Unconventional offices see new work trends emerge

Cove opened its sixth coworking space in Dupont Circle this month. The new 5,000 square foot office is just the latest in the D.C.-based company’s innovative work spaces.

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The nature of what it means to “go to work” continues to change rapidly, as the line between home and work life begins to blur.

“When you work from home, you no longer have co-workers, in the sense that you have other people to talk to. So, Cove came out from a personal need of going and working from non-traditional environments like coffee shops, and not really having the right type of environment to be productive,” said Adam Segal, co-founder and CEO of Cove.

Members pay for space that can cost $89-$249 monthly, and includes Wi-Fi, printing, and beverages.

“We’re social creatures by nature. We interact, we talk we have relationships… but suddenly, if you’re alone, you need to seek that somewhere else,” he said.

Unlike a coffee shop, which isn’t “an environment that’s attuned to working, taking calls, being productive,” said Segal, Cove is an environment that is meant to have the social buzz of a coffee shop without all the things that make one unproductive.

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“We’re going to give you an environment that fills that social need, with also the benefit of the people around you being your neighbors,” he said. You can also choose how much you want to interact with other people, with the space divided up into social and quiet areas.

Cove has locations in both the DC and Boston regions that allow workers to have a social life connected to their work.
“In a lot of ways, it that a bad thing? It feels like a really good thing… If you suddenly associate work as a good experience, you’re not going to dread Monday morning at eight,” he said.

“Having the ability to have your office or your computer in your pocket, like a smartphone, is changing our accessibility with work and being able to do work,” said Segal.

“I think as we start to realize that it can be a part of our life in a way that it doesn’t take over our life, hopefully Cove helps fit into that.”

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