Co-working spaces are becoming the new normal, with many businesses and employees transforming how they work, and where they work.
These shared workspaces were already on the rise by the time Covid-19 had pushed the workforce into the reality of home offices and virtual zoom meetings.
This status quo shake-up forced many businesses to realise that working remotely, or independently didn’t necessarily mean a drop in productivity or success.
Rethink Your Workspace in Newcastle West, initially started as a financial planning business until passers-by asked about extra space and the possibility of renting desks and offices.
Operations and HR Manager Glenys Mullholland said they had initially started renting out space on their mezzanine level.
“Once more people became interested and came on board as tenants, we suddenly realised that there had been a shift in the way people wanted to do business, and were seeking an alternative,” Mullholland said.
“So, over time, we created a co-working space for professionals who wanted to do things differently, and we haven’t looked back.
“We have created new offices and desk spaces throughout the building to accommodate the growing demand for this type of work environment, and have purpose-built two new offices to cater for the tenant’s specific requirements.”
Mullholland said they stayed open during the height of the pandemic as the building’s ample space helped them maintain social distancing rules and restrictions.
“We never closed the doors because we didn’t have to, even if every tenant stayed during Covid-19, we had the facilities and the space to accommodate that,” she said.
“I feared that when the pandemic hit that co-working spaces were going to suffer, I thought everyone would want to work from home, but the absolute opposite happened.
“I think things will be different from now on, rather than going back to normal (post-Covid-19); I think it has been the shakeup everyone needed to make changes in their businesses.”
Rethink Your Workspace is a unique space with an internal café, seven meeting pods, two boardrooms, and reception staff who take calls, receive mail and schedule appointments.
The meeting rooms are also available to rent out to external workers who need a professional place to meet clients.
“We choose our tenants wisely to make sure we are a good fit for each other, that’s why we do a 3-month trial— if we aren’t, we simply don’t sign them to a long term contract,” Mullholland said.
“We love seeing our tenants get along, we have created a great business community with genuine human connection, comradery and a space where they can bounce ideas off one another.
“There’s a broad range of people and professions here, where specialties happen to cross over, and people can connect and network.”
She said the cafe was the heart and soul of the business where people went to chat, have a coffee, and destress from their work.
“You won’t ever have the same conversation twice as everyone here has a different job or business— all of our tenants are just so diverse, and everyone has their own success stories.”
Hayley McMahon