Carr Workplaces
Working From Home vs Working From the Office

A Modern Remote Work Guide During COVID-19

This year’s dramatically altered work environment has given way to an increasingly common misconception.

A misconception that working entirely from home or working entirely from the office is the key to total productivity.

But we say balance is best – and we have the data to back it up.

What Then, Is the Ideal Balance?

Gallup surveys have shown that, “employees who work remotely 100% of the time are among the least engaged,” of any worker. 

But fully remote workers also have the same engagement as that of employees who never work remotely and work entirely from the office. “Just 30% of employees in each [of these] groups are engaged,” writes Nate Dvorak and Junko Sasaki in Gallup’s Business Journal. 

When we say, “balance is best,” we are alluding to the utilization of a coworking space as a happy medium between both work from home and work in office approaches. 

How Will the Utilization of a Coworking Space Help?

A coworking space can breathe fresh air into your increasingly mundane work from home life, while still allowing you to enjoy the ease and convenience of working remotely and enjoying the sense of community and camaraderie that comes with an office space. 

Data has shown that allowing employees to work remotely comes with an array of benefits such as less turnover, easier recruitment, increased productivity, and increased innovation. 

Are There Still Benefits to Working Remotely?

Yes. JLL writes, “…remote workers (who work outside the office some, but not all, of the time) on average are more productive, more innovative and more engaged. Companies who have remote work policies experience less turnover and are more attractive to employees.” 

But, the spread of the novel coronavirus has seen remote work in 2020 defined as working strictly from home – which at first, seemed ideal for many but as time wore on, professional and personal life blurred into one and the same. 

Not only have many felt unfocused and unmotivated as the months wore on, some even began to experience loneliness, yearning for face-to-face communication with the coworkers that were previously everyday parts of their lives. 

If a Long-Term Modern Remote Work Approach Isn’t Just From Home, Where Is It?

We see productive professionals breaking away from their distraction-ridden households to access safe and clean shared workspaces. 

And no, this doesn’t mean that you’re back to a 24/7 ‘in-the-office’ schedule. 

In fact, using a coworking provider as your point of remote work gives you total control to shape and mold your schedule to fit your comfortability. 

With flexible terms, weekly, monthly, and longer-term plans, coworking provides the flexibility needed for healthy and productive modern remote work – while still taking days to decompress and work from the comfort of your couch. 

JLL writes, “The general consensus from numerous remote work studies is that working remotely two to three days a week allows for a balance of collaboration (at work) and concentration (at home).” 

What Other Benefits Come From Coworking?

Along with fluid time management, utilizing a coworking provider gives you ease of access to a drop-in, on-demand, or even full-time workspace – no one’s judging you for showing up to a coworking space at 11:30 am – as well as access to amenities of a serviced office, including on-site administrative support, IT services, and fully functioning business centers. 

Was a Long Commute the Bane of Your Existence?

Coworking spaces are strategically located in primary, secondary, and tertiary markets to drastically cut down on your commute time so that you can work closer to home.  

Not only are these spaces conveniently located near your house, each provider has placed health and safety at the top of their priority list. 

So, What Does the Future of Coworking Look Like?

We’ve seen the drastic evolution of the makeup of coworking spaces such as the implementation of social distancing signage, single-directional travel paths, and the total overhauls of health and safety policies to best protect clients. 

Providers have even begun to create new products that address the changing needs of productive professionals such as hybrid coworking options and flex offices. 

But above all else, a shared, coworking space for remote workers can once again foster that sense of belonging and community that we have yearned to experience once again.