The West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) has introduced Happy Works, a co-working space in Kolkata’s growing commercial hub, New Town. At affordable rates of Rs 30 for 90 minutes and Rs 20 for each additional hour thereafter, these seven-days-a-week 9am-to-8pm work-pod clusters are witnessing a surge in the number of working mothers, young entrepreneurs and freelance workers looking to nurture a professional space distinct from the blurriness of working from home, steep-on-the-pocket office rentals or the HR-controlled regimes of traditional workspaces.
While co-working spaces in urban metropolises are no novelty, these are mostly private sector initiatives looking to break the ennui of standard office experiences. They often come at a restrictive cost, limiting the experience to those who can afford it rather than those who may be in need of it. HIDCO’s venture indicates both a welcome change in the state government’s attitude to commerce and an acknowledgement that, in the post-Covid era, the future of work includes flexibility, especially when the workers are juggling many roles.
This editorial first appeared in the print edition on June 25, 2022 under the title ‘The new workplace’.
