While coworking spaces were certainly around before the pandemic, the number of professionals working remotely or from home has increased dramatically over the past two and a half years.
This has led to a surge in the popularity of coworking spaces, which prior to the pandemic were primarily utilized by entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Post pandemic, working from home isn’t just for entrepreneurs anymore. With every type of professional, from government employees and sales professionals to high level managers and “almost retired, but not quite yet” retirees working a few consulting hours, there has been a continued growing demand for more and better spaces to work from in Sonoma and Marin counties.
Those wondering why those who are allowed to work from home would prefer to pay for a shared office space instead of actually working from home aren’t alone. Here are the most common responses we got from those we spoke to who work from coworking spaces in Sonoma and Marin.
– Need a more professional environment, and an excuse to get dressed and get out of the house every day (aka don’t fall prey to the pajama pant work day)
-Don’t have a home office
-Have a partner who is also working from home or a stay-at-home parent partner, making it difficult to focus on work (a few said coworking spaces have “saved their marriage”!)
-Crave social interaction/working from home can be isolating/want to see other humans
-It’s simply more convenient (fresh coffee is always ready, comfortable chairs and different workspaces/desk options, printer is available and conducive to their professional needs, meeting rooms available for client meetings, walking distance to cafe or restaurant for meetings, high speed wifi that doesn’t cut out during Zoom calls, etc.)