How Coworking Spaces Can Shake Up the Corporate Life in Luxembourg
Luxembourg is a magnet for professionals in the corporate and finance sectors. This provides an exceptional opportunity to meet like-minded, and yet vastly different, professionals from across the globe.
However, this remarkable opportunity does come with a few drawbacks. In this article we will look at a few of these and how coworking spaces can help neutralise them.
Stuck on the same topics
While rich in cultural diversity, one difficulty often faced by people who work in corporates and service providers in Luxembourg is that they are surrounded all day, every day, by people working in the same field. This means that the casual conversations at the coffee machine can often dwindle back to facts and figures and shop talk.
As a newcomer in Luxembourg, the opportunity to make friends outside your field may be limited, which often leads to the same facts and figures being on the menu at weekend social gatherings too… No matter how much you love your job, you probably want to chat about something other than the intricacies of financial statements or the impact of the last team meeting during your weekend barbecue!
Working at shared workspaces provides the opportunity to meet people from a different professional sector, who perhaps can’t (and probably don’t want to) talk about the details of your current corporate project. This is refreshing and allows you to take a proper mental break from work, as well as providing the opportunity to make friends outside your line of work. (Sign up to the Deskover newsletter to find out when coworking spaces near you are hosting networking events, which provide great opportunities to meet and connect with new people!)
Surrounded by the same view
The nature of the corporate life often requires long hours at the same desk, staring at the same screen, surrounded by the same four walls... After a tough week, returning to the same working space on the weekend can be very disheartening, particularly if there is no one else around (or perhaps especially if the same faces are around!).
Working at a coworking space, whether during the week as an alternative to working from home or the office, or during those taxing working-weekends, provides a healthy change of scenery. This change alone can boost motivation, energy levels and productivity.
While the nature of a corporate job might seem quite “left brain”, studies show that a creative environment can stimulate new thought processes and can greatly aid problem-solving. It may seem like an unusual approach to work on a complex project in a room with interesting décor and bright colours, but this could in fact lead to a work break-through!
Coping with the “new normal” and work-life balance
For many people in the corporate space, fixed business hours and traditional office space has been what they have always been used to, and the "new normal" imposed by Covid-19 has proved disruptive and challenging for some.
When working from home, many people have experienced difficulty in staying focused, while others have found it difficult to draw the line between the workday and personal life, resulting in them working even longer hours than before the pandemic!
Several companies in Luxembourg have indicated that some form of remote working schedule may become part of their permanent corporate strategy. In these cases, employees will need to adopt strategies that will help them to not only survive remote working, but to really thrive.
Especially for those working from home, booking a coworking space provides structure to the day, and facilitates a clear divide between the work day and personal time, helping to maintain a healthy work-life balance. It also aids in managing personal relationships with family and co-inhabitants at home, who may have difficulty giving you the space you need to focus on your work.
In addition, the ability to change your working environment to suit your working style, mood, energy levels and types of projects can significantly enhance productivity levels. (Have a look at our previous blog to see how you can use shared working spaces to boost your productivity!)
The corporate world in Luxembourg is full of opportunity, but it does come with a few drawbacks and challenges. Switching up your working surroundings by working at a co-working space can enhance productivity, boost motivation, help maintain a healthy work-life balance, as well as provide opportunities to meet people you would probably not otherwise meet.
Why not BOOK a coworking space for an afternoon and see what impact the change of scenery has on your day? The benefits may surprise you!