To some people, the idea of working from home must sound quite attractive. What’s not to like? You can work in your dressing gown, nip to the kitchen for a biscuit any time and it beats travelling to work in the wind and rain. It’s not all custard creams and comfy slippers though, since home-working comes with its downsides. Being homebound all day, people can become distracted, and surfing the web or taking an extended coffee break can more attractive than getting work done. It can also come with a feeling of isolation and detachment, leading to a loss of productivity.
People are social creatures, so even those working in a job that can be done with a laptop and Wi-Fi connection can find themselves craving human interaction. This is one explanation for the rise in work-share spaces in recent years, where remote workers, start-ups or multinational companies can share office space with each other. It may not sound like much, but in addition to providing people with some human contact it’s a great chance to network and seek new opportunities.
Instead of a new start-up working in a cramped home office, they can work alongside their peers, who can offer advice or support whenever needed. That’s just one built-in advantage of these hubs, and fostering a sense of community is another reason they’ve exploded in popularity. They’ve cropped up all across Ireland from Dogpatch Labs in Dublin, The Republic of Work in Cork and The Building Block in Sligo.
The Building Block opened in 2017 and offers users everything from private meeting spaces to 1GB broadband. Co-founders Denise Rushe and John Monahan feel spaces like theirs have become popular because “work has changed dramatically over the last 20 years, mostly because of broadband and technology – location is no longer an issue, so anyone can work from anywhere as long as you have a decent broadband connection. There are more contractors and freelancers than ever before, and in today’s world one can work with clients or on projects anywhere around the world.”
They also feel the communities that grow around these spaces are a hotbed for new ideas. “Coffee breaks can be spent chatting to a web programmer working for a company in California, or a translator working on projects in Italy. We make an effort to do a shared lunch every Monday, which is a nice way to catch up, discuss projects and possible collaborations. We have been running events in our event space which can host up to 100 people. Outside companies – funding agencies, banks, recruitment companies and the Startup Sligo network – regularly host events too.”
Currently located in the CHQ building in Dublin’s docklands, Dogpatch Labs is a start-up hub that’s gone from strength to strength, having tripled in size since it first opened. They’re at the heart of Dublin’s tech boom, and managing director Patrick Walsh sees the mission of Dogpatch to “accelerate and support the growth of tech start-ups in Ireland, and offer them a communal space with like-minded people”.
In addition to providing newcomers with the space and resources they need, the real key to making it work is – once again – community. Walsh says: “There a lot to be gained from collaborations and working with people to overcome challenges. Beyond people just meeting in the kitchen or striking up conversations, we have planned interactions such as events and seminars, with the intent of helping forge new relationships.”
John Breslin is a senior lecturer at NUI Galway and co-founder of the PorterShed, a co-work space that opened in 2016 and was intended to address the lack of a hub in the city. For Breslin, the emergence of these spaces is completely natural. “It makes a lot of sense in terms of shared resources – electricity, facilities, kitchens, and of course, internet/Wi-Fi – but also it provides the option for start-ups to be more visible to investors, partners, etc, who are frequently visiting these spaces because they know that’s where things are happening.”
Communal feeling
The communal feeling these spaces produce has spread beyond individual sites too, with Breslin noting: “There is an emerging network, a mailing list for co-working spaces and also visits between spaces. For example, the Building Block came down to the PorterShed to see what was working in Galway before rolling out their space, and that’s one of numerous instances of cross-site visits.”
This sentiment is echoed by DC Cahalane, chief executive of Republic of Work in Cork. “Paddy Walsh and his team at Dogpatch Labs have been a huge help to us in getting started. We learn a lot from each other.”
Since co-working offices by their nature are catering to young, emerging talent, they’ve become an attractive spot for bigger companies to stake out and keep an eye on what’s developing. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship – the start-ups can seek advice, support and possible investment from experienced firms, who in turn can spot exciting opportunities for themselves. In fact, some corporate support was a factor in Dogpatch’s expansion, says Patrick Walsh. “If it wasn’t for Ulster Bank and Google we wouldn’t have achieved the level of growth we’ve experienced.”
“I suppose one of the important things to note is Republic of Work isn’t a space for start-ups exclusively,” says Cahalane. “Unlike many other spaces, we consider ourselves industry and stage agnostic in terms of membership. We have individuals just getting started, as well as major multinationals.”
With this kind of backing and the advantages involved, work-share hubs are expected to become even more of a fixture in the years ahead, which Patrick Walsh agrees with. “It’s definitely becoming more of a norm. You have start-ups cropping over Ireland all the time, and the level of demand is only going to increase.”
John Breslin says: “When we set up PorterShed, we wanted to have a single open shared area for all co-working companies, but some companies will always prefer to have their own offices with segregated areas. However, there’s been an overwhelmingly positive response from nearly all the companies in our space, and while there are always small issues, I’m pleased to say there’s been relatively few.”
The local response to PorterShed has also been encouraging. “We believe we’ve had a real impact, and filled a gap for both Galway-based start-ups and incoming FDI prospects who want a starter home. With the PorterShed, startlab, SuperPixel Labs and other office spaces, we’ve seen the number of tech companies downtown change from single digits to 40+ companies today.”
Sligo may not have seemed like a likely place for a tech hub once upon a time, but The Building Block has proved a hit. “Initially, I would say a lot of people thought we were a bit cracked,” says Denise Rushe. “We held a series of open days for the community to come in, which helped in communicating what a co-working space meant for Sligo.”
Work share offices have taken firm root both nationally and internationally, with Dublin alone having more than 30 such spaces, and more likely to arrive. This office model is clearly doing something right, with both Uber and Instagram having been conceived in co-work spaces. It’s an environment that actively encourages innovation and community, and the results thus far speak for themselves.
It’s probably best to leave the slippers at home, though.