Why Commuting is more Appreciated in 2021?

Because first of all, commuting means a clear separation between one’s professional and personal life. Indeed, here we speak of commuting in opposition to working from home. Life is full of paradoxes. So, what is the problem with commuting? And what’s happening in 2021?

First, remember that “commuting” means the distance you have to travel regularly between your home and your workplace (the office). When you cannot choose your place of work or manage your timetable, commuting can become an absolute nightmare. A factor of stress and frustration because:  

• of the time you spend in transportation 
• the traffic you need to face every day 
• the time of sleep you lose every morning 
• the lack of flexibility to adapt to your personal life (family, leisure, sport)
• the people (colleagues) you know you have to see every day even when you don’t want to

The boom of remote work and the limits of home office 

A year ago, the pandemic hit. The world got into a state of alarm, and everyone had to work from home. However, a great solution contrasted in terms of benefits for the workers as not everyone’s home is suited for work. Indeed people suffered:

• the loss of clear boundaries between personal and professional life
• social isolation 
• the lack of adequate places and furniture to work 
• the loss of face to face teamwork dynamic

So here is your answer. In 2021, after more than a year of working from home, people have adopted a hybrid working routine. Since most offices are still closed, they work 2 or 3 days a week from home and 2 or 3 days from a coworking space close to their house. Everything is a question of balance. Commuting is not perfect, nor home office terrible. But once you get to choose where you work and when to go, commuting is not bad as long as it is a choice. 

That is why the coworking sector was already booming before the pandemic, with the increase of remoter workers. Flexible spaces reflect the evolution of the working world transformed by technologies. The cloud, online meeting, and collaborative software offer greater flexibility allowing work outside of the traditional office. This digital transition also questioned the place of the office. We are moving towards a model where an office is no longer a place of control and supervision but a flexible location for collaboration and socialisation. 

A win-win situation for both employers and workers 

Indeed, both parties benefit from coworking spaces and remote work.

For companies:

• cost and management-efficiency 
• access to a powerful talent network world-wide
• services all included in coworking spaces 
• community and activities 

For workers:

• reduce commuting
• flexibility, better work-life balance 
• social connections, community 
• productivity

As a result, in 2021, commuting has become a positive aspect of many workers’ life. It has become a choice, a symbol of flexibility and, an excellent way to achieve a better work-life balance. You work from home when you feel like it and go to the office when you need it. Remote work also means location-independent, so if you end up in workation in Barcelona, feel free to come and say “Hi” at La Vaca Coworking!