4 Alternative Ways Of Working

Not everyone sees themself working a traditional 9-5 for the rest of their lives. In fact, alternative ways of working are continuing to grow in popularity, with ‘the majority of UK workers want[ing] more control over their working hours’.

Gone are the days where the typical 9-5 is the be-all and end-all, with 2019 seeing a rise of ‘over a third of UK workers looking for alternative ways of working over full time jobs’.

With more people working from home more frequently, and as attitudes towards work continue to shift, alternative ways of working might already be at the forefront of your mind. 

Alternative ways of working include, but are not limited to:

1. Roaming memberships
2. Four-day week 
3. Co-working
4. Hybrid working 

1. Roaming Memberships

The first alternative way of working is roaming memberships. Roaming memberships, as the name suggests, allow you to roam from location to location, giving you the flexibility to work in several different places included in your membership. 

Depending on the roaming membership you opt for, you can benefit from the freedom to hot desk or from a permanent work space that is outside of your home and promotes productivity.  

At Tramshed Tech, we offer various memberships, including our roaming membership, which allows you to take advantage of our many co-working spaces across South Wales.

So, whether you fancy exploring a new city, need a change of scenery, or simply want to work out of the house a few times a week, our memberships can help you to re-define your 9-5.

2. Four-Day Week

The next alternative way of working a four day week. To put it simply, a four day week is an arrangement where the number of hours carried out in a full-time job are compressed into a shorter amount of days.

This means that employees receive the same amount of pay, and the same amount of benefits that they would normally receive, but get one day free to themselves.

The benefits of a shorter work week are vast. With the UK currently taking part in ‘the biggest ever experiment of a four-day week’, results have shown that 4-day week has already increased productivity here and in other countries across the world where it is being trialed.

With workers having a shorter amount of time to get their tasks done, companies are also encouraged to cut time-consuming and often unnecessary meetings, in turn promoting efficiency and aiding focus. 

As such, with more time in your week for yourself, working a 4-day week can decrease stress, promote happiness, and improve your general attitude towards work.

3. Co-Working 

Another alternative way of working is co-working. In short, co-working is when people from a wide range of different companies work together in a single shared space.

Co-working began in the early 2000s, predominately attracting ‘self-employed freelancer and web entrepreneurs searching for an alternative to working from coffee shops, business centres, and home offices’.

Since then, co-working has grown exponentially in popularity, with more and more people opting for the flexibility it offers. 

Whilst working in a co-working space, you’re surrounded by a range of different businesses and people, and are exposed to numerous networking opportunities and events you might not otherwise have from working solely in one office or from home.

Tramshed Tech offers co-working spaces all across South Wales, which are currently in Grangetown, Cardiff Central, Barry, Newport, as well as two new sites in Swansea and Newport.

If you’re interested in any of our co-working spaces, be sure to get in touch today with a friendly member of our team to find out more.

4. Hybrid Working 

The last alternative way of working is hybrid working. Since 2021, there has been a vast increase in the number of businesses offering hybrid working opportunities.

In fact, data from the CIPD shows that ‘more than three-quarters of organisations have embraced hybrid working through a mix of formal and informal arrangements’.

When you consider that in 2022, the majority of workers (57%) ‘would prefer to work hybrid, splitting their time between home and the office’, it’s not surprising why businesses are offering it.

Regardless of how you split your time between working from the office and home, hybrid working arrangements can help to promote productivity whilst maintaining company culture.

Additionally, hybrid working provides you with more flexibility, in turn helping you to achieve a better work-life balance.

We are Tramshed Tech: a startup ecosystem home to 50+ companies ranging from pre-revenue start-ups to scaling businesses with 600+ registered members from the digital, creative and tech communities. We’re currently based in Grangetown, Cardiff Central & Newport, and are soon expanding to other sites across South Wales to Barry and Swansea. 

If you’re interested in joining us at any of our locations, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. 

Written by Jemima Thomas for Tramshed Tech.