New working practices resulting from the coronavirus pandemic are forcing collaborative workspaces to evolve, to adopt more sanitation measures and to become more digital. They will therefore be an increasingly essential space to support workers in future.
The emergency situation experienced around the world because of coronavirus has made us rethink everything, particularly current ways of working. Classic office-based working, with a smattering of occasional work from home days, has quickly had to reinvent itself towards a non-localised integral approach. Now, as we return to a new normal, companies are looking at how to find a happy medium.
For years there have been workers and companies trying out innovative ways of working. The self-employed, freelancers, digital nomads, startups and open innovation departments all opted for coworking spaces. These shared offices are not just a physical space where people can enjoy a desk and an internet connection, they are also a place where opportunities arise.
Turning physical into digital
What needs to be addressed immediately is the absence of face-to-face contact that coronavirus has caused – a situation that is still uncertain. For example, the Fangaloka space has launched an online initiative aimed at bringing the physical experience into the digital environment. “It’s time to reinvent yourself, to adapt to the circumstances”, they state on their social media.
With this proposal, they are opening the door to a digital place that’s for “sharing, collaborating, having a coffee, getting training and asking for personalised help from experts who selflessly give their time”. From online training and events to the digital café, this is a way of preventing work from being solitary and of the community remaining connected, all on the virtual plane.
Letting ideas continue to flow
In coworking spaces it’s also common to organise brainstorming sessions, for example, since they aim to be a space where you can meet your startup team or future potential collaborators to speak in person. Coordinating remote creative, work, debate, and co-creation sessions seems complex, but technology is on our side.
Tools like MURAL, Conceptboard and Miro make it easier. “It really helps customers work together, no matter where they are. It puts them on the same page so that they can collaborate”, indicates Joanna Kim, brand events manager at Miro.
Miro allows you to collaboratively use a board on which you can stick post-its, make notes, create diagrams and group concepts. This is a functionality that BBVA Open Innovation has used for its first Fast Track online. This methodology, which is part of the seed project, is a phase in which the startups chosen to seek solutions to the bank’s needs carry out agile proofs of concept or pilots with the bank. To do this, it’s essential to have collaborative tools like Miro.
Kim explains how its potential has grown in these times: “We’ve expanded our audience, having been approached by many companies and universities, such as MIT. There are many different use cases – digital events, remote meetings, training sessions, workshops… It really allows creativity to come together“. The expert believes that the crisis will lead to “collaborations becoming increasingly streamlined and processes being simplified”, including when people return to offices and coworking spaces.
Reasons for their survival
Keeping the community active and continuing to strengthen ties is one of the reasons why the entrepreneur and Forbes collaborator Dane Stangler justifies in this article how important coworking spaces will be from now on: “Entrepreneurs, business owners and workers will need social networks and local connections more than ever to get back to normal. The strength of the community will be essential to help people to reconnect, build new networks and support each other”.
Another reason the expert gives is that “employees of large companies who are currently working remotely also need to work somewhere“, particularly now that office density needs to be reduced to maintain the right capacity and distancing. Also, as more people embrace remote working, but at the same time don’t want to feel alone, the coworking space closest to home could be an ideal solution. Eight out of ten people would like to continue working from home one or more days per week when the crisis comes to an end, according to a survey by Colliers International.
Lastly, Stangler reminds us that they are also important spaces for small businesses, a “life saver” in the face of the financial outlay that can be required to rent premises and, therefore, a fundamental support for the local economy. A coworking space allows businesses to reduce their direct costs by up to 40% and has no barriers to entry, such as guarantees and investing in furniture, décor and refurbishment, according to Manuel Fernández de Cañete in this article. He is a founding partner and director of marketing and growth at coworking space La Fábrica.
Making face-to-face safer
So, if we want to keep the digital spirit alive whilst maintaining the face-to-face element of these workspaces, measures will need to be taken for the new normality. Utopicus, a company that manages flexible workspaces, has instigated a strict protocol of measures against COVID-19: PPE, safe distances between desks, protective screens for reception areas, better ventilation, strict cleaning processes and a commitment to the recommended capacity.
In addition, the company is offering tailored advice to facilitate the return to work. Coworking spaces are still there for businesses. “In a post-COVID-19 landscape, the health and safety, the flexibility and the decentralisation of our model will provide solutions for the future of many organisations’ work. After COVID-19, coworking spaces come forward as an opportunity to de-centralise certain teams within companies”, notes the CEO of Utopicus, Rafa de Ramón.
Since their beginnings, coworking spaces have flown the flag of open innovation and collaboration between professionals. With that in mind, and in the face of the coronavirus crisis, they’ll have to be redesigned and their health and safety measures strengthened for them to once again become a place of opportunity and open doors, digital and safe.
