Co-working spaces are basically smaller workspaces shared by more than one person. They are an ideal alternative to large offices that are prohibitively expensive to rent. They offer cheaper office space for people looking for ways to get out of the loneliness of a traditional workroom. These smaller shared workspaces often provide a suite of similar office-type amenities such as heated kitchens, private dedicated meeting rooms, buzzing desks, fax, and more.

Flexibility is another key feature. As business partners, entrepreneurs and start-up companies have differing schedules which can cause a lot of stress on getting everyone onto the same page at the same time. With this type of set-up, individuals can have the option to stay late, stay early, or call in sick as their schedule permits. They can also stay late and make changes to the plan as required without having to coordinate everyone else’s schedule. Also, co-working spaces allow employees to bring their own laptops or tablet computers to help out with projects. There is no need to bring a large workstation case with them as everything they need can be quickly taken care of at the office space itself.

The cost-saving alone of using co-working spaces to achieve these results are priceless for most employees. When employees realize that their boss will appreciate their work tenfold, they will be more inclined to want to do anything within reason to help the boss to get the job done as efficiently as possible. This also allows employees to be creative and do things that might otherwise be considered taboo within the workplace. No one wants to be the one who tells off the boss or participates in an impolite manner at work.

A final figure that comes from the use of co-working spaces is the number of new customers that are generated by these locations. No one can deny that people like having flexibility when finding a place to work. When employees are given the ability to set their own pace, they are happier and more satisfied with the work environment. People working in these types of environments are more motivated because they know that they can leave an impact on everyone who works for them.

In short, these figures paint a very positive picture of how well these environments work for the companies that utilize them. When a company spends the money required to create an effective co-working space, the results that follow are obvious. People like being able to set their own pace and collaborate without fear of their jobs being taken away. Companies that have implemented these types of work environments have seen a dramatic rise in profit and employment. It isn’t just that people enjoy being part of these environments; it is that they love the freedom that they receive from being able to be their own boss. The numbers aren’t lying, and anyone who tries these work environments once will surely want to work in them again.

This post was written by Tara Kintz. Tara is a director at Signature Workspace. Signature Workspace, owned and operated by Cantor Fund Management, offers services and amenities such as private offices, flex space, co-working space, virtual offices, meeting/conference rooms, and more.