Coworking and particularly dedicated desks are gaining a lot of attention in the modern world of work.
Despite a major setback thanks to the global health crisis, coworking is expected to bounce back stronger than ever. With coworking becoming commonplace over the next decade you’ll need to know what it’s all about and how it can benefit you. This article is a great place to start.
In this article, we’ll look at dedicated desks and what they offer the coworking world. Specifically, we’ll cover:
- What is a dedicated desk?
- What are the benefits?
- Do I need one?
And much more…
Let’s get started.
Dedicated desk meaning
Wait… What is a dedicated desk you might be asking.
Dedicated desks are workstations that are… you guessed it, dedicated to you. You don’t have to share them with anyone else like you do with hot desks (another type of desk available in coworking space). You have your own space.
These coworking spaces offer a more permanent solution. They offer workers the best of both coworking and traditional office space.
Pros of dedicated desks
Dedicated desks have a number of pros such as:
Cheaper than traditional office space
Whilst dedicated desks offer a similar environment to a traditional office, it comes at a much-reduced rate. This is because the cost is shared out between your coworkers.
There are generally no long term contracts with dedicated desks, you will pay monthly, weekly or even daily. This is great if you hate being tied into long term contracts of a year or more as with traditional office space.
Your own space & privacy
With dedicated desks, you get your own space which is uniquely yours. You don’t have to share the workstation with anyone else. That means you’re able to leave your belongings at the location and set up the desk exactly how you want it.
Whereas hot desks are social environments with lots of chatter, dedicated desks are generally tucked away in quieter locations. This allows you to get on with tasks that need 100% concentration.
Traditional perks of coworking space
Dedicated desks will usually have all the amenities of traditional office space including showers, cafes parking and bike storage.
At the majority of coworking locations, you’ll also have access to ultra-fast WiFi and other top-notch infrastructure to ensure you can get down to work.
Where can you find dedicated desks?
So where can you find dedicated desks?
The good news is that pretty much all coworking spaces have dedicated desks available to rent. However, with the uptake in coworking, these desks do get booked up quite quickly. There’s a lot of workers after this coworking desk type due to the more permanent solution they offer.
As coworking continues to grow and more freelancers, businesses and start-ups look to take advantage of this shift in working environments you can be sure that more dedicated desks will become available in the near future.
Dedicated desks vs hot desks
So what’s the main difference between dedicated desks and hot desks? As we’ve looked at above, the key difference is that you get your own space.
Renting out a dedicated space is a more permanent solution when compared to hot desking. Coworking locations will generally have designated areas for each different desk type. So you’re likely to be working next to others in a similar dedicated space.
Dedicated desks are generally less sociable than hot desks. However, any platform in a coworking environment is more sociable than traditional office space.
Who suits a dedicated desk?
Dedicated desks are used by a wide range of people. However, the majority of workers are freelancers that stay in one location or employees from companies.
Dedicated desks are great for those who are working remotely yet don’t want the struggle of getting productive work done at home.
Whilst dedicated desks don’t offer the same networking and sociable aspects of a hot desk, they provide a mix of both worlds which suits a lot of workers very well.
Large companies like Facebook, Apple and Spotify love renting out dedicated desks for their remote employees.
Dedicated desks are great for those workers that want a more structured workspace that still offers the flexibility of coworking space.
How much do dedicated desks cost?
So what do dedicated desks cost?
As you probably know, the entire coworking industry is considerably cheaper than renting out traditional office space which we’ll take a look at below.
Dedicated desks typically sit in the middle of the coworking desks options. They’re not the cheapest out there, which is generally hot desks. However, they don’t cost as much as private offices and HQs.
Whilst the specific cost of dedicated desks will vary massively depending on location and other factors you should expect to pay at least £500 or $700 per month for a single dedicated desk.
Dedicated desks are far cheaper than traditional office space for various reasons. If you’re renting out the desk, you don’t have long term contracts to sign, there’s no need to pay for bills at the end of each month and you don’t need to pay for space that isn’t needed are just a few of the reasons.
You can pick up and drop new desk space as and when you need it which makes coworking incredibly flexible.
Coworking and dedicated desks
Overall, you can see why dedicated desks are so popular in the coworking space. They provide slightly more structure and a more permanent solution when compared to hot desks.
However, workers still get all the benefits of coworking such as cheaper costs, improved productivity and greater networking potential.
I think dedicated desks will continue to be a popular choice for professionals as more and more companies choose to work remotely.
Whether you’re a freelancer, a start-up or a 30 person company you should certainly consider dedicated desks in coworking spaces.