Coworking: how do you build a community when you come from a large group?

Since the spread of telecommuting and the rise of the flex office, employees of major groups have also been investing in hybrid workspaces. Leading the way are coworking spaces. But for many, the temptation is to behave as if in a satellite office: arriving, connecting, videoconferencing, leaving. Yet a coworking space offers much more than a shared office. It's a breeding ground for ideas, encounters and synergies, provided you know how to fit in. It's not just a question of working there, but of integrating and, better still, building a community.

Feeding off flexible workspaces

Building a community in a coworking space starts with a change of attitude. For an employee of a major corporation, accustomed to the codified corporate environment, this means stepping out of one's comfort zone and abandoning a purely transactional logic. Here, you don't consume a workspace, however flexible, you participate in an ecosystem. This means taking an interest in others, asking questions, sharing experiences, even when they come from a corporate world sometimes perceived as distant or institutional. A simple exchange of coffee, a discussion about a project or a technical helping hand can become the starting point for a lasting professional relationship.

But a community is not limited to informal exchanges. It's also built up through rituals, dedicated moments that help strengthen bonds. In a coworking environment, these often take the form of workshops, collaborative breakfasts, experience-sharing sessions or afterworks. For an employee of a large group, it's an opportunity to break down barriers, explain what he or she does, and introduce his or her day-to-day professional life to people from outside the company. In return, they can discover more agile, more creative ways of working, often from the world of freelancers or entrepreneurs. These cross-functional exchanges are invaluable: they fuel curiosity, inspire new solutions and help to decompartmentalize the approach to work.

According to a study carried out by Software Advice and highlighted in the columns of GPO, almost half the professionals questioned (47%) now claim to work from a coworking space. Of these, one in two particularly appreciates the opportunity to meet colleagues, 41% point to the networking opportunities, and 34% emphasize the practicality of the location.

Bringing professional cultures together in a flexible workspace

The strength of coworking also lies in its ability to bring different worlds together. When a corporate executive shares an office with a freelance graphic designer or developer, it creates a beneficial culture shock. The employee discovers other rhythms, other business models, other constraints. It prompts them to rethink their habits and question their practices. This exchange, if nourished and sincere, can become a lever of social innovation for the company itself.

Some take advantage of it to test intrapreneurial projects, co-construct solutions with local players, or launch initiatives in favor of the ecological transition or inclusion. Others find the energy to revisit their own ways of collaborating internally.

From the flexible office to the community experience

Finally, to immerse oneself in a coworking space is to experience a different relationship to work: more horizontal, more open, less compartmentalized. For an employee of a large group, it's a rare opportunity to step outside the institutional framework and connect with a living ecosystem. It's not just a question of occupying a flexible office, but of actively participating in the life of a place, of becoming a full-fledged player in it. This requires time, attention and a real commitment. But in return, it offers a professional and human enrichment that traditional offices no longer always provide.