Families traveling together to Greece may opt for remote working in the future, and coworking spaces are likely to become the next big trend in travel and hospitality.
Benefits of Remote Working
Remote working gained much popularity during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Offices closed, and many of their employees found themselves confined in their homes or lockdown in foreign countries, forced to perform their duties remotely. When the COVID-19 restrictions eased, some workers returned to their offices, while others still favor working remotely, encouraged even by their employers who see intrinsic benefits from such arrangements:
- reducing costs for parking, coffee, snacks, office parties, commute or public transportation for employees, office apparel, utilities, maintenance, cleaning, furniture, and so on;
- lower rental costs for office space: employees can work from anywhere in the world;
- foster a better work/life balance for employees, allowing them to plan work and home tasks at their own pace in a stress-free environment;
- broaden the pool of talent by employing workers otherwise unavailable to relocate;
- boost productivity by reducing time spent commuting, coffee breaks, and eliminating lateness;
- increase employee loyalty and retention by trusting employees to do their jobs responsibly even when they work remotely;
- get rid of uncomfortable office politics and confrontations, gossip, harassment, and other negative situations that overshadow the office environment.
The list of benefits may also include better communication and collaboration, reduction in absenteeism, and happier employees who will become good advocates for the company.
Employees enjoy similar benefits when they work remotely:
- spend less on commuting, traveling, lunches, snacks, office clothing, and even childcare;
- find more flexibility in planning both their work and home life;
- enjoy working in a comfortable, familiar environment – set up a personalized home office, or work from any room in the home;
- save time by eliminating lengthy commuting processes;
- escape location-based constraints: work from anywhere with a good Internet connection;
- lessen stress and improve mental health by eliminating stressful office politics, noise, and other challenging situations.
Sure enough, remote working is not limited to home offices. Employees can choose any place at any worldwide destination to feel comfortable and to perform their duties.
This kind of flexibility is already defining the travel and working trends of tomorrow. Next summer, we will likely see families choosing destinations that offer all the conditions necessary to live, work, and relax together.
Hotels already offer extended stays and in-room working facilities, like high-speed WiFi, free phone calls, desk, lamp, fully-equipped kitchenettes, and other amenities to encourage remote workers to book. However, beyond typical hotels that adapt, there are some new initiatives to consider as the next big thing in travel: coworking spaces in tourist areas.
Coworking Spaces in Greece
In 2021, Greece announced the intention of introducing visas for digital nomads. There is already a 50% tax break for digital nomads who choose to live and work here. As far as coworking spaces already available in the country, here are some of the best:
Tzaferi 16 in Athens
Tzaferi 16 is in one of the most popular tourist areas of Athens, in Gazi. It offers an all-inclusive office space with all the infrastructure, services, and conveniences needed without worrying about setting up, managing, and dealing with maintenance expenses. In addition, customers will have access to fully equipped and serviced office spaces, meeting spaces, event services, and concierge services in Athens.
Athens has the largest number of coworking spaces in Greece, most of them clustered around popular travel attractions or hipster neighborhoods. Some examples include Regus, Stone Soup, ViOS Co-working, and Selina Theatrou Athens. Each has innovative features and irresistible perks for their clients.
COHO in Thessaloniki
COHO is a modern coworking space right in the heart of Thessaloniki. It offers comfortable desks and all the facilities you need to worry less about office expenses and concentrate instead on your work. You will also have access to complimentary coffee and tea throughout the day. On your break, you can walk around the neighborhood to the open food market and cafes and restaurants nearby. In addition, COHO offers a reliable Internet connection, fully equipped meeting rooms, fax, color printer, lockers, brainstorming blackboard, and a relaxing area.
There are several other coworking spaces in Thessaloniki, and among them, i4Gpro and Regus.
Office12 Coworking Spaces in Heraklion (Crete Island)
Office12 is in Heraklion, Crete – Greece’s largest island and a popular summer travel destination. It offers an open space area, private offices, team rooms for 2-4 people, a meeting room, a coffee area, and a balcony with beautiful views, all in an energy-efficient building close to the city center. In addition, you get access to coffee, tea, snacks, a fast Internet connection, printing services (for a fee), and safe storage.
In Heraklion, you will find several other coworking spaces, including Officenter and FuckUp Coworking Offices.
Workhub Coworking Spaces in Chania (Crete Island)
Workhub Chania (Crete) is just outside the Old Town and harbor, in the Dikastiria neighborhood, with easy access to the city’s most notorious meeting places, including the beautiful Platia Eleftherias. It offers high-speed Internet connection (WiFi or cable), hot desk, open space desks, private offices, Skype and chat rooms, conference and meeting rooms, a fully-equipped kitchen, lockers, monitors, projector, printer, scanner, photocopier, whiteboard, webcams, and complimentary coffee and tea.
ArIstea Coworking Lounge in Rethymno (Crete Island)
One of Crete island’s most innovative coworking spaces, ArIstea Coworking Lounge in Rethymno, is a coworking hotel offering bleisure (aka business and leisure) experiences plus excellent office space facilities, including 50″ screen and paper whiteboards, super-fast Internet, coffee, refreshments, and much more.
OpenSpace Mitilini (Lesbos Island)
OpenSpace Mitilini on the mythical Lesbos island is the first business of its kind in this part of Greece. It offers access to excellent office equipment, including computers, printers, scanners, and projectors. In addition, clients enjoy access to high-speed Internet, alternative workshops, and other exciting activities on the island. This coworking space is close to the Byzantine Museum, Archaeological Museum of Mytilene, and the Mitilini Town Hall.
Phaos ΚΟΙΝΣΕΠ (House by Phaos) in Kalamata
Phaos ΚΟΙΝΣΕΠ (House by Phaos) in Kalamata on the Peloponnese peninsula is a coworking space promoting social economy through social innovation. Clients get access to fully-equipped workplaces, meetings rooms, social entrepreneurship programs, and much more. Facilities include secretarial support, unique telephone numbers for long-term business needs, IT support, printers, scanner, photocopier, 100mbps Internet speed, projection TVs, presentation boards, and storage space.
Patras Tiny Coworking Space
The Patras Tiny Coworking Space is a cozy nook to work and collaborate with like-minded professionals. It offers open-space offices, meeting rooms, a lounge room, high-speed Internet access, free coffee, and free parking. This space, however, is a ten-minute drive from the city center and not in a popular tourist area.
Open Office in Volos
The Open Office in Volos is another good choice for travelers seeking fun with their families while remote working in Greece. It has a shared space area with free access to high-speed Internet, complimentary access to the Coffee Point, free printing services, PCs, and much more.
Forecast: Coworking Spaces in Greece
With clever marketing, planning, and flexible offers for domestic and foreign customers, providers of coworking spaces in Greece will fill in a much-needed gap between business and leisure travel.
Before COVID-19, remote working was favored mainly by digital nomads and self-employed freelancers. However, with COVID-19, mid-sized and large companies found unexpected advantages in giving their employees more flexibility and working space choices. Remote working is no longer limited to home offices: it’s a destination choice that benefits mental health and the family as a whole.
Family comes – as it was always supposed to – first. More and more people will choose extended summer holiday stays in Greece while demanding good working conditions. Hotels should comply. Coworking spaces will provide the right environment and facilities similar to those formerly available in traditional offices. The plus with coworking spaces is the community: the sense of loneliness thus rendered moot.
Greece will always remain an attractive travel destination. The coworking travel space is just another avenue that will potentially deliver revenue off-season as well. Embracing this trend could also demonstrate the country’s commitment to satisfying travelers’ needs and expectations with professionalism and poise.
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