Flexible coworking spaces offer wayward workers a choice

In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic upended work styles for many office workers in Waltham and around the world. Employees were kept at commute-distance from their cubicles, desks, offices and colleagues.

Five years removed from the start of the pandemic, many are looking for alternative working options, tired of kitchen islands and dining room tables.

Notable among their options: coworking spaces — or office-style spaces where people from different companies can pay to rent space, typically by the hour, day, week or month.

Last year staff at Workbar, a system of 11 coworking buildings in and around Boston, were curious: What is drawing people to these facilities?They found that people were looking to get away from distractions at home and boost productivity.

Workers were also lonely. They wanted an office again.

Waltham has not been immune from this new way to work. Its residents have seen an increase in coworking space offerings in the past few years.

Common Good

Jace Rasche and Drew Thurman started Common Good, a cafe and coworking space on Moody Street, in 2022.

The business donates 5% of all coworking membership fees to local nonprofits. They have donated to many local organizations, including the Waltham Partnership for Youth and Waltham Fields Community Farm.

All coworking members get tokens at the beginning of every month. Every token represents $3, and members decide to which charities their money is donated. Rasche estimated that they’ve donated at least $10,000 since they opened their doors three years ago.

“We try to not just give back but also drive engagement and awareness of what’s going on in the community,” Rasche said.

Common Good’s coworking space has a daily rate of $39 as well as monthly membership plans ranging from $129 for the “Weekend Warrior” option to $675 for one of their 11 private offices. Workers can also reserve private offices for $15 an hour.

They also have one meeting room, one conference room and a “flex” space filled with desks capable of fitting 10 often-caffeinated workers.

Shekhar Yadav, who makes the trip from Weston, and Iana Pencina, who comes from Framingham, represent the post-pandemic bump in demand for coworking spaces not in Boston but in surrounding cities and towns like Waltham.

Yadav, a software developer, and Pencina, a healthcare consultant, are both coworking members in the flex space. They often take advantage of both the coffee and the community at Common Good.

It’s a “friendly environment,” Yadav said.

Melissa Rivera, the community manager at Common Good, agrees. Part of her job is to plan events that connect the members, but they often take her events and run with them, she said. The events range from doughnut day to search engine optimization (SEO) lunch-and-learn sessions and promote what Rivera calls “spontaneous conversation.”

Other Waltham coworking spaces

Other coworking spaces throughout the city include 303 Wyman St. The building is owned and operated by Regus, an international system of coworking locations. Dedicated desks begin at $489 a month and coworking memberships start at $119 a month. Private and custom offices go for rates beginning at $515 a month. Workers can also rent a desk for $79 a day and a room for $159 a day.

Meeting rooms can also be booked by the hour.

The Wyman Street location opened in 2011, well before the pandemic, said a spokesperson on behalf of International Workplace Group, which represents Regus.

Waltham Works is another local coworking space. The Moody Street space opened in March 2020, just before the pandemic.

They have monthly rates ranging from $49 for a virtual office to $800 for private offices. Workers can also rent their workshop space for $40 an hour.

Coworking spaces near Waltham

Workbar has coworking space in cities and towns surrounding Waltham, such as Burlington, Needham and Woburn.

Workbar provides private offices for those who prefer their own furnished and customizable space. They also offer open coworking spaces split into four “neighborhoods”: the Study, the Commons, the Cafe and the Switchboard. Each neighborhood provides a different environment with different noise expectations, from the silent Study to the chatty Cafe.

Workbar offers monthly coworking plans ranging from $49 access to the space once a month to $699 for a “Dedicated Desk” with “lockable storage.” They also offer private offices starting at $299 a month.

There is also coworking space available in Staples locations in Needham, Somerville, Cambridge and other surrounding cities, and a space in Wellesley through LocalWorks, a national coworking system.