Shared office

Definition of a shared office

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

Several possible names

This type of office layout can be used in different ways and have several names:

• Corpoworking, which is a space shared by employees of the same company, but which can also accommodate people from outside the company.
• Coworking, which is a public space for employees, freelancers or small businesses who share the same resources (kitchens, meeting rooms, offices, etc.).
• The open space is a shared workspace, consisting of desks, computers, adapted equipment, etc. These open spaces can be found in coworkings and corpoworking spaces or within certain companies.

The shared office can be considered as flex office by some organisations, but the nomadic office goes further than a simple shared workspace. Indeed, the notion of reorganisation of spaces comes into play in order to meet the needs and expectations of employees, which have greatly evolved 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 booths 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 that gather updated information on the availability of spaces.

Shared offices are popular

Coworking offers, which provide shared offices, are multiplying throughout France: 3,500 coworking spaces were recorded in 2022, according to a study by Ubiq, an increase of 20% compared to previous years. Even though Paris concentrates a majority of these spaces in France (37%), other large cities are experiencing strong development, such as Bordeaux.

The advantages

• Allow greater flexibility in the duration of office rentals: depending on the development of the company, it may need additional space and workstations. This flexibility also makes it possible to arrange each office as the occupants wish. This may require the implementation of a "clean desk policy", where each employee must put away their belongings at the end of each working day.
• Promote collaboration: employees can work as a team more easily than if they had partitioned offices. Exchanges are then more fluid and rapid.
• Create more social connections: as the offices are open, employees will be able to exchange more easily, creating more cohesion within the company.
• Offer a better working atmosphere: with all these advantages, the working atmosphere in the premises can be improved.

In summary

A shared office is a space where various people and companies rent offices for varying lengths 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".