Types of Office Space with Pros and Cons

How do you work? Are you one of the 70 percent of people that work from home at least once per week? Or are you a 9-5er that only works at a desk in your office? 

There are quite a few types of office spaces that work for some people and don’t work for others. Some people thrive in an open office while others need to have a private space to concentrate. 

This article will look at a few different types of office spaces you could have available to you. Depending on what you like or where you’re most productive, you can then use this information to tailor your job search.

Let’s get started!

Traditional Office Space

Traditional private office space usually consists of various sized private offices, meeting rooms, and cubicles spread in some sort of office building. 

Most traditional office spaces require long-term leases in these types of buildings, which can get expensive. For smaller businesses, you’ll often be in a building with multiple other businesses or offices. Larger businesses can purchase or lease entire buildings to house their employees and office space.

Certain industries are more likely to have traditional office spaces. These include:

• Law firms
• Financial services
• Accounting offices
• Corporate branches of other businesses

These industries require more individual focus and independent work. They also require more privacy during meetings or collaborations, which is why rooms with doors and private areas are needed.

While many traditional office spaces do rely on purchasing or renting entire floors or buildings, many are finding that crowded cities and rising prices are limiting the viability of this. This is especially true for smaller or up-and-coming businesses.

Thus, other types of office spaces have been on the rise. Let’s look at those alternatives in a bit more detail.

Virtual Office Space

Do you find that you don’t need office space at all times? Are you a remote worker or running a business that rarely needs physical office space? 

Virtual office space is a great option for you. Virtual office space provides you with many of the comforts and benefits of a traditional office without the physical office space. This includes an address in the middle of your target city, virtual assistants, package & mail receipt, voicemail-to-email services, and more.

Some virtual office spaces will also offer physical office and meeting room rentals for those occasions when you need them.

However, this type of office won’t work for everyone. For those it does work for, though, it can save you a decent amount of money and stress.

Coworking Space

Oftentimes, remote workers find that they can’t sit at their desk at home and get things done. In other situations, you’ll find that traditional & private office space is just too expensive in a certain city or area for businesses to afford.

Enter coworking spaces. Coworking space is a workspace that’s open for rental and use by multiple people, companies, and businesses. There are often a bit more open compared to traditional office spaces with various desk types, options, rooms, and more.

You’ll be working amongst students, other remote workers, businesses, meeting spaces, clubs, and more. Imagine a college library environment… but for legitimate businesses, workers, and entrepreneurs. 

These don’t work for everyone, though. Because of the open workspaces and frequent lack of walls, many find themselves distracted in these types of environments. It can also be somewhat distracted to be amongst so many different types of work, businesses, and people.

However, many find that this environment is great for remote workers. Others that love this type of office space are creatives, collaborative workers, tutors, teachers, and other similar professions.

Home Offices

A home office is just as legitimate of a workspace as any of the other types of offices on this list. While other people find that working in the place that they live isn’t productive, many are able to work right in the comfort of their own home office. 

3.7 million people work from home half the time, commuting to work for the other half. Millions of others are remote workers all the time. These numbers have only continued to grow in the age of constant access to the Internet.

If you plan on working from a home office, you should take the time to create a space that’s dedicated to your work. Studies show that working or studying in your bed or your bedroom results in a lack of focus. You’re more likely to be distracted, get tired, or fail to retain information.

Be sure to have a separate office, room, or even a specific desk where you’ll work when you’re working from home.