Shared office

Definition of a shared office

A shared office is a workspace (with little or no partitioning) occupied by several people.

Several possible names

This type of office design can be used in a variety of ways and is known by many names:

• Corpoworking is a space shared by employees of the same company, but which can also welcome outsiders.
• Coworking is a public space where employees, freelancers and small businesses share the same resources (kitchens, meeting rooms, offices, etc.).
• Anopen space is a shared workspace, with desks, computers, adapted equipment and more. Open spaces can be found in coworking and corpoworking facilities, as well as within certain companies.

The shared office may be considered flex office by some organizations, but the nomadic office goes further than a simple shared workspace. In fact, the notion of reorganizing spaces comes into play in order to meet the needs and expectations of employees, which have changed considerably since the health crisis in particular.

What does a shared office consist of?

Shared workspaces can be equipped with open spaces, a large meeting room, phone boxes for hybrid meetings, or other services. Shared offices often benefit from all the necessary office equipment, such as ergonomic chairs, a good Internet connection and tools providing up-to-date information on space availability.

Shared offices are popular

The number of coworking spaces, which offer shared office space, is increasing all over France: 3,500 coworking spaces were counted in 2022, according to a study byUbiq, representing a 20% increase over previous years. Although Paris accounts for the majority of coworking spaces in France (37%), other major cities, such as Bordeaux, are also experiencing strong growth.

The advantages

• Greater flexibility over office rental periods: as the company grows, it may need additional space and workstations. This flexibility also makes it possible to arrange each office as the occupants wish. This may involve implementing a "clean desk policy", whereby each employee is required to put his or her belongings away at the end of each working day.
• Encourage collaboration: employees can work in teams more easily than if they had partitioned offices. Exchanges are faster and more fluid.
• Create more social links: with open-plan offices, employees can exchange ideas more easily, creating greater cohesion within the company.
• Improved working atmosphere: with all these advantages, the working atmosphere on the premises can be improved.

To sum up

A shared office is a space where different people and companies rent office space for varying periods of time. It offers flexibility and collaboration, responding to the changing needs of the professional world, such as remote work. These spaces are often associated with the term "coworking".