Coworking Spaces in Kolkata

Kolkata, the city that speaks volumes about art, colonialism and culture, is also one of the Tier 1 cities of India. Today, it houses some of the big names of the tech and consultancy industries and over the years has become a hub for start-ups.

The capital city of West Bengal, Kolkata is known to attract literary and creative minds to the city, more so, because of its rich culture and approachable outlook towards unconventional professions. With globalisation being a big hit in the country, the entry of tech giants into the city was a no-brainer. In fact, Kolkata presents the perfect amalgamation of creative and technology professionals, which in turn promotes the versatility of jobs available.

What is the work culture in Kolkata?

With Nobel laureates like Rabindranath hailing from the city, Kolkata had already made an impressionable mark on the world map. The city is home to some of the best organisations in the world with offices of Accenture, Ernst & Young, KPMG and Deloitte have set up base in the city. This led to the rapid spread of the global office culture, helping professionals adapt to international standards while still working by the regulations accepted across the country.

About five decades ago, the city was a paradise for poets, writers and speech mongers. Today, techies, creative professionals and entrepreneurs, all live in harmony. Kolkata was one of the very first cities to strike the right balance between conventional and unconventional career paths.

Coworking spaces in Kolkata - the city’s approach towards them

Since Kolkata has always been a step ahead in terms of accepting changes, their transition from the standard office setting to an eccentric work culture was smooth. The culture of the gig economy and coworking spaces was welcomed with open arms, with most professionals considering this a progressive move towards a better work-life balance. In fact, some of the well-equipped, quirkiest and modern shared offices have led the city to become a hotspot for entrepreneurs and members of the gig economy.

Why are coworking spaces right for you?

According to a report released by The Economic Times in 2018, only 20% of the corporate employees were satisfied with their jobs. While some employees accredited the dissatisfaction to the low standards of workplace ethics, others cited poor work-life balance as the reason. Coworking spaces have been established to remedy this issue, allowing professionals to take more control over their work and how it influences their personal space. If you are a budding entrepreneur or an individual contributor, here are some reasons for you to go for the coworking option.

• Better work-life balance: Taking control of your life gives a sense of liberation, helping you become more confident professionally and personally. Coworking spaces are structured to offer flexible work timings and stimulating work environments, while at the same time holding you accountable for your own progress. This sense of ownership and independence works wonders for entrepreneurs and professionals who are at the initial stages of their career, helping them strike the perfect balance between their work obligations and personal commitments.
   
• Learn, collaborate and network: Coworking spaces across the world have set up communities of inspired and innovative professionals, providing them with a platform to acquire new skills, collaborate with like-minded professionals and build a strong professional network. These three components are imperative if you want to be successful in your endeavours and shared workspaces create these opportunities for you to take advantage of.
   
• World-class services at affordable prices: If your start-up is in its initial stage, spending a lump sum on office space can prove to be a big financial blow. Especially since you need to focus your financial resources on more pressing matters such as talent acquisition, brand promotion and other operational needs. Most coworking spaces today offer amenities that can help you cut down costs and make more useful investments.
  
  On the other hand, if you are a freelancer who is just starting out in their career, working out of a coffee shop or from home can be tedious and monotonous. More so, because it requires you to be devoid of social contact, hence, lowering your social skills. However, if you are an independent professional, the only thing you need to lower is your inhibition to social interactions. Shared office spaces offer the ideal platform to develop your people skills and interact with professionals from diverse backgrounds.

Best coworking spaces in Kolkata

Kolkata is home to some of the most creatively-charged minds and this can be witnessed in the way coworking spaces in the city have been designed. From sophisticated workspaces to eccentric shared offices, Kolkata has every type in abundance. Furthermore, these coworking spaces are located in popular areas, such as Salt Lake, Bidhannagar, Bhowanipore, RN Mukherjee Road, Dalhousie, Park Street, Kalighat, Kasba, New Town, Behala, AJC Bose Road, Camac Street, Godrej Waterside, Rajarhat and other prime locations, keeping in mind the accessibility for members. Take a look at some of the ground-breaking coworking spaces that have set up base in the city.

• Nwook

Nwook has made long strides towards transforming the idea of coworking and offers spaces not only for your work needs but also for meetings and study groups. With centres in Salt Lake, Bhowanipore and RN Mukherjee Road, it has been donned one of the most affordable shared office spaces in the city. The products offered at these centres include flexible desks, which starts at a price of Rs. 60 per hour and dedicated desks that cost between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 6,300 per month. This coworking space also offers ample amenities to help you work comfortably, such as high-speed WiFi, meeting rooms, elevators, beverages and dedicated power sockets. All the centres are located in close proximity to the metro station, making the commute to the centres an easy affair.

• Easy Daftar (office)

The Easy Daftar coworking space has set up centres in three prime locations across the city, namely, Kalighat, Salt Lake and Park Street. Fairly new to the coworking scene, this shared office space has grown with great speed. They have well-equipped workspaces with comfortable desks and chairs, spacious workstations, meeting and conference rooms, serviced pantry, laptop rentals, complimentary drinking water, chargeable meals, housekeeping services and a closely-knit community of intellectual professionals.

While the pricing of the products is not available for public viewing, the Easy Daftar team is always open to queries. Furthermore, this shared office space also has various ongoing offers to help further reduce the burden of expenses. While students and women entrepreneurs get a special discount of 12%, there is also an early bird offer available that amounts to a 10% discount.

• CoKarya

Pioneering the plug-and-play culture in the city, Cokarya has established a strong foothold in the coworking space scene. Today, it has set up business centres, shared offices and coworking spaces across four locations with 6 centres in total. These centres are located at AJC Bose Road, Dalhousie, Kasba, Park Street and Salt Lake. The products offered include private cabins and dedicated desks, starting at a meagre price of Rs. 2,500 per month.

Furthermore, you can choose the amount of time and money you want to commit, with plan available for durations ranging from a day to a year. CoKarya is also known to host various networking and collaborative events, while at the same time offering its members with the opportunity to connect with investors and mentors.

• Awfis Kolkata

With a presence in eight cities and a high potential for expanding into others, Awfis has set up five centres in the city of Kolkata. The Kolkata centres offer products such as private cabins (starting at Rs. 11,500 per month), fixed desks (starting at Rs. 400 per day), flexi desks (Rs. 300 per day) and meeting rooms (starting at Rs. 400 per hour). The facilities available for members include conference rooms, courier services, food and beverage services, dedicated parking space, printing provisions, seamless WiFi connection and storage space.

The centres are designed to offer members a unique and stimulating work environment, where they can get on with their professional obligations in a comfortable manner. They also offer a provision called “Awfis Roaming” at a starting price of Rs. 4,500 for six months that allows you to book a desk at any of the centres across the country. You can also opt for the Awfis National Pass at a price of Rs. 999 per month, allowing you access to work five days a month from any centre in the country. The centres are located at Camac Street, Godrej Waterside, Rajarhat and Salt Lake.

• WorkStreet

Open to freelancers, early-stage start-ups and corporates, WorkStreet has something to offer in line with your needs and flexibility requirements. Furthermore, it conducts a host of networking, workshop and collaboration events to help members grow their businesses, learn skills and interact with other professionals. The WorkStreet centre in Kolkata is located at Bidhannagar, Salt Lake and offers a range of products to suit the needs of the professionals of today.

The products offered include flexible desks (Rs. 5,000 per month), dedicated desks (Rs. 6,000 per month) and meeting rooms (Rs. 2,500 per day). WorkStreet also offers its members a long list of state-of-the-art facilities such as high-speed Internet, bookshelf, in-house cafeteria and indoor games arena. They also have an on-going early-bird discount that offers free rent for one month.