Large firms break barrier to co-work, opt for shared spaces for projects

At least two major co-working space providers have confirmed that large companies or enterprises are using their workstations.

“A person from an Indian IT company comes from a different background than someone from Google and that is where such spaces provide scope for reinventing work culture,” said Abhinav Tandon, co-founder of Creator's Gurukul, an upcoming chain of work spaces.

Co-working space providers are offering initiatives such as expert talks on the future of e-retail to engage with workers. Like WeWork and BHive, Creator's Gurukul is planning a large number of events apart from professional services.

Dell, IBM, Microsoft and Spotify have started using coworking spaces globally. “All types of companies are embracing this way of working. This is a shift in the way people want to work and is one reason why large companies are looking at us as a solution,” said Karan Virwani, director, WeWork India.

“Forward thinking companies such as Microsoft, HSBC, Amazon and Facebook understand they cannot stay with the traditional office environment, employees need something more engaging,” Virwani added.

“A co-working space is not just for start-ups but anyone who wants to work. We want to convert the conventional office user into a pro-worker,” said Amit Ramani, chief executive officer, Awfis Space Solution. Awfis accommodates Mattel Toys and Kimberly-Clark apart from start-ups like Olx, Zomato and Nearbuy.

Real estate company JLL reckons a 15-20 per cent savings when companies move their business to co-working spaces. In 2016, 0.73 million sq ft was absorbed by the sector.

WeWork charges ~20,900 per month for a private office and and ~9,999 per month for a shared desk in Bengaluru. The rates are double in Mumbai.

Sharat Dhall, B2C COO of Yatra.com, said his company subscribed to a coworking space despite having a large office. “Co-working spaces offer flexibility. You can have a small team working out of such spaces till your are ready to scale up,” he said.

“Global companies have a extra requirements like dedicated Internet, more security and access control. We assist them in getting their own resources if they wish to,” said Monappa Bayavanda, cofounder, BHive. BHive has nearly half of its workspaces occupied by corporates.