We recently participated in an #InsideDenver Twitter chat, hosted by Blake Communications and Heinrich Marketing, that was focused on the growth of co-working spaces in Denver. Co-working spaces are certainly a rapidly growing trend, and the chat brought together a group of people who all have a unique perspective on what is behind this growth, the unique advantages of these spaces, and how co-working will continue to evolve.
But as we suspected, the conversation grew from a discussion about co-working spaces, to a larger discussion around how people are working differently today and how many professionals are benefitting from adopting a more flexible work style.
We’re certainly no strangers to this discussion. We have spent the past few years conducting research that has revealed a number of surprising things about modern workers. They all have one thing in common – the conventions of working are changing and people are trading in the 9 to 5 desk for a more mobile and flexible approach.
This research was further confirmed by this discussion of Denver professionals, with many claiming that alternative workspaces fill a gap in the professional community. People are flocking to these locations for their ability to foster creativity, drive networking, and fuel growth.
Here are a few of the standout tweets from the chat that offer unique insight on the attraction of alternative workspaces:
A3: from a startups perspective, we believe #collaboration leads to #innovation. #coworking provides that vehicle! #InsideDenver
— MedPassage (@medpassage) August 14, 2013
A2: Denver is a economically vibrant, highly collaborative hub to live, work, play and grow or incubate your business. #InsideDenver
— Create Denver (@CreateDenver) August 14, 2013
People value their time, so convenience and a fit with the feel of the workspace is most important to many #insideDenver
— Thrive At Lodo (@ThriveAtLoDo) August 14, 2013
To all current college students out there interested in startups: get to a #coworking space ASAP and network. #InsideDenver
— MedPassage (@medpassage) August 14, 2013
A3: Coworking has an annual growth rate of nearly 100% for five straight years in the nation: http://t.co/EYkVzTv9UC #InsideDenver
— Create Denver (@CreateDenver) August 14, 2013
A2 Lifestyle! We are very focused on that in CO and that is extending to the workplace for both entrepr and employees #insideDenver
— lisa mcalister (@LisaMcAlister) August 14, 2013
It’s no surprise to us that more people are embracing the flexible working culture. With more and more people looking to work on their own terms, we think that alternative workspaces like co-working spaces, virtual offices and shared workspaces will only continue to grow in popularity.
So tell us, what’s your take on the growth of these alternative spaces? What do you think is driving their growth? Tweet us at @IntelligentOfc and let us know!