People working remotely in their suburban home offices or out of the local coffee shop each year is on the rise, yet something is missing. The panacea of working from home is not all it was cracked up to be. Rumblings of lost productivity, constant distractions, and loneliness have grown from a distant hum to a constant beat.
As commute time and expense increase, and dissatisfaction with the home office alternative grow, a perfect storm is brewing. Coworking as a viable, cost-effective solution is on the radar of many savvy employers not willing to sacrifice the cost savings of a reduced office footprint.
Those who truly get it see the substantial return on investment achieved by funding employee shared workspace membership -- not just the positive impact on productivity, but also on employee attitude towards the employer. The wise ones use coworking as a strategic recruitment and engagement tool.
When Suite Spotte opened its second suburban coworking space in Forest Park earlier this year, the message was loud and clear. Workers living in the suburbs prefer to work in their local communities. How do we know? Because we asked our Suite Spotters. Here’s what they had to say.
Sue Reardon is the co-founder of Suite Spotte, a coworking community with offices in the Chicago suburbs of La Grange and Forest Park. Suite Spotte brings coworking to Main Street. http://suitespotte.com/