Our team of technical advisors faces challenges almost every day when travelling to site visits or client meetings all over Europe. And although TA Europe has fixed and spacious offices in Essen, Brussels, Berlin and soon also Munich and Madrid, our consultants often require flexibility on where and when to work – trains, airports or cafes often not being appropriate for personal meetings or telephone conferences, in which confidential issues might be discussed, or concentrated working.
The new option of using co-working spaces in combination with private offices in all major European city centres is, therefore, an exciting alternative, which gives our consultants the flexibility to work in a very attractive environment, where ever they are located or where they have to go. It allows us to use and enjoy all the offers of professional equipped co-working space providers, but also to hold meetings and work in private rooms. A co-working space is an existing concept, initially taken up mostly by hipster start-ups or media types – we find, however, that more traditional businesses benefit from this concept and create opportunities for their employees. The reasons why people thrive in co-working spaces are plentiful. One is the feeling of control where and when to work, whilst remaining part of a professional community with shared objectives.
The need to work from a flexible location, which is not a home office, seems to grow year by year as do their increasingly quirky solutions. In Luzern, one co-working space offers sleeping capsules, which can be booked with the co-working space, another is a completely mobile office container, which moves from location to location in the north of Germany – one location being the beach reflecting the idea that relaxing and working can go hand in hand. Solutions are not limited to one desk one location either, with corporate companies increasingly hiring floors within co-working spaces and companies such as WeWork offering global office memberships. As we approach the end of the decade, a new emphasis on increasing work-life balance is prevalent in every workforce.
TA Europe is keen to enable our consultants to enjoy as much flexibility in their working life as possible. We are keen to extend our team with talented experienced technical advisors, project managers and consultants wherever their location may be – we are sure a co-working space will not be far away.