Working in a cocoon: (Co)working conditions of office nomads – a health related qualitative study of shared working environments

BACKGROUND: The flexible working and business model of coworking spaces inherits the provision of workspace and further the construction of a network for entrepreneurs, creative and knowledge workers. Until now, research on coworking spaces is scarce in the field of health sciences. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated reasons and motives for working in coworking spaces and working conditions under health related aspects. Demands and resources while working in coworking spaces were analyzed according to a theoretical model for (Job-demands-resources model - JDR) perceived working conditions. METHODS: Twenty semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with coworkers (n = 14) and coworking operators (n = 6) in Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich. Participants were asked to describe the reasons and motivations for working in coworking spaces and their perceived working conditions. Transcripts were analyzed according to content analysis. RESULTS: The most mentioned reason for using coworking spaces were the community aspect (n = 15) followed by the alternative to home office (n = 12). Negative job demands seem to result from unfavorable ergonomic conditions, working disruptions, miscommunications and missing privacy. Time flexibility, social surrounding and increased productivity were interpreted as job resources. CONCLUSIONS: These results can be seen as a basis for further quantitative research in order to generalize these findings, by testing hypotheses and develop workplace-related concepts for health management.