Recently Steve King, a partner in Emergent Research and a regular contributor to SmallBusiness.com, wrote an article for Harvard Business Review, Coworking Is Not About Workspace — It’s About Feeling Less Lonely. It covers the research Emergent has conducted relating to the social and professional sides of coworking space membership. From Steve, here is a roundup of some of Emergent’s key survey findings that relate to coworking space.

Research related to the interpersonal or social aspects of co-working

87% | Percentage of coworking space members who say they’ve met other members of their co-working space for social reasons
54% | Socialize with other members after work and/or on weekends
79% | Say coworking has expanded their social networks
83% | Say they are less lonely since joining a coworking space
89% | Say they are happier since joining a coworking space

But coworking space membership is not just about being more social. Emergent’s research also shows significant business and professional benefits accrue to coworking members:

82% | Say coworking has expanded their professional networks
80% | Say they have turned to other coworking members for help or guidance
64% | Say their coworking networking was an important source of work and business referrals
84% | Say that working in a coworking space improved their work engagement and motivation

The bottom line from our research – and the research of others – is that there are very clear social benefits from belonging to a coworking space. This is especially true for those who work on their own. And given the concerns related a growing “loneliness epidemic” and its impact on those working remotely or alone, these are important findings.

Read the entire Harvard Business Review article here.

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