Coworking Myths
We believed most of these before we started RedDeskCo. Here is what we actually found.
You can't leave your stuff there
This was the biggest concern for us when we first looked at coworking spaces. We all use large monitors, external drives, and permanent desk setups. The idea of packing everything up at the end of each day, or leaving expensive equipment in a space where dozens of strangers come and go, just didn't work.
And honestly, in a hot-desking space, that concern is completely valid. If you're sharing a desk with people you've never met, you can't realistically leave thousands of pounds worth of equipment sitting there overnight.
But that's a hot-desking problem, not a coworking problem. At RedDeskCo, every desk is a fixed, dedicated desk. Your desk is yours. You set it up however you want, you leave your monitors and equipment in place, and nobody else touches it. The space has 14 desks and everyone knows each other. It's a very different situation to walking into a building with hundreds of people and hoping for the best.
It's too noisy to get real work done
This one depends entirely on the type of space you're looking at. If you're in a large open-plan coworking space with 200 people, events happening downstairs, and a food hall next door, then yes, it can be noisy. That's the whole point of those spaces. They're designed to be buzzy and social.
We wanted the opposite. RedDeskCo is a small, quiet office where people come in, sit at their desk, and get on with their work. There are no events, no networking sessions, no hot-deskers arriving and leaving throughout the day. If someone needs to take a call, they step into the meeting room. The rest of the time, it's just the gentle background of people working quietly, which most people actually find quite productive.
The myth that coworking is noisy comes from a particular type of coworking space. It doesn't describe all of them, and it certainly doesn't describe ours.
You have to be sociable all the time
This one puts a lot of people off, especially if you're someone who just wants to come in, do your work, and go home. Some coworking spaces really push the community angle with organised networking, icebreaker events, and an expectation that you'll be chatting to everyone in the kitchen.
That's not how it works here. People are friendly, but nobody is going to interrupt your day or expect you to socialise. Some days you might have a conversation over coffee. Other days you might not speak to anyone at all. Both are completely normal. The community at RedDeskCo happens naturally because people see each other every day and get to know each other over time. We go for drinks and have barbecues in the summer, but nobody organises it as a networking event. It just happens because people actually get along.
If you want a quiet space where you can just get your head down and work, that's exactly what you'll get.
It's more expensive than working from home
On paper, working from home is free. But most people who've done it for any length of time know it's not that simple. Your energy bills go up because you're heating and lighting your home all day. You need a decent desk and chair. Your internet needs to be reliable enough for video calls. And if you don't have a spare room, you're working from your kitchen table or your sofa, which comes with its own costs to your posture and your mental health.
At RedDeskCo, a fixed desk costs £225 per month with no VAT. That includes everything: fast internet, air conditioning, a private meeting room, a kitchen, showers, bike storage, printing, and tea and coffee. There's nothing extra to pay. And because we don't charge VAT, our £225 desk is actually cheaper than a £210+VAT hot desk at some of the bigger spaces in Peckham, which would cost you £252.
Whether a coworking space is worth the money depends on what you're comparing it to. If working from home is genuinely working well for you, then great. But if it isn't, £225 a month for a proper workspace with everything included is not a lot of money.
Coworking is just for freelancers and startups
The people at RedDeskCo include company directors, software developers, web designers, and people who run their own established businesses. Some of them have been at the same desk for years. It's not a launchpad for startups or a trendy space for people who want to say they work in a coworking space. It's a proper office that people use as their permanent workplace.
The myth that coworking is only for freelancers probably comes from the early days when that's who these spaces were originally built for. But that was 15 years ago. Today, coworking spaces are used by all sorts of people who just need a dedicated workspace outside their home, and that includes people with established businesses and full-time roles.
It depends on the space. Large open-plan coworking spaces can be busy and loud. Smaller fixed-desk spaces like RedDeskCo are typically very quiet because there are fewer people and no hot-deskers coming and going throughout the day.
In a hot-desking space, you would need to pack up every day. In a fixed-desk space like RedDeskCo, your desk is yours permanently. People leave monitors, equipment, and personal items at their desk and everything stays exactly where they left it.
No. At RedDeskCo, people are friendly but nobody is expected to socialise. Some days you might chat over coffee, other days you might not speak to anyone. Both are completely normal.
A desk at RedDeskCo costs £225 per month with no VAT, and everything is included. When you factor in the energy costs, equipment needs, and mental health impact of working from home full time, a coworking space can be very good value.