Work Near Home – The Next Best Thing!
In a 2019 study by Robert Half, over one third of professionals said they spend an average of 53 minutes commuting each day, and more than one quarter (26%) stated their travel time exceeds one hour. The average commute time can skew even higher for major urban centres like Toronto.
Has the pandemic rendered the concern for escalating commute times a moot point as more and more professionals have worked from home over the last several months? There are pros and cons to everything and the lack of commute has in many cases – introduced another source of stress and anxiety as professionals find it harder to disconnect from work as they are immersed in it from the time they roll out of bed to when they “end” their work day. The commute often provided a distraction or opportunity to break away from the work day, listen to music, catch up on an audio-book or your favourite podcast.
So how do we recapture the positive aspects of the daily commute without losing out on the time saved? We’d like to propose the idea of working near home as a practical and productive way of getting out of the home while minimizing the travel time required to get to a healthy alternative to your dining room or bedroom office! Taking advantage of the various coworking and private office spaces available throughout most major cities (and even in some rural areas) – professionals can explore the additional benefits that are part of working near home:
Reduced loneliness and ability to modulate your desire to connect with others according to your comfort zone – no awkward “you have to get along with your coworkers just because they’re your coworkers”. A coworking space does promote connection and community but it occurs organically and out of sheer desire to want to thrive in the environment.
The ability to network and meet others – there are countless opportunities to network outside of the immediate member network and expand your personal growth beyond work. Coworking spaces have long been the stomping ground of serial entrepreneurs and start-ups which can be a significant source of inspiration and motivation for those who hold a “day job.”
Access to a professionally maintained space with often state of the art technology and enhanced services.
Membership flexibility and tiered commitment – coworking spaces offer several types of memberships from a hot desk to a private office. Offices are often rentable by the hour providing for even greater flexibility and cost savings.
Providing a back drop for a structured day that doesn’t overlap into your personal/home life – the lack of boundaries from personal to professional that occurs in a purely work from home arrangement can be intrusive and taxing on personal relationships.
If you own/operate a small to mid size business with a traditional lease and more square footage than required then mobilizing your workforce and offering them the ability to work remotely (away from home) as needed can be a major attractor of new talent, as well as retainer of existing talent.
For those who have considered working near home – give your local coworking space a try. You may be surprised how much you will enjoy the time away from home while maintaining your desired productivity.
For more information on how Huddle Sharespace can help you achieve your work near home goals – contact us through email at info@huddlesharespace.com or by phone at 416-755-3353
