A co-working space has opened in South West Rocks to give remote workers living local a chance to get out of the house and connect with others without having to go back to a traditional office environment.
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Founder Matt Jackman works remotely in data for a Newcastle company.
Upon moving to South West Rocks and after sometime working solely from his home office, Mr Jackman began looking for a shared working space in town to no avail.
Mr Jackman cold called around town looking for an office before deciding to open up his own office space to share with others on the hunt, too.
With two young kids at home, Mr Jackman was eager to create a space with less distractions for himself and other parents working from home. A space also open to for anyone needing that separation between home-life and work-life.
"This is just a place for me to work and hopefully for other people to enjoy," Mr Jackman said.
"It's also for me to engage with other people and vice versa."
A hybrid model
Mr Jackman worked for a company in Newcastle before working for himself. His venture out on his own was a part of a plan to be able to one day move to the Macleay Valley.
"My wife is from Kempsey and we always planned to move back here," he said.
At the time the only way they thought to do so was for Mr Jackman to create flexibility by being a sole trader so that he could work regionally.
Little did the Jackman's know the world would soon change.
COVID-19 hit, companies and offices closed their doors, and employees set up computers on dining tables, in bedrooms and on coffee tables.
Remote working was the new norm.
During the Pandemic, while Mr Jackman continued working for himself, he was contacted by his current employer offering him a job; one he could continue doing from home with all the benefits of sick and annual leave, and a consistent pay check.
"I hadn't had a holiday in five years so that sounded pretty good," Mr Jackman said.
When he told his perspective boss that he would be planning to move to the Mid North Coast as soon as the world opened back up, he expected that to be a deal breaker. It was not. Remote working was going to continue until the current day and to the foreseeable future.
Mr Jackman, his wife and two kids moved to South West Rocks in October 2021.
New needs
After years of now working from home, people are starting to crave the community of a co-working space, while not wanting to give up their freedom and flexibility.
"People are used to working remote now, their home setups are pretty good, it's more just getting out of the house and seeing other people through the week that people want now," Mr Jackman said.
Many people nowadays are reflecting on their reclusive ways and restlessness as a result.
"I'd go a week or two and be like I think I've been to the shops and that's it as far as leaving the house," Mr Jackman said.
While workers want to make phone calls without their children asking consistent questions, or get through their inboxes with their beds looking tempting in the same room, people aren't ready to give up the luxuries of a flexible work environment.
"People don't want to give up being able to do school pickups when they need to, or being close to home to have a tradesman come in and do something without having to take a half day off," Mr Jackman said.
"It's nice that you can put dinner on at three o'clock and be there to watch it but it's also another thing to think about."
Mr Jackman says the flexibility of being at home is great, but for a lot of people, it can start to start to feel isolating.
"That's certainly what I found," he said.
Flexible plans
The co-working space is located on Memorial Avenue, South West Rocks, next door to the Bait and Tackle shop.
Those looking to get out of the house every so often can sign up for a customised plan.
"The idea is that it's flexible and relaxed. For example, people can pay for five days over one month and pick their days," Mr Jackman said.
"I think that flexibility is what people really want these days."
Mr Jackman reflects on the days that people used to beg employers for a casual Friday, and now business owners are begging workers to come back into the office with not much luck.
"If you want a relaxed place to work outside you're house and interact with other people then that's why we are here," he said.
"To me it's as simple as that - it's a place to work outside your house, because working in your house there are many benefits, but I think people who have done it for a number of years have realised there's also some drawbacks to it."
The space offers six desks, a private room, WiFi connection and some sound proofing passed on from the School of Arts Hall and cinema at South West Rocks.
To find out more head to https://southwestrockscoworking.com.au/
