Yardi Kube: A single connected platform for flexible workspace management
Yardi Kube

How often do they come and how long do they stay?

There’s a notable difference between the time spent at different work spaces. Coworkers unanimously stated that they frequented the “office” on almost daily basis and usually stay there for a full workday of about 8 hours. Coffee shop workers use their “coffice” between once a month and up to 3 times a week. Yet none of the coffee shop workers stated that they spend the whole day in a coffee shop; most of the interviewees said that they leave after about 3-4 hours.

What do they need to get their work done?

This is a point where coworkers and coffee shop workers show no significant difference in their needs. In fact, most people said they basically only need a computer and the internet in order to get their work done. One thing that was repeatedly mentioned by the coffee-shop-workers; is that the power outlets needed to keep the juices flowing are not often available. 

What are they doing?

Coworkers are mainly working on their long-term projects and do pretty much everything from answering e-mails, sketching, coding, as well as receiving clients and business partners at the “office”, while coffee-shop-workers engage primarily in smaller tasks such as e-mail, phone calls, studying and writing papers.

In Conclusion:

Coworkers love the fact that they can exchange their ideas and create collaborations with their fellow coworkers, whereas coffee-shop-workers appreciate being in a vibrant environment among other people, while keeping to themselves. 

Both groups tend to be highly mobile, only needing a laptop and internet to get their stuff done, and both choose their workspace in order to escape unproductive working environments. Coworkers are able to better engage in their work, while people who work in coffee shops appreciate the informal ambience of their workspace where they can easily switch between work and play.

Coworkers are in a committed relationship with their coworking space and tend to stay faithful to the location of their choice, while the other group likes to keep their options open, by switching it up regularly between various coffee shops in the neighborhood, also making use of libraries and universities.

In conclusion, one could say that coffee shop conquerors are generally not familiar with the perks of being a coworker, such as the constant exchange of ideas and the possibilities of collaboration. Unfortunately, many of them see human interaction as a distraction rather than as an asset.

:::

The author, Hana Hariri, has worked for coworking spaces in Vienna and Berlin and wrote her thesis about “Workplaces of the Creative Industries in Vienna focused on coworking spaces and coffee shops”.

ssfCoworking Statistics

Startpage