Sharing premises between health professionals: evolution of a promising trend

Over the last few years, the concept of coworking or collaborative workspaces has developed particularly strongly. These shared workspaces are mostly offered to self-employed people, or to people who usually work alone at home, via booking platforms. The idea is to rent a space for a specific hour on an occasional basis. In a society where technological progress consists of the search for ever greater flexibility and mobility, the concept of sharing premises between professionals meets a growing demand.

In this sense, coworking is a phenomenon in the same line as uberisation. Both movements have brought about a significant change in the daily habits of work, workers, and consumers in the 21st century. Angela Merkel also cited the phenomenon as an "emancipatory practice competing with the current neo-liberal politics of individualisation". Moreover, if the arrival of the internet in everyone's habits has played a crucial role, the progressive development, first of smartphones (capable of going on the internet anywhere with one's phone), then of 3G, and 4G, has definitely allowed the creation of coworking. The extent of the phenomenon has not gone unnoticed in many professional sectors, particularly the medical field.

The aim of this article is to examine this new phenomenon of health professionals sharing space and to identify what it brings with it. Is its success a flash in the pan, or a trend that will accelerate in the future?

Coworking is constantly evolving:

Since the emergence of the first coworking practices, which started as an alternative to conventional office space, coworking has become a global trend and even a way of life. Indeed, the number of flexi-offices has grown exponentially year after year and today every major city in the world has its own coworking space. Brussels is no exception to this rule and offers a wide variety of them.

Since 2018, the number of collaborative workspaces in Brussels has increased significantly. As a result, coworking is definitely starting to become part of the working habits of the people of Brussels, especially the self-employed. The medical sector itself has embraced this new trend, allowing a 'hybrid' way of working to emerge (between dedicated workspaces and conventional consulting rooms). The phenomenon is such that it is becoming an industry in its own right and is participating in the evolution of the economy (network economy) and society.

Advantages and disadvantages of medical coworking:

There are many advantages to working in a shared space. The first is the creation of a community. By being surrounded by professionals working in different branches of the same field (e.g. medicine), everyone has the opportunity to exchange ideas and problems, creating a stimulating atmosphere and even developing a network.

Another advantage, and not the least, is the flexibility that this type of system offers. There are no fixed and strict timetables. The independent practitioner can come and work, and stay, in his place of work, only for the planned hours (turnkey solution). Cost management is also a positive point. Users will only rent space when they need it. No more and no less. This avoids wasting money on a fixed, long-term rental that few can fill.

Having a dedicated space 7 days a week is also a significant added value, where renting a fixed day can be very restrictive for a beginner who is adapting to the schedules of his first patients.

In short, medical coworking offers flexibility, cost management and ease of use.

However, co-location of health professionals also brings with it a number of disadvantages. The first is the loss of corporate identity. Indeed, many disciplines with different working principles work under the same roof. Thus, workers have to make an effort to fit into the new mould, causing a dilution of identity. Another disadvantage is that this concept of co-location of health professionals can be distracting for workers. Indeed, the degree of uncertainty and the almost exclusive use of open-plan offices can make it difficult to manage work. Another disadvantage is the potentially greater risk of conflict between freelancers due to the more frequent 'friction'.

In summary, coworking among health professionals is an interesting working format for many people: young freelancers, recent graduates wishing to develop their patient base at their own pace, freelancers, non-profit associations, large companies or even startups may be, for different reasons, interested in this practice. Thus the field of clientele seems wide, suggesting that coworking may continue to flourish for some time to come. Therefore, this practice seems to have a bright future. Especially since, in the immediate future, the current health crisis (Covid-19) tends to increase the demand for this type of space.

However, in order to remain in vogue, coworking will have to be able to reinvent itself and adapt to future innovations. Indeed, each trend may end up being forgotten. Thus, the main challenge will be to remain competitive and to continue to establish itself as an essential part of the working world.