The new normal: Co-working spaces become popular workstations in Noida

When the Covid-19 outbreak brought the world to a standstill last year, no one imagined it would bring irreversible changes to people’s lifestyle, including work culture

When the Covid-19 outbreak brought the world to a standstill last year, no one imagined it would bring irreversible changes to people’s lifestyle, including work culture. Though office spaces in the country closed after the lockdown was imposed and many have still not opened up fully, coworking spaces in Noida are fast becoming a preferred place for working professionals.

A view inside Unboxed, a coworking space in Noida’s Sector 65. Many firms gave up their offices last year but are now looking to go back to their previous setups. (HT Photo/Sunil Ghosh)

Coworking spaces provide readymade office space for small teams or individuals which are available on rent – starting from ₹200-400 per hour to ₹5,000 per month for a work station.

Till 2020, coworking spaces in Noida were beginning to make a mark till the lockdown flattened their clientele. However, from September, these spaces again started seeing a surge in queries from people wanting to hire desks. “When the lockdown was imposed, it was a very depressing time for all coworking operators as there was no footfall. By January, however, occupancy at our coworking spaces almost equalled to that of the pre-Covid era,” said Mukul Parischa, founder of Springhouse coworking that has several such outlets in Noida,

Those who run coworking spaces also ensure proper Covid norms are followed. “Due to social distancing norms, the seating arrangements and the number of people occupying a floor has changed. For instance, a desk that earlier had three seats now has two. Wearing a mask is mandatory and several awareness posters have been put up across the facility to remind people to follow Covid guidelines,” says Tejashwi Bansal, who runs a coworking space called ‘Unboxed’ in Sector 65.

Though many working professionals were exulted with the work-from-home (WFH) arrangement which became a necessity due to the lockdown, a year on, it turns out that the new structure has not only led to a work-life imbalance but also resulted in lower productivity and output.

“At home, my work would get delayed and I would end up sitting with my laptop for over 12 hours. By working out of a coworking space, I am able to focus better,” said Rajat Saxena, currently working out of a coworking space in Sector 41.

“Working alone at home was taking a toll on me. Now, I work from a coworking space at least thrice a week,” said Janet Jose, a resident of East Delhi who works with an MNC in Noida’s Sector 16.

Those who operate such spaces agree that most of the clientele are professionals working with MNCs who are tired of the WFH module. “Working professionals are opting for flexible options which allow them to work out of a coworking space at least once or twice a week,” said Vinayak Agarawal, co-founder of MyHQ, which collaborates with other co-working spaces.

Many companies gave up their offices last year but are now looking to go back to their previous setups.

For Ghaziabad resident Abhilash Singh, moving from his rented office in Noida’s Sector 2 to a coworking space called ‘Hackerspace’ in the same area was a logical decision. “After working from home for almost ten months, we decided to resume operations from an office in January. However, this time, renting a space was off the table. Coworking spaces came to my rescue because now, I do not have to worry about operation costs, which have reduced. Opting for a coworking office reduced operation costs by almost 60%,” said Singh.

Kavita Sharma, who runs an online platform called Ziyyara Edutech Pvt. Ltd, has shifted from a rented office in Sector 2 to a coworking space in Sector 16 with her team of 10. “This has been a boon. If it wasn’t for the pandemic, I wouldn’t have shifted to a coworking space but continued paying rent out of my earnings,” she said.