With so many people working from home and adhering to social distancing guidelines it might seem counterintuitive to read about the importance of coworking spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After all, coworking spaces are places where large groups of strangers work together, and it seems it’s exactly places like these that are at risk of losing their appeal, maybe even permanently.
But there are reasons to believe that the coworking industry will come out of this crisis stronger than ever.
First, there is the fact that remote workers need to work from somewhere. While some people did have a home office set up before the pandemic, most workers had to improvise a workspace in their homes.
This can be fine for now, but working on your dining table is definitely not sustainable in the long run, at least not every single day. This is especially true if you have family members, pets, or roommates living with you that distract or interrupt you.
As more people work from home, more people will realize the benefits of having an office environment to go to.
Another reason why coworking spaces will remain important during this crisis is the fact that traditional offices will most likely be looking to de-densify their spaces, not only to manage the current situation but also to prevent such a disruption from happening again.
The best way to do this is by sending some of their employees to coworking spaces.
The other aspect that makes coworking spaces so important right now is the community factor. Community is a core pillar of coworking, and community is really important right now. People need support in challenging times like these.
Entrepreneurs, business owners, workers, freelancers, and solopreneurs will continue to rely on their social networks and local connections to recover and rebound. Right now communities are already rallying around local businesses such as restaurants, artists, yoga studios, and gyms in many ways (i.e. gift cards, subscribing to their online classes, buying their work and ordering more food).
Last but not least, as companies navigate the post-pandemic world, they will be searching for flexible solutions that can help them grow and contract as necessary. Coworking spaces allow for such strategies without a hefty upfront investment.
While the storm is nowhere near over, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that light is that coworking will come out stronger from this.