We’ve discussed in detail the benefits of using a coworking space. From common office space amenities to networking opportunities, coworking spaces provide tenants with necessities required to run a successful business. Just as the amenities are diverse, so too are the members that share the coworking space. Entrepreneurs, freelancers, and businesses excel when compared to the standard coffee shop or home office. These spaces are built for a myriad of professionals to thrive, and thrive they do. But what about the modern working parent?

Balancing work and everyday life as a parent presents some common issues. Commutes may be longer as a child is dropped off at daycare or school. Work and home life may feel lumped together. Social life may decline as independent or corporate environments feel a bit too isolating. And stress, fatigue, or exhaustion may plague a parent like never before.

Combine these difficulties with a home office or coffee shop that is isolating or distracting, and suddenly the work-life balance feels far more challenging. With coworking though, we can solve these problems. Coworking spaces offer parental benefits that may be overlooked. Let’s break these down in detail.

Socializing

Coworking spaces serve occupants in a multitude of ways, and parents are no exception. Unlike typical corporate jobs or independent positions that leave little room for socializing, coworking spaces are filled with potential conversation. Not only do the kitchen and other common areas facilitate discussion, but open floor plans and friendly workspaces do as well.

Shared workspaces give parents an opportunity to establish community alongside work. While a marketing agency and construction firm may have little in common, members of each team can benefit from spending time together. By housing innovative and social individuals, coworking spaces create better problem solvers when tenants cross paths with people in other fields. As described well by Medical News Today, “When we communicate with people face-to-face, it could help to make us more resilient to stress factors in the long run.”

As parents manage their families, social life often declines. By utilizing coworking spaces, however, the modern professional parent can find a social scene in the very same place they conduct business. This alone is reason to consider coworking.

A Simpler Transition from Work to Home

Imagine it’s the end of a long day at the office and the clock strikes five. Parents shuffle to their cars and head home with work still on their mind. They enter the front door, only to continue working for their family until heading off to bed, and complete the process again the very next day. Sound familiar?

The transition from work to home can be a difficult one, especially for parents. Emails, spreadsheets, and TPS reports may clog the mind and make connecting with family far less smooth. Coworking spaces can make this transition a little less stressful. Working from a coworking space makes it easier to leave when the list of tasks is done, rather than leaving because the barista has been giving not-so-subtle signals that the coffee shop is about to close.

Unlike corporate offices or home offices, these spaces are simpler. Cleaning, maintenance, and annoying tasks a parent may encounter at home or in the typical office are largely nonexistent. When a parent has time to focus solely on work, they can leave their work at the door when the day is done.

Managing Emotions

Coffee shops are unknown environments with a multitude of variables to consider. Is the wifi reliable? Is the space quiet enough? Is the coffee even good? Home offices, meanwhile, house a fair share of distractions and obstacles as well. Pets need to be taken out, the laundry needs to be done, and Netflix beckons from the living room louder than ever before. These variables can be stressors, or worse, emotional triggers. While a home office may seem like heaven, many difficulties can arise.

And for parents, the distractions don’t end when the work is done at the home office. Dinner needs to be prepared, the kids need to spend time on homework, and every other classic parental responsibility needs tending to. The home office may have once been the perfect balance of work and personal life, but quickly it can become a place of stressful emotion.

Coworking spaces, unlike home offices, aren’t filled with such distractions or unknowns. The trash is always taken out at night, and the dishes are cleaned at the end of the day. Coworkers have the option to work in the common areas or sit at a designated desk of their own, and even quieter spaces are available in the form of soundproof booths or conference rooms. When a parent’s daily life is filled with stressors between work and home, the stress may never seem to stop. When coworking, however, these irritations are largely absent. Common parental emotions that include stress, grumpiness, and fatigue don’t travel from the home to the office and back again. Coworking spaces serve a professional need, while parental responsibility or home office distractions can wait at the door until the day is done. That is a benefit worth investing in.

These benefits are only a few of the many possibilities for coworking parents. Coworking spaces provide parents with a means of socializing, transitioning between work and home, and managing emotions, and many parents find added benefits while coworking in unexpected ways.
Curious to learn more? Stop by Urban Office, located in SW Portland. Many members of the coworking space are parents, constantly juggling work and home life. To visit Urban Office, schedule a tour online, and see how a coworking space can benefit you.