CHENNAI: Over a year of work from home has prompted people to express creativity in their set-ups. Some lie in bed with a laptop under their chin, some sit with their backs bent like a comma in front of tiny tables and others — few, to my knowledge — create a mini office in their homes, equipped with ergonomic chairs and tables. But none of it can emulate the office-going experience of sitting amongst hardworking employees, focussed on the task at hand. Maybe, working from home needs a little bit of sprucing up. This is where co-working spaces, like Access, come into play.
Access is a co-working space to be launched by the end of the month on Palavakkam Main Road. The 3,600 square feet office space can accommodate 77 seats, including a ten-seater conference room that can be used as a single unit or a shared space. The area also offers varied features for professional ease — unlimited internet, refreshments, private phone booths, biometric access, photocopying services, free parking, concierge services. According to the owner Akash Sanghi, this will be one of the first co-working spaces in the ECR area.
Despite the convenience of a co-working space, working in close proximity with other people in a public space can raise a red flag in these times. To address this issue, Access is providing precautionary kits consisting of the essentials (masks, hand sanitisers etc) to everyone who registers. Furthermore, hand sanitisers will also be installed all over the office space. “Even though the government norm is that we can operate with 100 per cent capacity, we are limiting it to 50 per cent to ensure the safety of our customers,” says Akash.
Co-working spaces have been blossoming in the city for the past couple of years, but there is still a bright future for the concept, according to Akash. He elaborates, “What I have gathered from my peers in this business is that people are still apprehensive about taking a long-term lease in an office space (due to Covid). Most people sign up for a day or maybe, a week. But, on the bright side, people are beginning to downsize their offices. Since the uprise of work from home culture, many people are realising that they don’t need a large office space for their operations. Hence, I see a lot of scope for co-working spaces in Chennai.”
Slots at Access are priced at `7,500 per month, per seat or `2,500 per week, per seat.Address: 4/222, Palavakkam Main Road, East Coast Road Contact: access.ecr@gmail.com; 8610787057