If you thought co-working was just for freelancers, think again. The benefits of co-working are numerous and can be enjoyed by teams of larger businesses too.

The way we work has changed dramatically over the past decade. The standard office-based nine to five is no longer quite so standard. In fact, in 2014 a government study revealed that 4.9 million people in the UK work from home. This accounts for 13.9% of the total workforce. 

These record figures are due to a number of factors. Changes in technology, business aims, societal expectations and career paths have meant that:

• It’s increasingly common for employees to work remotely at least some of the time

• More and more professionals are choosing to work freelance

• Self-employment and micro business is booming

Working from home can be fantastic, for some. Others find it difficult to adjust to, especially if they’re used to the social aspects of working in an office.

In the past, freelancers, remote workers and micro business owners were often limited in their workspace options by finances. Taking on an office of their own was a financial investment many weren’t ready for and they were often stuck in the home office until their enterprise became significantly bigger.

The good news is that this is no longer the case. The growth of co-working has created a very real alternative to home working, and many have found it’s revolutionised their working lives. And why wouldn’t it? Co-working offers all the freedom and flexibility of working independently with all the benefits of working in an office.

If you’re thinking about taking your business out of the house and into a co-working space, consider the many advantages of coworking.

Here are some of the reasons co-working might be the right choice for you:

Emerging as what was widely considered a unique privilege of company directors, flexible working patterns whereby we have greater freedom over when and where we choose to work, is now evolving as a habitual pattern of working for the masses. Prolific advances in communications and technology enabling us to work and report back to clients and our seniors from remote locations have paved the way for flexible, remote working. As a means of keeping up with the high demand of this modern model of working flexible office space is now readily available around the world, in the form of co-working centres, virtual offices and serviced offices.

They say there’s an app for practically anything these days, including apps to help businesses and freelancers of all shapes, sizes and industries, find their most convenient and ideal flexible office space and use their co-working set-up to the maximum.

If finding flexible office space in an attempt to craft a more professional business image and take your company forward is on your 2016 business list agenda, you may be interested in the following seven best mobile apps for flexible office space.

• Ask Me Anything: 10 Answers to Your Questions about Leeds business address

  We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, outside London Leeds is the largest business and financial hub in the UK. Given Leeds’ enviable status as being the ‘London of the North’, a vibrant, well-connected city, in which students and professionals flock to in their droves, it stands to reason having a business address in buoyant and thriving Leeds is going to paint your business in an admirable light. 

  If you are thinking of taking the plunge and getting an ultra-exclusive Leeds business address, either by renting office space in Leeds or having a virtual office in the city or its surroundings, take a look at the answers to the following ten important questions related to business addresses in Leeds?

From the ‘big cheese’ in his/her office having little to do with the humble workforce, to the ladies swooning over the latest hunky recruit in the sales departments, offices by their very nature are full of clichés, jokes and puns. As flexible office space continues to snowball in prominence and popularity, so too do the jokes and jibes about this modern form of office space. Carrwood Park takes a look at 13 of the ‘punniest’ flexible office space puns you can find.

Whilst more and more employers are beginning to recognise the multitude of benefits that go hand in hand with flexible office space and flexible working arrangements, there is always going to be a few flexible working sceptics.