Coworking Space Amenities: A Guide to Productivity and Comfort

Coworking spaces have become a popular alternative to the traditional office, offering flexible workstations that can boost productivity and enhance collaboration without spending thousands each year.

It is for this reason that many businesses, freelancers and entrepreneurs have embraced coworking spaces for the long term, making them an inspiring workspace where your ideas and projects come to life.

Search for ‘coworking spaces near me’, and you’ll very quickly see that not all coworking spaces are equal, with some othering a plethora of amenities you may not have even seen before in a workplace.

Coworking space amenities broadly range from a desk, chair, and monitor to fully furnished high-end spaces filled with a dedicated fitness area or even a game zone. But what amenities do you really need in a coworking space?

Our guide offers a comprehensive list of some of the most in-demand coworking amenities and what they typically include when you’re looking for a comfortable and productive workspace.

Workplace Essentials

If Servcorp were to recommend a list of absolute essentials to make your life and business operations better in a coworking space, it would be the following.

Comfortable Seating Options

Coworking spaces provide a wide range of workspaces to choose from, from flex spaces with hot desks to individual offices and private meeting rooms.

Each business needs to determine what coworking space setup is right for them, considering employee experience to logistics such as how often they will be occupying these spaces and if they need to support remote workers as well as their in-office employees.

No matter what option you choose, ensuring that each workstation is comfortable for your workers and offers them space to focus and have personal items is paramount to your company’s success.

If you’re a freelancer or sole trader, you might choose to find a coworking space that offers you privacy and peace but may allow you access to networking opportunities.

Ergonomic Workstations

The concept of creating ergonomic workspaces has become one of the key selling points that many coworking spaces market themselves as having. But what makes a work environment ergonomic?

Ergonomic spaces are designed with comfort in mind to fit the employees who use the space and their needs to improve their overall work experience. This can look like green spaces filled with plants and natural light to promote a tranquil atmosphere or have shared open floor seating areas that encourage interaction to exchange ideas. 

Coworking spaces that use ergonomic furniture and design principles support the physical and mental well-being of employees, reduce stress, and are shown to improve their work performance and productivity.

For example, ergonomic chairs are full of adjustable features and are proven to improve posture, support hip pressure, and decrease pain.

Connectivity and Technology

Technology should be a primary focus when sifting through coworking space amenities, especially if you're serious about growth! It also provides more value for money, and gives your business a better opportunity for competing against larger companies.

High-Speed Internet

High-speed internet connectivity and secured network infrastructure are major must-haves and are key coworking space amenities that play a significant role in the day-to-day

Coworking spaces that have a fast, reliable, and secure internet not only boost productivity but also reduce the total costs of operations for both businesses and freelancers.

Before signing your contract with your coworking space provider, make sure you test their internet! Ask if they can offer a VPN, VLAN, or customised Wi-Fi connection to safeguard your data.

This may save you time and money in the long run.

Meeting Room Access

Access to well-equipped meeting rooms is an essential need and one of the coworking amenities that are sought-after by businesses.

When using a coworking space, meeting rooms are typically reserved in advance for client meetings or team brainstorming sessions, but some providers may offer the flexibility for these spaces to be available all day every day whenever a last-minute meeting pops up. 

Whether you’re conducting virtual meetings and video calls or an in-person presentation, all meetings and conference rooms should come with video conferencing capabilities that are reliable no matter when you need them.

Printing and Scanning Facilities

You never realise how important a good printer is until you’re in desperate need of one. How many times have you been about to print off an important document only just to find out it's out of ink and the one person who knows how to replace the cartridge is out of the office?

When you’re in a well-resourced and amenity-rich coworking space, you’ll never have to face this issue again. All printing and scanning facilities are checked for functionality and there’s always someone around to make sure any problems are fixed as timely as possible. 

Collaborative Spaces

Coworking spaces are inherently collaborative and encourage networking events to make businesses more familiar with each other. There are many benefits to this and it's often why businesses join coworking in the first place.

Kitchen and Refreshment Areas

Fully stocked kitchens have become a standard offering that coworking spaces provide, each coming with complimentary coffee and tea-making essentials. These are ideal for unwinding or sitting down with clients to have a chat casually which is accompanied by great views.

Fitness Facilities

Imagine being able to never pay for a gym membership again because your office has its own gym space with all the equipment and weights you could ever need.

Gyms and fitness facilities are just some of the services some coworking space providers are starting to add to their suite of amenities. The type of facilities ranges from a small weight gym to a two-story gym that has a separate yoga room.

As more businesses are placing greater importance on the well-being of their employees, access to an office gym not only benefits their health but also promotes a better work-life balance.

Fitness facilities are a ‘nice to have,’ but aren’t more important than business-enhancing amenities such as technology or team support.

Some coworking spaces include soft drinks, beers or snacks that can be enjoyed for a small additional charge.

On-Site Support Staff

Coworking spaces offering on-site support staff such as secretarial and IT services can be a game changer for businesses and freelancers.

Instead of trying to solve your technical issues or juggling to find time to complete that tedious administrative task, you can outsource this to your service provider’s own staff who specialise in making your life easier.

This amenity, often overlooked yet incredibly valuable, within coworking spaces, can save you and your business valuable time and money. It enables you to focus on your strengths and the essential tasks at hand.

Security and Access

You wouldn't want a stranger to walk into your office.

Similarly, a coworking space should have security measures in place to ensure all businesses and employees feel safe in their working environment. On top of this, accessibility is crucial to suit unique business needs.

24/7 Access

Everyone prefers to work autonomously, and that means coming into a coworking space at any hour of the day. Having 24/7 access to your coworking space is very convenient for multiple reasons. 

Perhaps you’re a night owl and are more productive in the later hours of the day, or you forgot something important at your desk! Regardless of the scenario, this is a must for all serious coworkers!

Secure Locks

If you’re a lawyer or financial planner, chances are you’re working with sensitive data that needs to be treated with utmost care in order to avoid data breaches.

Often one of the most overlooked aspects, choosing a coworking space that meets your level of security requirements is critical to your and your business’ work performance, as any breach in information or data security could lead to disastrous outcomes.

Secure locks, cupboards, and other storage units can be a lifesaver and an amenity you should make sure your coworking space has. 

Proximity to Transportation

You might find a coworking space that ticks all of your boxes, but if it is located in the heart of the city, or far from where your employees live, then that could be a major problem. This obstacle can be overcome if there are plenty of transport services nearby that can easily get your employees to and from the office each day.

Being situated close to a train or bus station makes the lives of everyone involved with your business easier, making the office a convenient location rather than a hassle to get to.

Parking Facilities

The same as with transport links, coworking spaces with parking facilities for those who cannot use public transport is a major benefit. It can be even more advantageous if the coworking space is in driving distance to key areas such as airports or government facilities, because this would indicate that it's connected to arterial roads and highways.

Nearby Restaurants and Services

Coworking spaces foster collaboration, and teamwork and can help you create a greater sense of community with your fellow coworkers. But what if you want to continue this outside the office?

This is where coworking spaces near restaurants, cafes, shops, green spaces and other amenities are preferred.

Being close to these venues is great for team drinks after work, and it also makes it easier for employees to access a wide range of food or shopping options during their lunch breaks. 

Pricing and Membership Options

Most coworking space providers offer different membership tiers, which can significantly impact what amenities you can and can’t access. 

In the UK, the average price for a hot desk in a coworking space is £203 per month, but this price point will get you very different amenities based on the provider.

This is where comparing membership packages is crucial for your business to see what amenities are included. 

Deciding what coworking space amenities you need is by no means an easy task. Figuring out what amenities you need to have versus nice-to-haves and what you don’t require ultimately depends on what you want your ideal work environment to look like.

If you’re looking for a workspace where employees can be flexible whilst maintaining productivity, then you’ll definitely need more than just a desk, chair and private meeting rooms.

But if you’re looking for an environment where workers can focus with limited distractions, then maybe a gym, yoga room, or pet-friendly zone isn’t for you.

You know what’s best for your business, and with so many coworking space solutions available, you’re bound to find one that’s the right fit. And remember, shared workspaces involve being neighbours with other professionals. Hence, it's essential to learn some coworking etiquette rules.

Struggling to focus in an office environment? Check out Servcorp's recommendations on How To Stay Focused in a Coworking Space.