With remote work becoming more popular, apartment complexes are being built with, or are adding, remote workstations on their properties. I have started looking for my next apartment after finishing school in May, and nearly all of the ones I have toured have these as an amenity.
The privacy that comes with these varies from apartment to apartment. Some will be several desks in a single room – mimicking cubicles in an office. Others offer private rooms that are the size of a typical office or even conference rooms. Of these private rooms, privacy has a different meaning. Some will have glass walls and doors, so it is not exactly private.
These workstations made me consider Professor Bassett’s
conversation with us about utilizing other resources to avoid paying rent for
an office. Workstations that offer private offices, preferably without glass walls
and doors, seem to be a good alternative to renting out an entire office, and
it could eliminate the need for travel. That being said, some of these workstations
are first-come, first-served so it could be an issue that all the spots are
filled for the day.
I am not sure these workstations are the solution
to our problems when avoiding renting an office space. Concerns could include
protecting confidentiality and availability. It may not be a good look if the
other workstations are being used by less than professional individuals that
may be acting rowdy or dressing inappropriately. However, these rooms could at
least provide a change of scenery if you are working in your home office and
provide fewer distractions that you might find in your home. Currently, I do
not think these workstations are a determinative factor in my next apartment,
but they could be a bonus.
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteMy last apartment had one of these office spaces that were first come first serve and thinking about the space in relation to what you said about the class where we discussed renting office spaces is very interesting. I think that while many apartment complexes are adding these areas for people to work from home, I would find it very interesting to see if they ever began renting out office spaces to residence of the complex. While there were a few office spaces in the building that were more secluded and would be good to rent for things such as client meetings. I also like the point that you made about the spaces being used by others who many not be using it for professional use and may be louder in the area. There were a few office spaces in that complex that I had seen people use to play card games or eat lunch and other social gatherings. While these are things that are allowed and a great use being that it is a communal space, this is something that could raise issues if the spaces were ever used for client meetings.
I think these could be great for remote work as well! One of my best friends has a job that is fully remote so she loves to utilize community workspaces during her day. Her biggest complaint is that she gets bored of sitting in one place, so switching up her scenery every day really helps her to get stuff done.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about this! I think this is a fantastic idea. My partner works from home and it is very difficult to focus on work in a place that you eat and sleep. I think it is very important to have a separate place to go and be able to step away from the environment you live in. It is always good to re-focus and re-group. Thank you for this suggestion.
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