As somebody who has spent the last 2 plus years of their career working from a Smart Hub, I am often asked what the experience is like and how it differs from office life. It’s a very fair question and one I get asked regularly. For me it has been a land of opportunity, inspiration and friendship.

In the lead in to Easter of 2016, the company that I worked for was going through the process of a big change. This change included a hard review of the overheads and where valuable money could be saved and be put back in to the business in more pressing areas.

At the time, I was going through some change of my own. I was starting to feel tired and burned out in my role. I was commuting for 4 hours a day and some personal matters at home had led me to refocusing the way I think everything through. It was time to start putting my family and myself first again.

So, when the offer from my (then) boss came up of a potential move from our current office Smart Hub location that was no more than a 10-minute drive from home, it was a no brainer for me, or my employer.

The company was currently paying thousands a month for an office suite, which was roomy and comfortable but was work home to only one fulltime employee. The company had gone through change and as a result staff had moved on, so I was alone in the office for large parts of the day, it became an expense we didn’t need.

A Switch to a Smart Hub

It was agreed that we would trial a Smart Hub move for a day a week prior to and after Easter. It would give us the chance to acclimatise without interrupting the daily routine a great deal. As a cloud based business all I needed was a desk and a chair and everything else was accessible from my; laptop and devices.

The move was a success for both my company and myself and it didn’t take long to make the switch a permanent one.

The facilities provided had everything we needed beyond that desk and chair. We had access to fast internet, board rooms and equipment that was all covered in the relatively low costs. Later a gym was installed on-site which personally was a great bonus.

But, more importantly for my employers and my role within the company I could really focus back on my work without tiredness of 4 hours catching buses and trains, not to mention the inconvenience of cancellations and delays.

And so, for the next two years this became my work home, where I would be occasionally joined by my colleagues for a day a week, sometimes two.

Opportunity Calls

When you work within a community that exists within a smart hub, you find yourself surrounded by many people that you might not encounter during daily office life, especially an office where you spend most of the time alone.

I found myself getting to know more and more people who were working around me, and yes, people come and go but there are those who like myself had found a work home that was perfect. One of those people is my now current employer who I would occasionally share a lunch table with. I thought nothing more of it at the time and never expected a job offer to be a future part of our relationship.

My time in the Hub also brought an opportunity to earn myself some extra income outside of my job. Something that I wouldn’t have gone looking for had it not found me, yet for six months I took an evening role which enabled me to earn just a little bit extra each week. Money that made a world of difference to my home.

When the time came to leave my previous role, and move on, I literally moved one desk back, and I really didn’t have to. The additional bonus was I already knew my co-workers who had become colleagues of sorts in the time that I had been sharing the same work space, and while the work I was about to takin on took some getting used to, my routine didn’t change, I really didn’t need a settling in period of getting to know people and it was a very comfortable transition.

A Great Experience

For me the life of a work hub member has been nothing but a positive one. I have found myself reinvigorated by the people and opportunities that I have found. Most importantly though, my family are still a top of my priority list, and as for myself? Well, with the arrival of a new born son on Valentine’s Day, time is once again at a premium but with new found outlook which has led to ne being in the best help and shape of my life, I now know that can conquer any challenge before me and have some amazing contacts that I can always rely upon for a helping hand if ever needed.