According to Mental Health America – a U.S. non-profit centered on mental health and well-being – one in four Americans describe themselves as “super stressed.”
Managing relationships, heavy workloads, family responsibilities, and long commute times leave little time for many of us to cultivate balanced and healthy habits.
For employers, high stress levels among employees translates into lower productivity, poorer concentration, depression, irritability, and weakened immune systems.
When team members can balance life and work responsibilities in a healthy way, they are more productive, use fewer sick days, and are more likely to stay in their jobs.
What you may not know is that coworking centers support a healthy work-life balance for your team. Coworking centers that facilitate remote or hybrid work approaches can increase employee well-being and provide team members with greater flexibility that ultimately leads to a better balance between work and home life.
Earlier this year, a report published in the Harvard Business Review found that 64% of workers feel working from a coworking center is more socially fulfilling than working from an office.
The same survey found that 67% of workers prefer working from a coworking space over working from home.
Coworking centers provide opportunities for social interaction that aren’t as possible with remote work or even a traditional office setting. Research indicates that employee engagement and motivation are closely tied to a sense of belonging and connection with others, which is much easier to achieve in a coworking space.
Check out these five ways coworking centers support a healthy work-life balance.
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Flexible Options Support a Healthy Work-Life Balance
The flexible nature of coworking centers naturally supports a healthy work-life balance for employees. Coworking centers such as those offered by Carr Workplaces boast flexible, all-inclusive workplace options that allow you as a business owner to lease different types of workspaces on an as needed basis for the short-term or long-term.
Let your team members choose from a plethora of workspace options available at our coworking centers, including private offices, team spaces, and Dedicated Desks and Touchdown Desks.
Flexibility with physical office space means you can easily accommodate a variety of work options such as job sharing, hybrid work, condensed work weeks, and flex work schedules. All of these flexible work options are associated with higher rates of employee happiness and productivity.
Traditional office space can’t compete with the flexibility offered by coworking centers. In a traditional office rental, you wouldn’t be able to add or subtract workspace from your lease without incurring significant expenses.
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Reduced Commuting Times and Stress
Since 2006, Americans’ overall commute time has increased by 10 percent with the average worker spending nearly an hour each day just getting to and from their job. Nearly 10% of commuters spend more than an hour each day on their commutes.
During the height of the pandemic, American workers gained 60 million hours of their time back by not traveling to and from an office on the daily. As a result of the pandemic, many workers now are less tolerant of long commutes and place higher value on their physical and mental health.
As a business owner, you can easily offer team members options such as flex schedules or hybrid or remote work to reduce or even eliminate commute times. Our nationwide network of upscale coworking centers can easily accommodate these flexible work options.
When your team spends less time on the road, they’re more likely to be on time, productive, and focused when working. Lower commute stress also translates into higher job satisfaction, better moods, and better overall mental and physical health.
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Coworking Centers Offer Customizable Workplace Options
Another way that coworking centers support a healthy work-life balance is with the customizable, varied workspace options they offer your team members.
Research studies have found that employee engagement and job satisfaction are positively correlated with workplace satisfaction. At all Carr Workplaces coworking centers, you can choose from a variety of workspace options to suit the needs of your individual team members.
Our coworking centers include private offices with your own four walls and lockable doors that are perfect for employees who require a dedicated quiet space to do their best work. Private offices — and all Carr Workplaces workspaces — can be leased by the day, week, or month, which supports flexible and varied schedules.
If some of your team members prefer working around colleagues, consider our move-in ready team spaces that include office space and open collaboration space. Similar to our private offices, our team spaces feature lockable doors and 24/7 access.
For your employees who are only in the office occasionally or who prefer working in a social atmosphere, consider Touchdown Desks or Dedicated Desks. Touchdown and Dedicated Desks also are ideal for team members with unpredictable schedules or flex schedules.
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Coworking Reduces Loneliness
“Remote work can be isolating, and it can be difficult to connect with other employees without the informal interactions that are common when working in a shared onsite workspace, like you get in the workplace,” says Caitlin Duffy, research director in Gartner’s HR department.
However, most remote workers don’t want to work from a traditional office Monday through Friday, either. Of course, working from home comes with its own distractions and drawbacks, which is why coworking centers have become increasingly popular in recent years.
“Among these ‘third space’ options, coworking sites show special promise for solving employee loneliness,” says Constance Hadley, a Boston University organizational psychologist. “People are creatively solving their loneliness issues by finding a pseudo-office in third spaces, which include coworking sites. These third spaces are more socially fulfilling than working from the office or from home.”
Hadley teamed up with several other researchers to survey over 800 U.S. employees during the spring of 2022. Survey respondents reported that they viewed coworking centers as relaxed but welcoming communities.
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Coworking Centers’ Centralized Locations, Rich On-Site Amenities
Carr Workplaces’ coworking centers are strategically located in areas close to everything you and your team need for work and for life outside of work.
That means if you or your team members need to stop at Whole Foods on the way home, shop for a birthday gift, meet a spouse for dinner after a meeting, or pick up something for life outside of work, you won’t have to venture far.
Our coworking centers are situated in neighborhoods with loads of high-end restaurants, shopping, and entertainment nearby. Carr Workplaces locations also include on-site concierge staff members who can provide recommendations on the best spots in the neighborhood.
Coworking centers often include on-site amenities, as well, to help team members achieve a healthy work-life balance. As a Carr Workplaces client, you and your team will enjoy access to on-site fitness centers, community cafés, and networking events.
It’s worth noting that our coworking centers are located in highly walkable neighborhoods, too, which makes it easy for your team members to get in their steps, grab some fresh air in between meetings, and/or squeeze in some outdoor time when they need it.
To learn more about Carr Workplaces’ nationwide coworking centers, call us at (866) 982-5803.
Explore “Building Community: How Coworking Spaces At Carr Workplaces Are More Than Just A Place To Work.”
