What Is Shared Office Space? 5 Benefits for Growing Teams in Greater Boston
What is shared office space?
We’re so glad you asked. A shared office space is a workplace where multiple companies or individuals cowork in the same space, sharing common areas and amenities.Think: a shared work environment where individual members and teams from different companies work side-by-side.
How shared office space works in Greater Boston
First, pick a membership that works for you: a hot desk if you just need a place to bang out some tasks on the fly, a dedicated desk if you want the same spot every day, or a private office if you or your team need a homebase. At Workbar, a membership gets you reciprocal access to every location in the city or suburbs. Spaces are accessible during regular business hours.
5 benefits of shared office space for growing teams in Greater Boston
1. Lower costs without the long lease
In a nutshell, shared overhead keeps costs down — plus, coworking memberships are typically month-to-month with lower upfront cost. The price per square foot of a traditional lease can be deceiving.Once you factor in things like furniture, tech, utilities, cleaning, and amenities, flexible coworking space oftentimes is the more cost-effective option — particularly if your team is growing.
2. Flexibility to scale your team up or down
Teams can add desks when they’re in growth mode and reduce them when scaling back. Plus, month-to-month terms mean that businesses aren’t locked in as is the case with traditional leases. This is particularly helpful for seasonal or project-based work, and for Boston startups navigating funding cycles.
3. Built-in amenities and meeting rooms
Everything is ready for you to get started on day one with zero setup on your part. Just show up! Well, don’t forget your laptop. But other than that, your checklist is pretty much No vendor management hassle and no maintenance headaches. For teams spread across the Greater Boston area with no central office, this is especially valuable.
4. Better focus with activity-based zones
People aren't one size fits all and their workspace shouldn’t be either. That’s why each Workbar location is divided into four distinct coworking neighborhoods. Need to focus? Head to the Study for distraction-free productivity. Collaborating with the team? The Commons is built for group work. Taking calls? Our Switchboard is phone-friendly. Last but not least, the Café is perfect for off-the-cuff chats (or as we like to call it, bump ‘n connect), coffee, and the Bevi options galore.
5. Multiple locations across Greater Boston
Access to multiple locations around Greater Boston means team members have the freedom to work closer to home, whether that’s Cambridge, Burlington, Quincy, or Downtown. Reduced commute times are invaluable. For distributed teams that want occasional IRL collaboration without requiring everyone to commute to a central office all the time.
Who can benefit from shared office space?
Boston's business scene is extremely diverse — from biotech and pharma to SAAS and nonprofits — and the reasons teams choose Workbar are just as varied. Whether it's for a one-off client meeting or just a change of scenery from distractions at home, shared office space provides the flexibility (and in some cases, privacy) that appeals to people from any line of work.
Startups and early-stage founders
Need professional space without making a major investment and with the potential room to grow without needing to renegotiate leases. An added bonus? It adds credibility for client meetings in Boston’s competitive startup ecosystem.
Small (and growing) teams
The space adapts as teams hire more, which allows mixing membership types. Think: dedicated desks for some, one-off hot desks for others. Teams can distribute across Greater Boston locations based on where employees live, both widening the talent pool and providing the flexibility many workers have come to expect.
Distributed and hybrid companies
Multiple locations across Greater Boston let team members work closer to home while still leaving room for in-person collaboration days without being tied down to a headquarters or having to deal with long commutes.
Find your team a shared workspace that actually works in Greater Boston
At the end of the day, shared office space is a great way to access flexible options in a diverse and stress-free environment. Intentional design is a priority for Workbar and growing teams appreciate us for just that reason. Check out our membership options here to get a sense of what works best for you and your team.