Itching to get back to the office? There’s no denying the social aspect of working from the office, and many prefer the amenities that an office can provide compared to being cooped up in a DIY home office. Ergonomic office chair, anyone?
Yet understandably, many are in no rush to return to the office. From zero commuting, to the flexibility of working from home, there are a load of benefits to be had when it comes to working remotely.
And what if your nearest office is on the other side of the world? Where can you work when you fancy some social interaction?
Coworking might just be the answer.
I’ve had the privilege of working remotely for the last five years, and enjoyed many glorious coworking spaces from Chiang Mai to Glasgow and Penang to Leeds.
Trendy spaces, like minded people, good banter, free coffee (though at least for me, unlimited caffeine isn’t actually a good thing). There are plenty of things to love about coworking.
Now that I am back home in Scotland and working remotely for Employment Hero, as much as I love to work from my highly coveted home-made desk, I also enjoy heading out to find a place to focus and do deep work. Coworking ticks a lot of boxes for freelancers, start ups, remote workers and more.
In this blog, I’m looking at some of the best coworking that Scotland has to offer. But in case you aren’t convinced, let’s have a quick look at why coworking is so darn good.
The perks of coworking
Coworking is an inexpensive solution to the problem of running an office, whether you’re a big international organisation with employees spread around the world, a local start up, self employed, or a remote worker. You don’t have to pay for long-term leases, business rates or anything else associated with running an office yourself.
And it’s all about location, location, location. Coworking spaces tend to be extremely well located and fitted out to a high spec. With running costs covered, you don’t need to think about heating,wifi or photocopier breakdowns. All you need to decide is which desk or office you will be most comfortable and productive working from.
Many coworking spaces pride themselves on the community they have built and the event schedule they have curated. Looking to meet some new business besties? Look no further than your nearest coworking space.
And did I mention the coffee? #priorities
Remote working benefits
Most of us had to adapt pretty quickly to working remotely when the pandemic took hold around the world. But it’s important to remember that there is a distinction between working from home and remote working. Either way, it can provide employees with a greater sense of work-life balance and work-life integration. And most importantly, it’s made work more accessible and inclusive by opening up a whole new world when it comes to how to perform a role (and where).
In the UK, more than three times the number of job adverts offer remote work compared to 2019. People are looking for hybrid roles as they want the flexibility to work from anywhere while still maintaining the option to interact in person with colleagues if they so desire. For our comprehensive take on remote working, check out our handy guide.
But working from home can be difficult without the right tools, connectivity and technology. That’s why utilising coworking spaces to work remotely can yield enormous rewards.
Are there private meeting rooms in a coworking space?
Admittedly, I usually stick to hot desking when booking into a coworking space, but they can offer so much more than just a desk to work from. All of the spaces I’ve listed below also have private meeting rooms, and many of them have permanent desks and offices available for rent, soundproof telephone pods, kitchens, break out rooms, and a whole host of other features and benefits.
39 free virtual team building activities
Ready to look at some of Scotland’s best coworking places? Let’s get started.
Best coworking spaces in Edinburgh
1. Tribe Porty
Image credit: Tribe Porty
Tribe Porty is a community coworking and creative events space based in Portobello, Edinburgh’s seaside. From photographers to translators, graphic designers to environmental consultants, they have over 140 members and provide offices, studios, permanent desks and hot-desking. Members with office and studio spaces have access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and they get a feature on Tribe Porty’s website and a business address.
Where?
19 Windsor Place, Portobello, Edinburgh EH15 2AJ
How much?
Studio/offices range from £250-£950 pcm and require a 12 month minimum contract. Hot-desking starts at £30 pcm for two days a month.
2. The Melting Pot
Image credit: The Melting Pot
The Melting Pot is Scotland’s Centre for Social Innovation and claims to be one of the oldest coworking communities in the world. Open to freelancers, remote workers, small businesses and large organisations, they provide flexible, safe and creative approaches to work, with members noting the friendliness and social aspects.
Where?
15 Calton Rd, Edinburgh EH8 8DL
How much?
Memberships start at £12.75 pcm.
Best coworking spaces in Glasgow
3. Collabor8te
Image credit: Collabor8te
Collabor8te is a gem in the centre of Glasgow, just minutes away from the main train stations. Over two floors, there are three spacious working areas, phone booths and meeting rooms which take from 2 to 12 people. They’re a friendly, community-centred organisation with B-Corp certification.
Where?
22 Montrose St, Glasgow G1 1RE
How much?
Memberships start from £40 pcm (+VAT).
4. The Distillery Glasgow
Image credit: The Distillery
Originally built as a bonded warehouse for Highland Distilleries in 1957, since 2012 The Distillery has provided a dedicated coworking space for freelancers, start-ups and creatives who require a flexible and professional workspace.
Where?
How much?
Membership to the space is all-inclusive and runs on a rolling monthly basis, starting from £60 pcm. Day passes available at £20 per day.
Best coworking spaces in Stirling
5. CodeBase Stirling
Image credit: CodeBase Stirling
CodeBase Stirling is the heart of Stirling’s growing tech ecosystem. The CodeBase hub hosts startups and brings together industry, investors, and academia.
They provide scaleup education, events and mentoring through their Community and Outreach program, as well as hot-desking and flexible work space.
Where?
8 – 10 Corn Exchange Rd, Stirling FK8 2HX
How much?
Membership starts at £50 pcm. Day passes are £10/day. Students can access CodeBase Stirling free of charge.
Best coworking spaces in Inverness
6. Impact Hub
Image credit: Impact Hub Inverness
Impact Hub Inverness is a friendly, welcoming flexible co-working space in the centre of Inverness providing a space for entrepreneurs, creatives, professionals, start-ups and social enterprises to work, meet and collaborate.
Where?
67a Castle St, Inverness IV2 3DU
How much?
Memberships start at £6 pcm with day and half day rates payable on top. Packages start at £57.60 pcm for 30 hours per month. A day pass is £18.
Best coworking space in Dundee
7. Dundee Flour Mill
Image credit: The Flour Mill
The Flour Mill Dundee is a dynamic coworking and serviced office space on Commercial Street in Dundee’s city centre.
The beautiful 1800s building has been lovingly restored and brought back to commercial use with coworking space, private offices, studios and more.
Where?
34 Commercial St, Dundee DD1 3EJ
How much?
Memberships start at £50 pcm for 32 hours per month.. Day passes are £25.
Best coworking spaces in Aberdeen
8. Codebase Aberdeen
Image credit: ONE CodeBase
ONE CodeBase is a sister coworking space to CodeBase Stirling. ONE CodeBase in Aberdeen is a partnership between Opportunity North East (ONE) and CodeBase which provides a range of expert support for digital tech start-ups in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
The handy city centre location provides co-working spaces, offices, meeting rooms, social areas and up to 30 hot desks.
Where?
ONE Tech Hub, Schoolhill, Aberdeen AB10 1JQ
How much?
Membership starts at £100 pcm with day passes available at £10.
Are you still renting an office space?
Renting an office space for your team might still make sense. But if you’re ready to take the leap and transition to a remote-first approach, get our Remote First Playbook without further ado.
The remote first workplace playbook
That’s a wrap for our roundup of great Scottish coworking spaces. With Scotland firmly on the road to building out its vision for becoming a tech nation, there has never been a better time to capitalise on all that the tech hubs, start up scenes and coworking spaces have to offer. I do recommend paying a visit to your local coworking space, whether you want some good coffee, quiet time to work, or some banter and networking.
And if you see me in a coworking space around Scotland, come say hi and we can grab a coffee and talk all things remote-work.
