Communal vs. Office Membership – Finding the Right Fit
CommonGrounds is a place you can work your way. For our members, that includes choosing the right membership package and having the right options available for them. At CG, we are proud to offer multiple types of membership plans (virtual memberships, communal memberships, desk memberships, offices memberships etc.), so that you can find the right work environment to meet your needs. If you’ve never tried a coworking workspace before, you might be wondering – how do I know which option is the right fit for me? Well, we are here to help! Check out a recent experience one of our members had where she worked from a CG communal space and a CG private office, and compared the two environments:
Wherever I am working from, the biggest needs I have are space and quiet. When I come into work, I like to be able to spread out all of my belongings and have room to organize. On top of that, I tend to get very distracted by people working around me – taking phone calls, clicking their pens, getting up and down to refill their coffee cups etc. This being said, my initial reaction to working in a coworking space was unsure if either membership would be the right fit for me. However, I was pleasantly surprised!
Day 1: Communal Membership
I came into work with my bag full of office supplies and snacks to get through the day. I was expecting that I would have to bring anything I could possibly need, since I wasn’t working in my own, private office. On this first day, I chose to work in The Lobby (the CommonGrounds sister brand) which is four floors of private offices, conference rooms, communal lounges, several kitchens and incredible views of Center City, Philadelphia. I grabbed a hightop table on the 15th floor, where I had plenty of room to spread out all of my belongings and was conveniently right by the coffee station (now powered by Wawa), which for me is the ideal location. The main thing I noticed was the respect between the other communal members. The lounge was large enough for everyone to have their own space, without being directly next to each other. People continued through their workday, but weren’t overly loud on phone calls or when they were speaking to colleagues or networking with other members. In fact, the ambience was a great blend of “quiet, but not too quiet”.
After lunch, I decided to test my limits and see how productive I was by switching to the 14th floor and working in a phone booth that had a plush seat. I was surprised to see that my productivity had not changed, even though my surroundings had. The best part of the membership was that I was still allowed to use the print station and I had full access to my workplace manager. All of the office supplies and “just in case” resources I had brought along with me that day, I didn’t end up using because they were already provided for me. I still had my own space and the full amenities package, without having to pay for a private office.
Day 2: Office Membership
After a day spent surrounded by other coworkers, part of me was concerned that I wouldn’t like working with so much privacy. So for day two, I decided to really make a change and work in the CommonGrounds location in Philadelphia, which includes the 23rd and 24th floors of the 1700 building on Market Street. My office for the day was on the 24th floor and had a window view looking straight toward City Hall. To paint a picture – there was tons of natural light, an ergonomic chair for me to sit in, and a sit-stand desk that I could adjust to my preferred height. To the right of my office door was a communal lounge and to the left was a hallway leading to the kitchen.
I spent the day mostly in my office and completely worry-free. I didn’t have to keep my voice down on virtual meetings and the peaceful ambience of my office just added to my workday productivity. The absolute best part of this office membership was that I had a private space, but I wasn’t completely alone. One of the biggest drawbacks about working from home during the quarantine was that I was by myself all of the time. There was no one to eat lunch with or chat about our days while walking down the hallway. There is a feeling of community in a coworking space – people are there to be productive in their day, but they are also there to embrace sharing the space with their peers. The office membership included full amenities, so when I needed a change of scenery, I worked for an hour or two in the communal lounge (since I had enjoyed it so much the day before).
Overall, the flexibility of the workspaces were what contributed the productivity of my day. If I had to choose a membership plan that I preferred, I’d choose the office membership since it was the best of both worlds. However, I wouldn’t say my productivity differed from the day I worked under the communal membership. For me, it was all about choosing the right spaces and the right seats. The Lobby and CommonGrounds both had enough room for me to find a place that worked for me and where I could work my way. The best advice I could give to anyone considering a coworking space is give it a try! Take a tour and be honest with your workplace manager about your work ethic, because they are there to help you find the right fit.
