Making co-working work

In recent years, there has been increasing demand from corporations for flexible space and remote work. This, along with the growing popularity of flexible forms of employment and the rise in ambitious start-ups with limited financial resources looking for just the right business model, has resulted in the dynamic development of co-working spaces. As well as a desk, co-working spaces also offer a wide range of services, ranging from reception services, correspondence and cleaning services to training and virtual accounting, or they might even offer a virtual office.

WHAT IS CO-WORKING AND PRINCIPLES OF CO-WORKING SPACES

The meaning of co-working has evolved, and from being only the use of an office or other working environment and its equipment by people who are self-employed or working for different employers, it has also become a field for the exchange of ideas and knowledge. Today, it is cooperation and skill sharing that is the foundation of co-working, which may seem strange given that people in this system usually work on individual assignments and are not connected by professional relationships.

German city sociologist, Janet Merkel, who specializes in the relationship and interdependence between creativity and urban space, described co-working much more broadly than an office, namely as a cultural model that promotes five values: community, collaboration, openness, diversity, and sustainability 1 . Therefore, the main features of co-working that make this form of work so unique are informal cooperation, exchange of ideas and experiences, as well as mutual support for those who use a common workspace and, consequently, a sense of community.

In Janet Merkel’s opinion, the physical space of the shared office alone is not enough to establish social relations to a sufficient extent to establish cooperation. She points out the special role of the landlord, whose task it is to initiate and maintain interaction between individual users, as well as to plan and design the workspace accordingly. It should not be forgotten that every member of this shared community is bound by a kind of co-working savoir-vivre, which is revealed, for example, by silencing phones, taking care of cleanliness, as well as controlled and unobtrusive networking, without which productive functioning in the common space would not be possible.

WHO IS THE USE OF THE COWORKING SPACE AND THE ART OF WORKSPACE PLANNING

A co-working office should be a space that is suitable for many different users or user groups. On the one hand, for those who will spend 8 hours a day in it, but also for those who decide to visit it irregularly – several times a week and at different times of the day. This is true for employees of the creative industry and advertising agencies as well as for representatives of banks and consulting companies, freelancers and guests of each of the aforementioned industry representatives. Thus, there is no single target group of users (or even two or three groups), which means that planning such a practical, multifunctional and flexible workspace is not easy, and it is likely that no universal projects or concepts exist.

The need to meet the different needs of many, often completely unrelated, users at the same time requires the creation of a coherent space within which

zones dedicated to the various professional activities and working styles will be separated. In addition to the basic “hot-desk” zone, co-working users also need more private closed offices, as well as conference rooms or quiet and secluded areas for telephone calls. Relaxation, catering and event zones are also extremely important, which not only affect the comfort of work but above all create the conditions that will motivate users to make contacts, have conversations and initiate business situations in an unobtrusive way that is still full of energy. A very important element of the co- -working space is also the creation of numerous and, at the same time, secure places to store confidential data, documentation and correspondence, which are an inseparable element of every type of activity at every level of professional activity, and ensuring their proper protection as a priority for every user. The threats resulting from COVID-19 are another challenge that the designers of coworking space will soon have to face, introducing new solutions, e.g. those that will allow to keep a distance during the epidemic and at the same time not disturb the interaction between users, so important for this model of work.

SPACING.PL OR HOW TO FOLLOW THE TENANT

Since the most important thing in co- -working is ease and speed of access as well as functionality, and numerous studies and market analyses show that the biggest competitor for shared offices is the home of their potential users, Hagay Albo and Eitan Singer founded the Spacing platform in 2017, which is similar to the gastronomic site Pyszne.pl or the hotel site Booking.pl. The Spacing platform compares co-working spaces and offices, and contains all the data needed to easily find the ideal co-working environment, tailored to the needs and style of work of particular employees. Since 2018, Spacing.pl has also been available in Poland, and it is interesting to note that our market was the third one in which the founders of the portal decided to launch a local platform.

A co-working office should be a space that is suitable for many different users or user groups. On the one hand, for those who will spend 8 hours a day in it, but also for those who decide to visit it irregularly – several times a week and at different times of the day.

The coworking industry may be, in the short term, one of the sectors most affected by effects of the pandemic, among others, due to certain restrictions introduced by the governing bodies of particular countries including restrictions on movement, restrictions on assembly or other recommendations in the field of the so called social distancing.

The main task of co-working office operators is, for example, to briefly define their own target group and demonstrate the available functions and services of the offered space, including the benefits of participating in co-working, such as exchange of ideas and experiences and the spontaneous establishment of business relations. It is also important to constantly observe this living organism which is a shared space for work and to adjust its arrangement and services available within it to the needs and expectations of its users.

CO-WORKING VS COVID-19

What impact shall the current socio- -economic situation connected with outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and touching many regions of the world have on the operators of the co- -working spaces?

The coworking industry may be, in the short term, one of the sectors most affected by effects of the pandemic, among others, due to certain restrictions introduced by the governing bodies of particular countries including restrictions on movement, restric tions on assembly or other recommendations in the field of the so called social distancing.

In our view, in the long run, coworking operators may gain, due to the fact that often their clients are smaller companies, start-ups whose crisis may lead to financial difficulties, as a result of which they will give up the use of long-term commitments such as long-term lease agreements in favour of flexible space. In addition, ironically, the hope for co-working is that many companies are now forced to introduce the so-called home office for a wide scale. In spite of appearances, this experience can be helpful to co-working and make employers realize that there is no reason for their (co-)employees to lose time to travel to the company’s headquarters, spend 8 hours in it and be under constant control ensuring the efficiency of their work. Home office is often a step that precedes the introduction of the model or the possibility of remote work, which can be performed by (co-) employees in the co-working center closest to their home.

The current situation may also force to think about the need to maintain the headquarters of companies that generate huge fixed costs, and which are currently empty, while (co-)employees continue their work using the latest technologies to communicate with each other from anywhere on earth. Getting used to the remote work model, combined with the broadly understood recession and the need to cut costs will, in our opinion, lead to an increase in the popularity of co-working spaces. In addition, co-working operators offer many types of services, some of which will not fall victim to the crisis or even their popularity will increase, such as virtual office services and IT services. The epidemic will also definitely pose new challenges for designers of common areas, who, being aware of the restrictions that such a threat poses, will try to create offices with such functions and so safe for health that no virus will interrupt their work.

It is difficult to assess the effects of the impending economic crisis on co- -working, but in the long run it can have a positive impact on the development of this trend, which is an excellent alternative to remote work done at home, as well as for companies wanting to reduce costs by resigning from renting large office spaces.

Authors:

The article was prepared by the lawyers from the Real Estate & Construction team at Baker McKenzie, who have been working closely with the co-working industry for many years.

Joanna Wojnarowska,

Partner, Baker McKenzie

Weronika Roesler,

Senior associate, Baker McKenzie

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