Cardiff workers are being offered free workspace as part of International Coworking Day.
Cwrt Cowork in Llanishen is offering free workspace for the day to anyone who wants to explore a closer to – but not at – home working option.
Coworking is the term given to a way of working where people from different companies, backgrounds and perspectives choose to work from a shared space. As well as helping save costs in office rent and utility bills, coworking spaces act as community builders, where people naturally form friendships and working relationships by sharing challenges and successes together.
There is a growing sense that this way of working could play a crucial part in helping unlock local economies, as if people are able to work from a shared space closer to home, they are more likely to spend money with local businesses, in their own communities.
Shanil Rupesinghe, Concept of Operation Lead at Skyports Infrastructure, who is based at the space and living in Cardiff, largely works remotely with the company’s head office based in London. With a busy home life, he was seeking somewhere to spend his working days where he wouldn’t be sidetracked by dishes at home or have to buy pricey coffees to work from local cafes.
Shanil said that, in the short time he’d been using the space in Llanishen, he’d collaborated with a fellow coworker as a result of conversations they had shared whilst working together: “The breadth of backgrounds and skill sets of the people you meet here is fantastic. There aren’t many workplaces where a bat ecologist will be sat next to a graphic designer on one side and an aircraft specialist on the other. I’ve already used the services of another hub member for some design work and it’s likely we’ll be working together more going forward.
“Coworking definitely offers an office away from the office when I’m working remotely. It’s hugely important for me to get out of the house to work in a professional space where I can get things done, take Zoom calls and escape the distractions of housework. I’ve even been taking the 30 minute walk in every morning as I live close enough to the hub, which is a huge bonus when it comes to my lifestyle.”
Cwrt is run by coworking and small business expert, Town Square Spaces Ltd (TownSq), which is developing a network of enterprise hubs across the UK.
Adam Sparkes, Community Manager for Cwrt, said “As more people and organisations embrace a hybrid working model, it’s becoming clear that flexibility is key. Working from home is great, but you lose a lot of the benefits of working with other people. Similarly, commuting to an office takes away a lot of freedom and work/life balance that people are starting to prize.
“There are practical benefits to working this way too. With fuel and home energy costs rising, people are seeking ways to mitigate the costs of living. We believe that coworking has a big part to play in solving these challenges. As well as the benefits of working with others, such as natural networking, collaboration and mutual idea and problem-solving, workers can also ditch the commute and home energy costs by working from a local, shared space.
“International Coworking Day is a perfect way for local people to try out this way of working, and we’d encourage anyone thinking of giving it a go, to come along and try it for free.”
Free coworking is taking place at Cwrt Cowork on Lambourne Crescent all day on Tuesday 9th August.
