More and more people are thinking about sharing office space, and who can blame them? The economy today is making a large number of companies downsize in employees, as well as start looking for someone to rent the extra offices to. On the other hand, many small companies and freelancers need to think about finding someone to share office with simply because they cannot afford to take care of all the expenses related to leasing office space. Therefore, taking both of these into consideration, we can say that sharing office will become even more popular in years to come, and this is why you should be aware of the most important pros and cons related to this practice.
The Pros of Sharing Office Space
• Financial factor – Obviously, the financial factor is the most important benefit of sharing office space with another professional or company. It is simple really – you should find office space that is big enough, as well as a professional you can get along with, and you will end up having an office and paying less for it.
• Productivity – If you decide to share your office with someone who is in your line of business but not exactly your competitor, you will be able to pick their brain and get great ideas from them.
• Staff – You can decide to hire and share your staff with the other tenant. This will, for example, let you have a secretary who will answer two phones, and you will not have to pay the secretary out of your own pocket – you will share the staff expenses.
The Cons of Sharing Office Space
As opposed to the advantages, there are also some disadvantages, and we will mention them below:
• Professionalism – There are some clients who will not be all that impressed to see that you are sharing your office space, and this might seem unprofessional to them. However, this usually doesn’t happen, and it is not something to worry about too much.
• Interpersonal relationships – If you ever start having problems with the other tenant, sharing office space might as well become a nightmare. Imagine coming to work every day and having to work all day with someone you cannot stand. So, try to be professional with the other tenant, as any other type of relationship can lead to the aforementioned situation.
• Confidentiality – You will have to think about your clients and their confidentiality, and this is sometimes hard to do in a shared environment. If your client wants to talk to you privately, you will have to find a way to do it, or else you can say goodbye to ever establishing a professional relationship with the client.
Keep these pros and cons in mind when thinking about sharing an office. Shared office space in large cities is becoming more and more popular, but you should always consider the pros and cons that come with it.