With work-from-home persisting as the norm for over a year now, the most common problem being faced by people is the blurring of lines between work and leisure. Working from the bed and no commute initially seemed like a boon but over the months factors like unstable internet, lack of a dedicated work space or desk, everyday distractions like incessant doorbells and online classes of kids have disrupted the work schedule of most professionals. In such a scenario, co-working spaces are becoming a popular option to work from especially for entrepreneurs, start ups, remote workers, independent professionals, freelancers and generally those who are looking for budget-friendly work spaces considering financial constraints after the pandemic.
A co-working space is essentially a shared work setting wherein members work for different companies, ventures, and projects. Generally, all co-working spaces include facilities like office furniture, high-speed internet, printing, conference rooms and a pantry, among others. While a major reason for entrepreneurs and startups to work from co-working spaces were affordability and no investment, over time it was realized that such a space also gives co-workers the opportunity to interact and build a community wherein they can also network, collaborate, seek guidance and offer their unique skill sets to other members.
With the startup and freelance culture picking pace in Jaipur, there has also been a rise in the number of co-working spaces in the city in the past few years. All About Jaipur spoke to some co-working space founders to find out the different facilities on offer as well as the growth of co-work culture in the Pink City.
Seats to suit your work needs
All co-working spaces usually offer seats in both open work spaces as well as private or semi-private cabins depending on the work requirement as well as the number of people in a team. A Civil Lines based co-working space, WaveX has the ‘Hot Desk’ option designed for solopreneurs, freelancers and influencers wherein one can explore the whole workspace and settle at any space that’s vacant as opposed to a dedicated work desk. Their private cabins cater to small teams consisting of up to four people.
A space designed for startups
In addition to being an incubation center for startups and providing aid like mentoring, funding, Anant Bajaj Limitless Ideas Hub also features a huge co-working space in 22 Godam area of the city. With 90 co-working desks, 7 private work cabins, 6 meeting rooms, a board room as well as an event hall, the co-working space is designed keeping startups in mind.
Keeping the pandemic in mind, a special hybrid model is also being offered to startups that would like to continue working primarily from home but use physical infrastructure for meetings, brainstorming sessions, discussions etc. The hybrid packages will offer space for such specific requirements in addition to providing virtual address, flexible seating, pay per use models for common facilities, among others. To support passionate individuals and solopreneurs flexible plans are also being made available. Contactless water dispensers, hand sanitizers, soap dispensers and sensor-based taps have also been installed.
Moving Beyond Space
“There is great potential for the co-working industry in Jaipur, but not if the founders/owners are only offering space”, believe Adityendra Solanki and Elizabeth Schrock of The Maker’s Space, a co-working space in Lal Kothi.
“People, especially in these times, need community. They need people who care about them, who want to dive into meaningful conversations and build relationships with them. This is especially true with freelancers, an overlooked group of people who have a lot of social pressures fighting against them. We have a wide range of members at The Maker’s Space including, but not limited to, local and traveling jewelry and textile designers, photographers, graphic designers, digital marketing agencies, PhD students, IT professionals, financial advisors and strategists, policymakers, start-up coaches”, they further add.
They too offer an open-concept, community workspace with 26 hot seats (first come, first served), dedicated desks, a meeting room, private offices, a cafe area with a self-serve kitchen, and lounge areas with sofa/bean bag seating.
WFH making co-working spaces popular in Tier II and Tier III Cities
“Work from Home is a beneficial concept that has changed the requirement of multi-storied offices for corporate organization to specific seats for their employees in their hometowns. We intend to focus our expansions in Tier-II and Tier-III cities where these employees are looking forward for a dynamic space to work from”, shares Abhijeet Mukherjee, Founder of Suits Café in Jaipur.
Virtual Packages
“Work from Home is not going to be a permanent feature. The pandemic has impacted all businesses and the co-working sector has also taken a hit but it will surely see a surge”, believe Adityanath and Deepesh of Nineth Space. They also offer virtual office packages for startups with services like office address, company registration, GST registration, etc. “Nineth Space also has strategic collaborations with leading startup Incubators of Jaipur”, add the founders.
Let us know if you have worked from any co-working space in Jaipur ?
Tusharika Singh
Latest posts by Tusharika Singh (see all)
- The staging of ‘Dance Like a Man’ in Jaipur - August 27, 2024
- An evening with Vikas Swarup in Jaipur - August 27, 2024
- Ties & Tastes for Rakhi ft. Jaipur entrepreneurs - August 14, 2024
