It is easy to assume that co-working spaces will suffer greatly due to Covid-19. Social distancing has made gathering in large groups come to a halt, and co-working spaces can be a breeding ground for germs- especially if you share your specific workstation.
However, as restrictions ease up, will those who frequented co-working spaces return? Will owners of the co-working spaces remodel the space to be more social distancing friendly? A simple one-word answer to both questions is yes.
Over time, co-working spaces will gradually fill up again. Initially, those who may not have the best internet connection at home will gladly return to their local co-working space with their face masks on. Time will pass and some who decided to permanently work from home will grow tired of working from home. They will return to their co-working space again for face-to-face interaction, immediate access to printers and supplies, and for less distractions that may arise while working from home. It might not be full force, five days a week right off the bat, but gradually, co-working spaces will be filled again.
But, will precautions need to be taken to make co-working space tenants feel safe enough to return? Most likely. Modern co-working offices are designed to be open spaces with large desks that are meant to be shared to provide a productive and collaborative environment. And these shared spaces may end up getting a semi-permanent facelift- a bit of office botox- due to Covid-19. Social distancing rules may stay in place for longer than we hoped and adding temporary walls to provide personal office spaces may be a good decision. To keep co-working spaces at full capacity, owners may want to consider this so their tenants who reserve space in their co-working environment feel safe and continue to lease their personal space each month.
The definition of normal changes every day, but co-working spaces will resume normalcy again. Co-working spaces are not a thing of the past. The world evolves daily, therefore, co-working space will have to evolve with it.
Written by Madison Wedel, Marketing Coordinator
