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Was wondering if anyone uses/has used these before? And indeed, how they work
I work from home most days, there is an office for me to go into but it's a 2 hours drive away and it's on an industrial estate in the backend of nowhere. So really, I don't like to visit too often if I can avoid it.
However, every now and then I crave a bit of company and and I kind of miss working in a city. And given there is a rather large city 30 mins train ride away I wondered about booking a desk in an office every now and then.
I don't really want to pay any kind of subscription as I don't know if I'll like it, or how often I'll use it. But a website or app where I can book as desk somewhere, pay a daily fee and just turn up sounds quite appealing.
Does such a thing exist?
Our local rugby club started on the back of covid a Cafe come Co-working space. Enough space for 10ish folk to work from big tables and nice bacon rolls / coffee.
Been twice and it's quite nice - can happily spend a few hours working in the morning, have a coffee & bacon roll for a £5 then home for lunch. Last time I went, I got a cold from the other user sniffling away on the other side of the room so not been back.
Yes they do. We have a few around central belt that the various charitable organisations run. One of my team also makes use of one in Moray most weeks, and a (dispersed) larger team we have use one twice a month for the whole team to work from and have a meeting in Walsall.
@matt_outandabout, don't suppose you have a link or an idea of where to find such places? I've found WeWork and BlueDesks but they seem to be corporate office space.
Something with a bit more "character" might be nice!
There's a couple of cafes near me that offer that sort of facility - dedicated workspace rather than just "a table in a cafe). I used one once (went with a couple of friends) and it was OK but I missed the double-screen setup and desk space.
Was fine for basic stuff like emails but as soon as it got more involved, I wanted to be back in my home office or actually at work (which like yours is a 2hr journey, I go 1 day a week usually).
Interested to know more about these too, I loved WFH during Covid as the office in the company I was with at the time was small, filled with developers using loud mechanical keyboards so was a sensory nightmare, the coffee sucked, it was in the middle nowhere and the common theme of discussion was either people talking at you about themselves in one-way conversations, football or computer games neither of which I share an interest in so I didn't really gel with anyone in the 4 years I was there.
Fast forward to now I've been going in 1-2 days a week with my current company and I actually enjoy going in to a degree as I work with good people who I get on well with and have made a few friends but I've just handed my notice in due to the corporate decisions being made no longer align with what I want out of a job, so I'm starting this new role next month which is fully remote, more aligned with what I enjoy doing but this company have no office presence but do provide a co-working space allowance.
I think I'll be fine fully remote but I will miss working with friends and have wondered about a co-working location with regulars, trying out a few until I find people I gel with.
it was OK but I missed the double-screen setup and desk space.
Was fine for basic stuff like emails but as soon as it got more involved, I wanted to be back in my home office
This. Still, as you say, nice to get some company even if it means being less efficient
it was OK but I missed the double-screen setup and desk space.
Was fine for basic stuff like emails but as soon as it got more involved, I wanted to be back in my home office
Completely get this. I have a good set-up at home and wouldn't want to do all my days away from it. But the odd day here and there when I can concentrate on less taxing work it quite appeals.
Interested too. Love that I work from.home but can feel very isolated. Office is 2 hours away too in the middle of nowhere.
Talk nicely to a local pub or cafe? Maybe go with a friend or colleague.
@lunge - I will go dig up the Walsall space, but the Findhorn Hive is the place in Moray.
SCVO - https://scvo.scot/services/workspace
Stirling - https://www.thisiscodebase.com/stirling
A colleague of mine uses one near her occasionally (Suffolk). I used to be based at a WeWork, and wouldn't want to go in as an individual (as opposed to being part of a team).
I just googled 'co working spaces near me' and found a decent looking independent in the next town along, with various payment options.
My cousin works as a translator in Germany. She translate technical documents, a pet lonely job. For the post 10 years she has been sharing a co working space with about 10 others, All unrelated in their work. There is a sales person, an artist, an author, a kitchen designer, a couple of random middle managers and a coffee importer (the last person being the most important) They all absolutely love it. When they get a new person in they put them on a4 week trial.
So I can't help you, unless if you want to move to northern Germany.
In big cities like London maybe a bit of searching on google maps near the main stations. My brother used to get the sleeper down to London from glasgow and work with clients in a space near Kings Cross then get the sleeper home in the evening.
libraries might well have spaces (the nearest space to me is a dedicated space in the local library), community and arts organisations will often have some sort of set up that helps them cover their costs, local enterprise agencies might have something organised. There might also be something industry / sector specific so the people you’re fraternising with have similar needs and interests. Being someone who works in arts and media for instance there’s a hot desk / co-working space I can use near me for people working in factual television and there’s one at a sculpture workshop facility.
I explored these in a previous role but never came up with anything affordable. I suffered really badly from loneliness which is why I ultimately changed jobs. I wish I could have found something under 30 bob a day.
I used one pre COVID when I was contracting. Nice trendy building with good facilities. Right mix of people round me in very different roles and everyone was nice. We did some social stuff together.
This is who I used
So, did some searching last night.
It seems WeWork and BluDesk are the 2 biggest providers.
Local to me there are desks available on a daily rate at about £20 per day, that seems to get you a desk, WiFi and some coffee if you're lucky. No upfront fees, although subscribing does get you a better rate.
I think I might try it in the next week or 2.
Our local eco-shop (run by an STW member no less) does this kind of thing, worth remembering not to only look for the chains and see if there are any indies.
https://www.lentilsandlather.co.uk/marple-space
. I wish I could have found something under 30 bob a day
This is the issue, I have quite fancied the idea and I understand why a company would need to charge £30+ a day but to pay that out of taxed income is just no affordable
This is the issue, I have quite fancied the idea and I understand why a company would need to charge £30+ a day but to pay that out of taxed income is just no affordable
I wonder if theres a way employers could pay for co-working space on some sort of salary sacrifice basis. So that the cost is covered by pre-taxed rather post-tax income and would cover VAT as well maybe.
Same situation for me. Any STWers in South Wales/South West want to meet up for work let me know 🙂
I am not in a position to book a commercial office space, I just go for a walk to Costa usually, but even that gets old.
What I can add is that I definitely recommend it. My productivity is way better when I’m around other people working - monkey see monkey do.
Have you tried Hubble as a way to find places? https://hubblehq.com/
Seem to have a mix of small indies and medium size providers, but no big ones like wework.
Have used Regus in the past when travelling, but they are too corporate for a regular change of scenery.
Don't forget about the humble library (outside exam times) - esp if you have a university or specialist research library near you to which you can get a card.
@lunge, any uni's locally? Cambridge has a campus with an open office space in for example. I think it's on the West road site. Never used it, but have heard it's pretty good via the local reddit sub.
A guy I know works in the local Pret a Manger cafe a couple of mornings a week and there are a few regulars. Pret do a subscription which allows five drinks per day and seems designed to encourage people to use it as a work base.
https://www.pret.co.uk/en-GB/club-pret
Another guy is a member at David Lloyd gyms which have a cafe space with wifi that can be used to work from.
I am considering the latter option as being able to have a swim or exercise class before or after work seems attractive.
I started working remotely in April and am struggling with it. My line manager is a techie who has been promoted to be a manager along with other responsibilities and he does not really do the management piece at all. I have had no 1-2-1 meetings and when I have contacted him he has given the impression that I am a nuisance. I had concerns about him during the interview process and in retrospect I should have not joined.
Talking to a local company about a role with them so hopefully will be back in an office a short bike commute away soon.
In the office tomorrow but I've forgotten how to speak to people without a Jabra speaker in front of me.