they are via internet connectivity. This means employees can work from home or even halfway across the globe, if necessary. Coworking members get to occupy a specific desk in the virtual floor plan, access virtual areas like meeting rooms and phone booths, and interact with others in a virtual environment.
Benefits of online virtual coworking spaces
1. Ability to connect with colleagues easily
The benefits of a virtual coworking space are very similar to that of a physical one, and then some. In both settings, members can easily engage and interact with other professionals in the space, effectively reducing the feelings of loneliness prevalent in working individually. Moreover, the networking opportunities remain and have even become much easier to access, but the difficulty of replicating networking events online is a slight disadvantage that evens things out. In most cases, a simple press of a button lets you connect with anyone in the virtual office, and you can see where everyone is at any moment via a virtual map.
2. View colleague’s exact location at any point in time
It is essential to highlight a unique advantage of virtual coworking over the traditional one: real-time visibility. Everyone can know what the others are working on or where they are, and this helps teams be more efficient with their time since they can determine the others’ progress and improve communications to get all members on the same page.
3. Working as one, no matter how far apart
Last but not least, one aspect that virtual coworking significantly improves on compared to regular coworking is the capacity to interact with members that are geographically distant from each other. Even if a remote team is comprised of members from different continents, they can still come together and work as one, adding an extra layer of teamwork that improves the chances of success between a remote-first workforce thanks to the seamless interaction possibilities present only in a virtual coworking space.
Conclusion
Ever since the cross-industry shift to work from home, business leaders and employees have now realised the advantages of remote work and gained a better understanding of where it falls short. Regular and virtual coworking spaces aim to address many of these issues, as well as improve the way professionals work in today’s day and age through the benefits mentioned above.
With many businesses now reverting to previous office work or adopting new working models, it is vital to determine which working arrangement works for you. If you are interested in giving coworking a try, GreenHub Singapore is here to help. We offer modern and nature-infused coworking spaces for rent, fully furnished with the office tools you need in a green environment that promotes your well-being. Drop us a call at +65 6692 8000 today and arrange for a visit to experience our offices for yourself.