The Great Debate: Home Office vs. Co-Working Spaces in Serbia
The Great Debate: Home Office vs. Co-Working Spaces in Serbia
The co-working culture in Serbia seems to be growing stronger by the day, many co-working spaces offer affordable and flexible membership plans.
Highlights
Learn the benefits and drawbacks of working from home and co-working spaces, like comfort and distractions.
Understand how social interaction varies between both environments and affects productivity.
Explore the financial differences, including cost savings at home and expenses in co-working spaces.
People often comment on my working situation, stating how lucky I am to work from home. Several acquaintances and relatives have asked me to “find them an online gig just like mine,” utterly oblivious to what I do for a living. All they hear is the “work from home” part, and they’re sold.
While the WFH community is blessed with the opportunity to escape the 5 PM traffic madness and the rigid office culture, not everything is sunshine and rainbows. When working from home, differentiating between professional and personal is challenging, to say the least. Are co-working spaces the Utopia we’ve been searching for?
Work Environment
The preferred working conditions are entirely individual, but here’s what you can expect from each of the options:
Home Office
The upside of working from home is that you’re granted the comfort of a personal space. You don’t have to share your space with people you don’t know (introverts, unite!), which means complete freedom. You also get undisputed control of all the elements in your environment, including temperature, lighting, and noise levels.
According to HRO Today, 54% of workers prefer to work from home, 41% enjoy the hybrid mode more, while only 5% of examiners chose office work as their ideal scenario.
One of the biggest downsides to this scenario is the potential for distractions. Not everyone can accommodate your working schedule, and people entering the room, asking questions, or watching loud TV is the last thing you need on a busy day.
Feeling isolated is another challenge people who work from home face, as you can spend hours without speaking to someone. A Carleton University research labeled it “home fever,” comparing it to cabin fever—a serious psychological state that peaked during the pandemic.
Apparently, people who spend too much time inside tend to become irritable, restless, and lonely, which takes a toll on their mental well-being.
Co-Working Spaces
The biggest advantage of choosing co-working spaces over your home office is creating a sense of professionalism. Also, it feels nice to dress up, leave the house, and see other faces occasionally. A study from Indeed.com confirms that dressing formally for work boosts productivity and effectiveness.
On the other hand, noise and interruptions are present even in co-working spaces. Not everyone has the same idea of work ethic, and if you run into someone you know, you could find yourself yapping instead of focusing on daily tasks.
Social Interaction and Networking
If you miss the office culture and social interaction, co-working spaces may be your ideal solution. On the other hand, remote workers who prefer peace and quiet perceive the lack of networking opportunities as a small price to pay.
Home Office
When working from home, you get to decide how much social interaction you have, which gives you complete control. While you don’t have the traditional networking opportunities, connecting with people virtually is just as significant.
Limited face-to-face interactions can deepen the feeling of isolation and trigger social anxiety in people spending too much time inside. Fewer spontaneous networking opportunities can also be pinned to the list of disadvantages.
Co-Working Spaces
In co-working spaces, you’ll often have the opportunity to meet other professionals. There is a vast potential for collaboration and knowledge sharing, especially if you’re lucky enough to meet people from your industry. You could also be invited to networking events where you could land your next gig.
As always, networking can be hit or miss. Also, people who prefer to keep to themselves, especially while working, might not appreciate others approaching them to discuss business. A 2023 study on the impact of remote work arrangement on socially anxious individuals found that people suffering from anxiety and workplace-induced exhaustion thrive when working from home.
Cost and Financial Considerations
The financial factor can never be ignored, and the clash between home office and co-working spaces is no exception.
Home Office
Choosing your home office over co-working spaces is undoubtedly the less expensive choice. There are no additional costs and no commute expenses. If you prepare your meals instead of ordering in, you’d have to agree this adds to the overall affordability. A 2022 FlexJobs survey including 4,000 remote workers found that 45% could save around $5,000 in a year, and some were even able to double that amount.
That being said, the initial setup costs, including office furniture and equipment, may be high in some cases. There is also the potential for higher utility bills.
Co-Working Spaces
By joining a co-working space, you get all-inclusive amenities—internet, office supplies, and sometimes even meeting rooms. Many co-working spaces offer affordable and flexible membership plans.
What’s more, you can always prep your meals and bring your food instead of eating out. Investing in sturdy glass containers, like C Crest Glass Meal Prep Containers, can be a life-changer. They are spill-proof and microwave-safe, which is a plus if your co-working space offers a microwave.
However, some people simply prefer higher utility bills over monthly membership fees. Depending on the co-working space and membership plans, there could be additional costs for premium services, and let’s face it—it is hard to resist eating out when you’re out of the house (we’ve all been there!). Fortune states that employees who don’t work from home tend to spend “the equivalent of a month’s grocery bill” on food and other expenses.
Final Thoughts
The co-working culture in Serbia seems to be growing stronger by the day, and as a remote worker with nearly a decade of experience, I can understand the popularity. One of the biggest struggles I’ve faced as a freelancer is being unable to separate the personal from the professional, as the lines between my home and office became almost non-existent.
With that said, joining a co-working space wasn’t the solution to my problem—as much as I wanted it to be. Creating a separate office in my home, adjusting this space to my needs, and developing clear boundaries boosted my productivity and made my work-from-home routine much more enjoyable.
