When Coffee-shop Culture and Cubicles Merge

9/17/2015

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Co-working Space

The self-employed and those starting a new business do not have to be cooped up in their pajamas at home all day, nor do they need to fill themselves up in caffeine from sitting in a coffee shop every day. With a membership plan in a co-working space, freelancers, small business employees, and even mobile professionals, now they can sit in a desk and share an office space with other working individuals.

STORY BY Kristie Jaya

Bandung Digital Valley (photo by Bandung Digital Valley)

A co-working space facilitates individuals and different organizations to share a working environment, providing them with working desks, Internet connection, special access to meeting rooms, and sometimes free flow drinks and lockers. The membership plan is different for each co-workingspace, some offers hourly to monthly pass, and others offer individual membership plans and private offices.
The price varies. Comma, the first co-working space in Jakarta, has an IDR 90,000 pass for three hours. The unlimited monthly pass costs IDR 3,182,000 with a locker room, mailing address, and an extra access to the meeting room along with other facilities. Bandung Digital Valley and Jogja Digital Valley, are free co-working spaces built by Telkom, while PusatKreatif Bandung, another free co-working space, is built by the government.

Comma Jakarta (photo by Comma)

Popular in big cities like Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Bali, co-working spaces carries different concepts and atmospheres. WorkOUT, located in Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex, encourages members to utilize the sports facilities inside the building, promotinga fresh start for the hours of work. The space is also sports-themed with bicycles available for use, ball-shaped bean bags, and ping-pong tables as office tables. Hubud in Ubud, Bali invites techies and entrepreneurs to collaborate together under a bamboo roof overlooking rice fields. Conclave, located in South Jakarta, gives off a coffee-shop vibe with its industrial design.

Conclave Jakarta (photo by Conclave)

Other than providing working facilities, co-working spaces are ideal for building communities and connections, as well as sharing expertise with professionals from other lines of work. Remembering our mobile technologies and the growth of startups, co-working is a suitable way to pay less rupiahs for a cubicle, avoid home-based distractions, and cut down on the coffee-shop caffeine.

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Kristie Jaya
Author
A writer and a Tangerang citizen at heart, Kristie Jaya currently studies full-time at Covenant College, USA. She studies Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in English, Marketing, and Community Development, reflecting her writing aspirations. Along with herdiverse interdisciplinary concentrations, Kristie has an on-going interest in exploring Film and Mass Media.