Although the concept of coworking emerged with the hackerspaces of Berlin in the 1990s, the first coworking space was founded in 2005 in San Francisco by a guy named Brad Neuberg.

While the hackerspaces were similar, Neuberg’s vision of coworking is much closer to what it is today: a workspace dedicated to supporting independent workers, providing them with enough community and shared resources to help them thrive.

Why Do People Thrive in a Coworking Environment?

If you are a remote worker or a freelancer, you might think you can work from anywhere. As long as you have an internet connection, you can work, and all is right with the world.

However, if you are still working from home or the local coffee shop, you also know that there are inherent obstacles to getting your work done. Distractions, noise, and the lack of privacy are a detriment to quality work, but working alone isn’t the answer either. It can get lonely, and you might pine for the days where your coworkers were just on the other side of the cubicle.

These reasons—all of them—are why people like you thrive in a coworking space. You have access to a desk or seating that is conducive to work. There’s always lightning-fast internet, state-of-the-art office equipment, and best of all, it costs a fraction of what a traditional office does.

What makes a coworking space so magical? One word: community.

Just as Brad Neuberg was searching for a meaningful connection, we all need to feel like we’re not alone.

As a solo worker, you might feel disconnected and maybe a little discouraged because you work and communicate almost exclusively online. There is no teamwork, camaraderie, collaboration, and no culture, no networking, no meetings, no way to tell if you are doing great work or if you’re just flailing. And if you are—flailing, that is—there’s nobody to help you get back on track.

Community and culture are just as important as skills and experience in terms of driving results. Just because you are working on your own doesn’t mean this is not true for you, too.

Even if they aren’t working on the same projects or for the same company, studies show that coworkers are more likely to thrive than those who choose to work from home. Coworkers see their work as more meaningful, and they feel a strong sense of identity with the community, although they remain autonomous.

In fact, working with people who are engaged in different kinds of work can make your own identity stronger. Case in point, interactions in a coworking space often revolve around describing what we do, and this activity alone makes our work more exciting and unique.

As a bonus, there are no office politics to navigate, no bad managers, and no pressure to adopt a “work persona” so that you’ll fit in.

In the end, coworkers thrive because they have everything they need—beyond fast internet and desk space—to do so.

Are you thinking about joining a coworking space? Reach out today to learn more or drop by for a tour if you’re in the Weston area.