82%
of coworking users have expanded their social network through their space
Remote work has delivered on many of its promises: flexibility, no commute, autonomy. What it often does not deliver is a fundamental need that appears in no job description: the need for belonging. Studies show that loneliness has become the single most commonly cited challenge for people who work from home permanently — ahead of technical issues or the lack of separation between work and leisure. This is not individual failure. It is a structural problem.
The quiet challenge: loneliness in the home office
In Buffer's State of Remote Work survey, 24 percent of respondents reported that loneliness was their greatest challenge in remote work — more than home distractions or communication difficulties. What looks like freedom on paper feels like isolation to many.
This is not because people are socially needy or weak. It is because a large part of our social health emerges from chance encounters: the quick exchange over coffee, the conversation at the door, the unexpected connection between two projects. These micro-encounters are entirely absent from the home office. They cannot be replaced by video calls.
The consequences are measurable: social isolation increases the risk of burnout, reduces motivation, and impairs cognitive performance. Working alone permanently means not just enjoying work less — it means working worse.
How coworking actively promotes social health
The coworking effect goes far beyond the mere presence of other people. In a well-designed coworking space, a community forms around shared values: concentration, respect, mutual support. People who share the same space every day begin to notice one another — and eventually to know each other.
The Global Coworking Survey shows: 82 percent of coworking users have expanded their social network through their space. 64 percent say they trust fellow coworking members for recommendations and collaboration. These are not isolated cases — it is one of the main reasons people choose coworking over a private office or working from home.
Social health does not necessarily mean being sociable. It means feeling in a context that recognises and acknowledges you. That feeling does not arise from forced team events — it arises from regular, natural closeness to people who share similar values.
Serendipity: the incalculable dividend of community
One of the most surprising findings from coworking research is the economic impact of chance encounters. Conversations that no one planned lead to projects that no one anticipated. Freelancers gain clients. Founders find collaborators. Experts from different fields solve together problems they could not solve alone.
This serendipity cannot be simulated. It only happens when people regularly come together in the same place — and when that place is designed so that encounters are possible. This is not coincidence. It is design.
At Innergarden, this is not an abstract concept. The community forms in the atrium, in the garden, over lunch, at the regular events. The 500 square metres in nature are not large enough for anonymity — but large enough for real encounters.
What Innergarden means by community
Innergarden was not built as an office substitute — but as a place where people like to be. That sounds simple, but it is rare. Because 'liking to be' somewhere presupposes that the place is not only functional but also socially coherent.
The community at Innergarden is built on a deliberate selection of values: anonymous drop-in workers who come and go without leaving a trace are not what this is about. It is about people who are willing to be part of something — not just users of an infrastructure. This excludes no one. But it creates a context in which belonging does not have to be fought for.
Regular community events, an active member culture, and spaces that invite rather than prevent encounters are not add-ons. They are the core of what distinguishes Innergarden from a plain shared office.
Takeaway
Work is more than output. It is also the context in which we spend part of our social lives. Working alone means losing that context — often without noticing, until the consequences become tangible. Coworking gives it back: not as a contrived community event, but as a natural part of the working day. That is not a soft factor. It is one of the hardest reasons why coworking works.
Meet the Innergarden community: come for a day — no commitment needed.
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