Room Conditions and Equipment
No matter which office you thrive in, it is important that they are equipped in the best possible way. Both offices will require desks and chairs for their workers, for example, and most big companies will have heating and air conditioning, which can be found at HVAC equipment if needed. The main difference in the conditions of the rooms is whether the desks are separated into single cubicles or laid out in a way that allows interaction between colleagues as they work, although coworking spaces have been said to have a more contemporary look.
Collaboration
The coworking environment is more often used for those that thrive with collaboration. It is easy to share and work on ideas together when your desks are in the same room and aren’t separated, which for some people can mean that their work improves as they are able to bounce ideas off their co-workers as they are working on them. Some people however prefer to work on projects alone, so they find it better to be in a traditional office where they can do so without listening to others discuss their projects at the same time.
Distractions
A reason that some people work better in a traditional office is that there are fewer distractions when you are working in your own space. You aren’t likely to catch someone out of the corner of your eye doing something that looks interesting or has too many things going on around you. If you are easily distracted or find yourself focusing on different things in a room instead of working, the coworking office probably isn’t the ideal place for you because everyone will be doing their own thing so you will be required to complete your own tasks while others are discussing different things, having lunch, or simply chatting to each other.
Networking
Networking is a lot easier to accomplish when you are working in a coworking environment. In a traditional office, you are away from everyone else in your own space, but with the coworking environment you are all in the same place, so it is easier to mingle and meet people. If you are usually more reserved this can be both a good thing and a bad thing as in a coworking environment you would be forced to network with different people which is always advisable in a working environment, but there will be times where you don’t want to participate in this so would prefer a traditional office environment where you can spend a little time separated from everyone else.
Noise
The noise level in a coworking environment is a lot louder than it would be in a traditional office because everyone is working there together. The sound isn’t muted by the partition, and it is likely that you will be disturbed by your colleagues even if they are trying to be quiet. It is easily remedied, if necessary, with the use of headphones so that you can block everyone else out, but if you are working on the phone or require complete silence you would definitely prefer a traditional office. Similarly, interpreters who offer translation services will find it hard to work in a noisy environment as they need to stay focused at all times.
Final thoughts
So, it is important to consider which work environment would provide you with the best opportunity for you to thrive. If you prefer to get on with a job in private and find it difficult to work with higher noise levels and different things happening around you, it would be better for you to work within a traditional office instead of a coworking space. On the other hand, if you prefer to collaborate as you work and can accomplish tasks despite what is happening around you, you will thrive in a coworking space where ideas are passed freely between colleagues which means the noise level will be slightly higher and there will likely be a different project being discussed at the same time as your own.