For small businesses and start-ups, every penny counts, which is the idea behind Mississippi State E-center’s plans to provide shared workspaces for companies at the former Cadence bank building in downtown Starkville.

The Hub Cowork program hopes to attract small businesses by offering the small work spaces that are in great demand for companies with only a few employees. The workspace will allow the companies to share resources that might be difficult to obtain or cost prohibitive for the individual company – conference rooms, internet connections, communal desk space, printers and various other staples of operating a business.

But we believe there is another unstated advantage in this arrangement, something we began to learn in the spring of 2020.

Like many lessons, it was born of necessity. As COVID-19 began to spread, many businesses began to shift from the traditional work environment – where workers came to the company’s office or place of business – and work from home.

Through the height of the pandemic and as it began to wane, businesses and employees learned a new way to do work. If nothing else, it enhanced the use of technology, particularly when it came to communications and meetings. Over time, businesses figured out how to meet the challenges of having something of an absentee workforce.

Yet for all the knowledge gained, something was lost: the sense of teamwork that is both overtly and subtly reinforced when workers are together for the work day.

Often, close proximity to others produces benefits organically. It might be a casual conversation in a hallway or an overheard remark that sparks an idea or a solution to a problem. Impromptu brain-storming can emerge from these casual encounters. The proximity to others allows for professional relationships to grow, for mentorship, for mutual support. Sharing a workspace often means sharing ideas. It means sharing best practices or avoiding pitfalls that others may have learned through experience.

We believe, too, that working together builds morale within – and in the case of the MSU

Hub Cowork program – among companies. Being a start-up or a small business can be a frightening existence. Being among others similarly situated can provide some comfort and valuable information.

Humans are social creatures and crave the company of others, whether it’s at home or in our work lives. While some workers will insist on working from home even if it means changing employers, we believe many others see real value in literally working together.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.

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