Co-working is the new office pattern in town. While one may open a laptop and start working in a café or park, co-working spaces offer a new world of their own. It not only allows an individual to have a safe and secure office-like atmosphere but also gives them the leeway to work in hours suitable to them, build new networks, and discover a new world of work. Co-working spaces are also ideal for start-up companies with fewer employees. East India Works, situated at the prime location in Dalhousie is the newest co-working space in town and Indulge went over to check it out.
Founder Udbhav Jalan mentions at the onset, “I come from a background where my family has operated leasing assets all around Eastern India for the last 20 years. I always knew that the future of work would be flexible and as time passes the need for dedicated large offices would switch to plug-and-play need-based services with a layer of comfort, luxury, and experience. The genesis of starting EIW came from this very vision that I could use our existing office spaces (which were earlier on pure bare shell leases) and convert them into friendly and aesthetic spaces for any and everyone to use. Everyone should have the option of walking into a beautiful office and working next to like-minded folks.”
East India Works provides a luxurious space in the middle of a busy yet productive neighbourhood connected very easily via several transportation options. It currently has a lobby with a waiting area where hangs a beautiful painting made by the co-workers of the space, a pantry, a meeting room, and washrooms. The open spaces are available for individual workers with complimentary lockers. The cabin spaces come in two, four, and twelve-seater availability. Cabins will have to be booked as a whole by a single company/start-up. In fact, East India Works has two co-working spaces in the same building, one a 72 seater and the other a 52 seater; each equipped well enough with all basic workspace equipments.
Jalan mentions, “We now see smaller teams and startups leasing spaces at co-working spaces which was not the case five to six years ago. There is also now an ever-increasing trend of large corporates and banks looking for flexible spaces as they expand back office operations to the Eastern part of India. We hope to be the provider of choice in Kolkata and Eastern India as we develop many more spaces for our future members.”
The co-working space is operational between 9 am to 8 pm, Monday to Saturday and individuals can enter and leave according to their choices within the duration. The nearest Metro station is the Chandni Chowk Metro Station, Gate 6 while the Dalhousie bus stop is just a minute’s walk from the building. Howrah station is equally close by, around 5 – 7 minutes on a no-traffic scenario. There is also a two-wheeler and four-wheeler parking facility in the building with extra charges.
So, what sets East India Works apart? Jalan mentions, “Coworking spaces today are essentially a commoditised service as the industry matured over the last 4-5 years with little to no differentiation between the plethora of providers in the market. The thought with creating EIW was always to create a space with super friendly community managers who have the ethos and nature to make all of our members feel like they are entering a homely and friendly space vs where one is just coming in to finish their day's work. We have always been and will continue to be members first with a core focus on flexibility and mainly customer success. Our ethos is-We will only succeed when our customers succeed.”
Single seats can be booked for three months for Rs 6500+ per month with a minimum of three months blocking. A 12-day pass for Rs 3600 + can also be claimed whereas the 12 days could be any day but have to be claimed within a month from the date of issue. For day-to-day occupancy the cost amounts to Rs 400+. For start-ups and small businesses who would like to book cabins for themselves, the cost differs and it is suggested to discuss the same with the space managers. One can also avail of a free trial before booking. Prior bookings in any case are best however East India Works also accommodates a few walk-ins. One can check out more through their official website.
Currently, East India Works is at 75% occupancy and is happy to welcome more companies and individuals post discussion.