How Coliving is Benefiting Modern Workers in the Pandemic

Singapore Nov 11, 2020

Coliving allows for greater work-life balance, flexibility in work structure and more community integration.

Never before have we had more power over where and how we work. This is because industries are increasingly opening themselves up to the freedoms of remote work, and we can now work pretty much anywhere - with the only requirements being a laptop and an Internet connection.

Hmlet Cantonment, Singapore

When the choice is between confining yourself to the same desk in the same office in the same suburb, day-in and day-out, and doing the exact same work anywhere else in the world, most people won’t even treat it as a choice. And there’s no doubt that businesses are becoming more willing to offer remote work options. It’s hard to see how this arrangement isn’t a win for all involved.

The year the earth stood still

Millennial social distancing at coffee shop during coronavirus. How are college students affected by COVID-19? Will the epidemic continue or will flattening the curve stop the recession and save the economy from unemployment.
Photo by Austin Distel / Unsplash

Enter 2020. The global pandemic has become a catalyst for remote work everywhere. Workplaces had to quickly implement mass adoption of a range of technologies we didn’t have access to a few years ago such as Cloud-based services, rich video conferencing, and messaging systems like Slack. These technologies have had to accelerate their product development roadmaps to cope with a surge of users and enable remote working at a global scale that would not interrupt businesses.

Employees were and still are encouraged to stay home in a bid to curb infections. Very quickly, organisations proved that their workers did not need to be located in the same office space to be able to work effectively together.

For employers, remote working is the new way to do business. Beyond the crucial role it plays in helping to stem the spread of the virus, remote working is also able to help to deliver more productive employees and improved morale. This, of course,  leads to less employees leaving their workplace, and or feeling the need to take sick days to get stuff done. From this, the cost savings to organisation’s operations can allow them to consider downsizing their offices when they don’t need to provide a desk to each employee on a daily basis.

The benefits don’t stop there, though. Employers can also recruit talent from anywhere in the world - which is particularly beneficial if they need a highly specialised role filled - and can be more flexible in how work is done, unburdening the business from the engrained 9-5 mentality. So, you might be thinking: this sounds great for employers, but does remote working have any benefits for employees? The answer is a big yes! Employees can live further away from their office location if they only need to be in the office a couple of times per week (or less frequently). They can travel more for work, and live a more flexible lifestyle. This means employees can live wherever they choose without worrying about the daily commute to work.

Why modern workers need a new solution

You probably know that, in today’s property market, prices tend to be higher where the jobs are most concentrated – the CBD of major cities, for example. The property market is also tied closely to the assumption that a person will settle into a job – and therefore a location – for a substantial time span. This tends to push prices in an area up, as leases on rental properties tend to be for lengthy periods of time – one year is generally the minimum. It’s no wonder so many of us can’t afford to live in CBDs!

This shot was taken at the end of a 48-hour shooting marathon. Just about to go home and sleep and had half a drone battery left so decided to put it up thanks to my friend’s encouragement then went and slept for 3 hours before shooting again.
Photo by Eggzy Pallet / Unsplash

But if working habits are changing, and people are being more flexible in how they work, then why should living habits not change to suit? One innovation growing in appeal to many of us workers is the expansion of coliving spaces in major metro areas.

Coliving brings the new working lifestyle

For many, coliving spaces conjure up images of university dorm rooms or large buildings just for young people - that’s easily enough to turn you off them. But you should know there’s an increasing range of coliving spaces designed to cater to older professionals that don’t want to be tied down to a single area for an extended period of time.

Coliving Trends for the Remote Work Lifestyle
A boon to remote work is the freedom to travel but finding the right type of housing can be a challenge. Luckily, a variety of coliving spaces now cater to different types of remote workers. #RemoteWork #coliving #coworking #design #DesignerLife #designer
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With short or flexible term rental leases, a remote worker can stay in an area as long as it’s convenient, before moving on when they desire a change of pace. Or, alternatively, you can go off-site on a medium or long-term remote project without having to upend the rest of your life back at your permanent address.

Hmlet Lorong G, Singapore

You should know that’s not the only benefit of coliving spaces, though. One of the benefits that many believe an office space provides is the sense of community that having a group of people together brings. This became exceptionally clear during the prolonged periods of isolation that millions of people suddenly found themselves thrust into during quarantines and lockdowns.

Especially for those who don’t have spouses or partners, working remotely runs a risk of having a person go without person-to-person social contact for lengthy periods of time. This can be extremely draining and have the opposite effect to what a business wants from enabling remote working.

Coliving spaces can resolve this. A coliving space generally provides a person with privacy (in that the bedroom is their own), but other facilities, including the kitchen and living room, are communal. By finding a coliving space with other, like-minded people, you can be confident that your needs will be met, while still being part of a real and vibrant social circle.

Coliving spaces and mobile working are mutually beneficial trends for the modern professional. By providing modern employees with the flexibility and lifestyle opportunities that allow them to make the most of the work/life balance, by taking advantage of their job’s mobility, and reducing the pressure on their living arrangements.

Updated: 13 January 2021


Be it coliving or private accommodation, search for hundreds of rooms and apartments for rent at Hmlet. We’ll help you find a home fuss-free, so you can focus on doing more of what you love. Get started here.

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Along with Yilynn Chan

Putting together the best reads for you. If you'd like to share your thoughts and ideas or collaborate, drop us an email at singapore@habyt.com.