International Coworking Day

International Coworking Day celebrates co-working, collaboration, creativity, and community on the 9th of August every year. Coworking provides flexible and collaborative workspaces that connect the common core values between members and staff.

The day is celebrated by coworking spaces around the world with various activities. August 9th not only commemorates this occasion but also helps to raise awareness about what coworking is and the benefits that it provides.

Coworking as an industry has been around for ten years and only continues to grow as each new year passes. Coworking is about people and a sense of belonging. We belong together and today we celebrate coworking’s continued impact on the lives of so many people making big waves in their communities, both large and small.

History

It was 1999 when Brian De Koven coined the word “ coworking ”, just as he registered the domain www.coworking.com. This, however, had nothing to do with a shared workspace: Brian had simply founded an institute to raise awareness of tools, technologies, and techniques, for collaborative work.

In 2005, Software engineer Brad Neuberg created the concept of coworking. He described it as a space for “free spirits to come together in community” and work. Neuberg simply described his concept as “sitting at tables or relaxing on couches as we do our work.” Thus, coworking was created.

He invited various developers to work together two days a week at the feminist center Spiral Muse in San Francisco. The offer was readily accepted by freelancers, who usually work alone from home. He coined the word “coworking”, which has since made its way around the world. And in accordance with his enthusiasm and conviction for open source projects, he did not secure this term and the concept as a brand but encouraged people to take up the idea and the name spread it, and develop it further. This is how coworking became a movement.

The history of collaborative work outside of a company goes back even further. As early as 1995, the c-base started in Berlin for developers who shared internet access there and exchanged knowledge and skills related to programming.

Since Brad Neuberg first wrote about his coworking space in the Spiral Muse in his blog Coding in Paradise 16 years ago, International Coworking Day has been celebrated on August 9th every year.

The heart of coworking lies around its community. A coworking community offers a young business and entrepreneur the network of business colleagues and friends to work alongside in an environment where help and support are encouraged. Business, social and personal support comes naturally through building relationships in a friendly and open environment.

The wave of coworking soon took hold. In 2013, when “coworking” becomes a trendy search key on Google and there are more than 2500 coworking places in the world, Coworking was born. The additional idea of merging the coworking model with the cooperative one is the pursuit of the best conditions for members.

After many of us were obliged to work from home in the past year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, not just freelancers and startups, but also more and more salaried brain workers are discovering coworking as an ideal alternative to the home office.

How to celebrate the day

This is a day to celebrate coworking across the world. Coworking is much more than an office space where members gather to work. It is the collaborative spirit that develops when people are in proximity to each other every day. The best way to do that is to share this article with #CoworkingDay, and show your support by working in a coworking space this day!

On this day many events are celebrated by inviting the community to participate in a free day of coworking and festivities. Many events provide complimentary food and refreshments, as well as WiFi and work spaces for those who wish to participate in the coworking aspect of the day.

Facts about coworking

Coworking can earn you more money

Coworking helps to increase productivity, maybe because coworkers enjoy being in their office so are more inclined to work longer hours.

Coworking is good for your health

Coworkers feel healthy in a coworking office. Sharing a workspace goes a significant way to reducing loneliness and stress, and many offer healthy subsidized food or excellent facilities for storing and preparing fresh food, so say goodbye to that vending machine dinner of Diet Coke and crisps.

People who co-work are more productive

The majority of people who opt to co-work report being more productive, better able to focus, and working better as a team. All the coworking offices are set up to facilitate communication and collaboration, with open-plan desks and chill-out areas where members can converse in a relaxed environment.

80% of coworkers are under 40

If you are looking for a social life as well as steady employment, a coworking office could be for you. The buzz of youth and the freedom from additional responsibilities can make coworking offices seriously fun places to work.

Half of us will be coworking soon

Today we organize our lives online; we order food online; we even find love online – it follows that our work is going digital too, thus freeing up the workforce to embrace coworking in all its fluid, funky, flexible glory.