Coronavirus took the entire world back by almost a couple of years, and it will leave a lot of baggage behind after it is hopefully eradicated soon. Most businesses faced losses during the pandemic and will bear the effects for quite some time; however, some businesses thrived amidst the difficult times.
One of the businesses that saw a rise and its demand basically went off the roof was shared office or coworking spaces in Pakistan. If you don’t know what shared office spaces are, let me just explain the concept to you a little bit.
The concept of two or more firms or individuals sharing a commercial office is known as coworking or shared office space. When an owner of a private office rents out the spare room to some other company or individual, the term shared offices are more widely used. This implies that dividing the expense of renting, utilities, and overhead costs benefits all parties.
During the coronavirus lockdown ‘people were forced to stay at home, which drastically disturbed their routines and affected their productivity. Imagine if a person is used to an office setting and suddenly, for a depressing and panic-inducing reason, they are told to work from home; how will they be able to focus properly?
Coworking spaces were always popular among freelancers who work for themselves, and working at home seems to be a very disruptive approach to completing a task. In order to bring balance to their lives, they relied on shared spaces because getting an office to sit alone and work is not an option.
Also Read: [How to Do Freelancing in Pakistan]
However, after the pandemic, more and more people began to rely on these shared spaces because working at home is frankly not for everyone. Also, coworking spaces got widely popular in the startup industry because entrepreneurs realized that spending tons of money on a fancy office in such times is not a wise decision, and so they chose the option of utilizing shared spaces.
Shared spaces are a popular business in the rest of the world, but it is fairly new and upcoming in Pakistan. There are companies that are providing this service for some time now, but this industry got its fair share of rightful popularity during the pandemic.
There are plenty of unique coworking spaces in Pakistan that are providing top-class services at affordable rates and different payment packages.
Here is a list of some of the best shared office spaces in Pakistan.
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The Shared Office Space – Karachi
Shared office space is a coworking space in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal area of Karachi. They have a spacious office setting, and a maintained professional environment that allows you to excel at your work.
If you choose to go with their office space, you’ll get services like a formal meeting room which is a must-have if you are a startup. Also, plenty of space for teams of multiple people, uninterrupted and high-speed internet connection, moderate temperature to keep you fresh during the summers and cozy in winters.
On top of that, they have one of the most affordable rates starting from just Rs. 3000. They have different packages from which you can choose the one that is the most efficient for you.
Rates: Rs. 3000/month – Rs.7000/month
Website: sharedofficespace.pk
Address: Street 2/2، Block 5 Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi, Karachi City, Sindh 75300, Pakistan.
Contact: 03323616860
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COLABS – Lahore
COLABS is one of the most popular coworking spaces in Pakistan and is based in Lahore. They have been operating for a while now, and they have grown immensely. They are currently functioning in two locations and are working on launching the third one very soon.
It’s known for its high-end and chic office environment with modern infrastructure and interior design. With their classy approach, they have managed to grow into a fruitful business with over 500 members, 60+ partners, and 75+ companies.
They provide flexible monthly plans for their private offices and open plan desks. You can request special and discounted rates if you are a team of people or decide to sign a contract that exceeds three months.
Rates: Rs. 1,500/day – Rs. 25,000/month
Website: colabs.pk
Address: 50-N Gurumangat Road, Gulberg II (Flagship) / Near Emporium Mall 22-N Johar Town (Johar Town).
Contact: +92-300-8496079 / 0423-5750287-88-89
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COSPACE – Karachi
COSPACE is another great option for a peaceful and professional work environment in Karachi. They are also in the business for quite a while now and have successfully made a name for themselves among freelancers and companies.
The main purpose why this business started was to provide affordable office space for people in a city like Karachi, where finding an office that is at a prime location with other facilities is a difficult task.
They have two branches in Karachi, one at Sharah-e-Faisal and the second one in F.B. Area. Both their coworking spaces are popular among people and are mostly fully booked.
They have multiple payment plans consisting of different services, and you can easily choose the one that fits your requirements.
Rates: Rs. 1000/day – 10,000/month for single or shared desks. Private rooms have other rates.
Website: cospace.pk
Address: 204, Block A, SMCHS, Shahrah-e-Faisal, Karachi, Pakistan / D-15, Federal B Area, Block 4 Gulberg Town, Karachi, Pakistan.
Contact: 0330-2677223
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The Desk – Islamabad
The Desk is a shared office space in the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad. They are a business that provides a modern facility and custom-designed interiors to the people. Their service will give you a better value for money because they have established an environment where you can bloom and flourish with productivity.
They offer multiple services such as fast internet connectivity to make things easier for you, dedicated conference rooms, flexible timings, plenty of parking space, a projector facility to ace the presentations, and air conditioning to keep you cool, calm, and collected.
Their prices are also good, and they offer part-time, dedicated desks, private offices, and executive suits which you can choose from according to your preferences.
Rates: Rs. 6000/month – Rs. 95,000/month
Website: thedesk.pk
Address: Lower Ground, Plot 349, Street 1, I-9/3 Islamabad, Pakistan.
Contact: 051-8442556
These are a few of the coworking spaces you can find in major cities of Pakistan and help yourself or your company. Although in the initial lockdowns during the pandemic, everything had to be shut down, and the idea of having a shared space seemed a bit odd considering the effect of coronavirus.
Also Read: [Pandemic in Pakistan]
Coworking spaces made a greater come back because there were companies that were completely working from home even after the lockdown was lifted, and employees relied on shared office spaces to get the environment. All of these shared spaces followed the SOP’s to make things easier for the people.
The popularity of these spaces won’t dry down after the pandemic because people have now realized the potential of coworking as it is affordable and you are your own boss in an environment setting, which a lot of people prefer.
Another reason why shared spaces are not going anywhere is that many companies have also decided to continue work from home because it cuts a lot of costs for them. And they have seen during the pandemic that the work can be done from anywhere.
Let’s hope the pandemic gets over completely, and people can continue working together and building a strong network at a coworking space without any chaos.
I am a Netflix buff who is an economist by degree and writer by passion and keep exploring things on the side.
