You Don’t Need Coworking, You Need Camaraderie
The warm and fuzzy feeling that can transform your work-life, for the better.
One of the easiest ways to describe what we’ve been building at Groove is that our app offers “virtual coworking.” If you’re someone who’s been to a physical coworking space before, you can probably grasp this concept.
But, here’s the thing — it doesn’t really capture the ✨ magic of Groove ✨, because we have something most coworking spaces don’t: a special feeling of togetherness and support.
As remote workers and freelancers, we’ve missed that special warm and fuzzy feeling of having people around you, cheering you on, who are all in this together.
At Groove, we celebrate that working solo or remotely gives you the freedom of living where you want and building the career and life that’s right for you. But we also find ourselves missing traditional office life from time to time.
What is it we’re really missing from the office though?
For those of us who don’t have a fixed office, we tend to search for a coworking replacement. Physical coworking spaces are focused on replicating the office environment. They tend to have:
- Coffee and tea
- A desk
- A printer
- Phone booths
But what we really want and are missing, and what coworking doesn’t usually offer, is the office culture:
- Watercooler chitchat about House of the Dragons
- A friendly face to say hi to
- Colleagues offering encouragement and advice
That’s not coworking, that’s camaraderie. A word that’s kinda hard to say, even harder to spell. It’s “A feeling of friendliness toward people that you work or share an experience with” (source: Cambridge Dictionary)
Essentially, a bond. A spirit of friendship and community.
Your average coworking space doesn’t necessarily come with camaraderie, except really intentional, curated spaces like our friend Tina Roth Eisenberg’s space, Friends Work Here. But those are exceptions.
So, when we say “virtual coworking,” folks don’t necessarily expect that warm and fuzzy feeling of camaraderie to be a part of it. How can we express that a mobile “coworking” app actually can relieve their loneliness and craving for connection with likeminded people?
How we’re building camaraderie at Groove
As members of the Groove team shifted to working remotely during the pandemic, we really missed the special camaraderie of being surrounded by a team. Several team members joined virtual events and online learning cohorts, but nothing quite satisfied our cravings for ongoing connection.
This fueled our desire to create Groove, a free, low-lift, easy way to connect with others on interesting career paths that fits right into a work day.
Camaraderie isn’t a new feeling to the team at Groove. We’ve felt it before outside of office environments, and it’s these experiences that really inspire us to think outside the box for how to create this feeling when we’re not all physically in the same room.
Taylor, our Head of Community, felt camaraderie in college, when over 100,000 people did the school chant in the football arena.
Brandy, our Head of Marketing, felt camaraderie attending Bonnaroo Music Festival, where you can strike up a conversation and high five anyone else attending.
But can you create camaraderie on an… app?
The secret sauce in the examples above is the structured experience + agreed upon values. The right type of people show up when those two elements are clear, which opens doors for us to have this kind of connection.
It wasn’t until we didn’t have the ability to go to physical spaces to gather during the pandemic that we really needed to rethink how camaraderie could show up for us digitally.
On top of that, with the rise of solo workers, remote employees, and digital nomads, millions of people are now craving this feeling, and aren’t sure where to find it in an ongoing, nourishing way from the comfort of their own home.
Josh has defined Groove as “a global movement of people journeying through life together.” Camaraderie shouldn’t need to be connected to a team or a physical space. It can be something much bigger — it can be a part of your everyday life. On Groove, we’ve made it as simple as a touch of a button to be connected with people who can help you feel this way.
“In short, camaraderie promotes a group loyalty that results in a shared commitment to and discipline toward the work. Camaraderie at work can create ‘esprit de corps,’ which includes mutual respect, sense of identity, and admiration to push for hard work and outcomes.” (source: Harvard Business Review)
It can be hard to create camaraderie online, and tech pessimists would even say impossible. We’re taking the optimistic path, but don’t take our word for it — hear it from Groovers who have experienced it:
As someone who lives (and generally works) alone, Groove has become a sort of virtual “team” or even family. It’s become my very own international source of champions, cheerleaders and confidantes. I appreciate this app so much. It’s been positively life-changing. — Thea
Groove ensured that I was not doing my projects alone, and really did wonders on my sneaky Imposter’s Syndrome. I would often have myself convinced in my own head that I could definitely not use that 50 minute chunk wisely, and I was quickly rerouted into doing amazing work because of the cheering section of three other individuals I had in each Groove. Whether I stuck with the same 3 people for several Grooves, or mixed it up, I was sure to have support and encouragement to fight those unwarranted feelings of doubt. — Sarah
Looking for more Groovy Content? Check these out:
- Our totally unbiased breakdown of how Groove compares to social focus alternatives
- I think I have ADHD. Now what?
- Or, if you’re ready to accomplish great things in great company, cruise on over to groove.ooo 🕺🏼
