Work in peace

Gurnaaz Kaur

The world of work is witnessing a paradigm shift. Startup bug has bitten the young and old alike, which means a need for office space and that translates into high investment of capital and time. But none of it ensures fixed returns or success of the newly formed business.

There is a segment in the market that understands this risk and has established the concept of co-working spaces. “Co-working is the buzzword these days. It is attracting all kinds of businesses. Earlier, freelancers and startups found it a great proposition but these days even mainstream industries are banking on it. We have our presence in 110 countries and I can say one thing for sure, these flexible workspaces have brought a sea of changes in the economics of running a business,” opines Harsh Lambah, country manager of Regus, one of the world’s largest providers of outsourced workspaces.

After getting success with its first office space in the Industrial Area, Chandigarh, it has now launched its second centre in Sector-17, Chandigarh.

Such spaces according to him promote community building, one of the core requirement of any business—big or small.

“We are just not providing an office but also an opportunity to collaborate with like-minded people to further your work and form a community. For a traditional office, one would have to deal with landlords, pay brokerage, give a security deposit, sign up for a lock-in period. After all this is done, there will be technical issues to take care of, manage the supporting staff, arrange for security etc. By joining a co-working space, you free yourself from all these commitment and focus entirely on your work goals and targets,” he says.

There is no doubt that co-working model comes with many benefits. From giving you an office address, to ensuring the space is well-maintained, there’s everything that one needs in an office- hassle free. These offices are also a hit among the millennials for the informal, relaxed environment they provide. The vibrant designs, common hangout places, open, communicative culture has proven to work for them more than the conventional offices.

“It also provides them with a platform to learn what’s happening where, be up-to-date with the latest and that can be quite motivating.”

One can rent the space for one day or one month; choose to work out of a cabin or open space or just use a meeting room- it’s all tailor-made and there are plans to suit all kinds of requirement.

By enabling this ease and flexibility, this plug-and-play model is surely a win-win situation for the user as well as the provider and no doubt an in thing too.