According to research commissioned by Regus, flexible workspaces in smaller towns or suburbs have reduced carbon emissions by an average of 118 tonnes a year due to shorter commutes.

Coworking spaces allow people to work closer to home, saving employees an average of 7,416 commuting hours each year, which helps improve their wellbeing.

The study analyzed the socio-economic impact of flexible working across 19 countries up to 2029 and found that 218 jobs are created per flexible office. Additionally, each coworking space creates an average of $16.47 million each year through job creation, workers spending money in the area and investment by new businesses.

In the UK, the report found that outer city coworking spaces save 152 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year and 9,209 hours of commuting.

It is not just startups and entrepreneurs who are flocking to coworking spaces — large enterprises and corporations are adopting flexible work policies.

“Big enterprises are adopting flexible working policies; moving away from relying on a single, central HQ and increasingly basing employees outside of the major metropolitan hubs in flex spaces,” said Mark Dixon, CEO of IWG. “Most are doing so to improve employee wellbeing by allowing their people to work closer to home, save money [and] boost productivity.”