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Business Wire's 2020-30 report of the impact of COVID-19 on the global market of coworking spaces gives hope to operators of such spaces. Despite the expected decline in 2020 due to the economic slowdown triggered by the pandemic, the report says the market is anticipated to recover at a CAGR of 11.8% to touch $11.52 billion in 2023. As the pandemic is still far from being over and businesses of all sizes are looking for flexible workspaces, let’s take stock of some major coworking trends in 2021.
1) Rising demand for super flex offices
2020 saw the rise of work-from-home (WFH) offices though the convenience bubble burst soon, owing to different problems that interfered with productivity. These ranged from a sloppy internet connection and the lack of proper equipment to distractions and interruptions by family members, children, and pets. As a result, both companies and employees embraced coworking spaces as a feasible alternate solution. As many companies will continue to stick to the WFH model, the rise of super flex coworking spaces is set to experience a spike.
Whether a company with 20 employees needs to scale up and accommodate 50 more employees or one that wants to downsize from a workforce of 30 to 10, coworking spaces that can be quickly and seamlessly modified to meet such business demands would be the preferred choice. Such flex shared places will not only give their users the freedom and flexibility to work at their own pace and convenience but even save the companies a lot through their quickly scalable infrastructure.
Another one of the major coworking space trends in 2021 would be hybrid workforces of companies, including remote workers, WFH employees, part-timers, etc. who book desks or meeting rooms to meet their office needs, as and when required. Suburban areas will especially see this trend as people will try to reduce their health risks and time of commute by working from coworking spaces in their vicinity.
2) Open plan layouts with adequate social distancing
As COVID-19 rages on, coworking space trends in 2021 will emphasize open plan office layouts with an open-air architecture. Thus, coworking spaces where desks are positioned far apart would become the norm to ensure every member maintains a safe distance from the others and can have peace of mind while working in a healthy environment. In addition, sanitizing the office premises and high-touch surfaces after regular intervals and making hand sanitizers available for every member would become key features of these shared offices.
Some coworking spaces could even focus on offering touch-free fixtures and more private, enclosed spaces with an enhanced level of safety according to the region’s safety guidelines if there’s a demand for such spaces among their clientele.
3) Niche operators will witness a boom in business
This will be one of the interesting coworking trends 2021to watch out for. Many feel spaces that target a specific industry niche or a certain group of users will be the future of coworking. Apart from the usual services that a typical coworking space offers, these niche operators will have some additional, niche-specific services to meet the demands and needs of the community they target.
Thus, if a shared office space wants to focus on wellness, it’s likely to have standing desks, ergonomic chairs, healthier snacks, or even perks like a discounted membership to its small in-house gym. Again, a coworking space targeting parents would typically offer childcare, while one that wants to attract musicians is likely to have recording rooms, musical equipment shops, and soundproof practice areas, among others. When you consider 2021 coworking space trends, you’re likely to find more suchniche spaces that offer services to suit their niche clientele. However, many of these services won’t be suitable or even found in a typical coworking space.
4) Rise in the popularity of wellness-oriented coworking spaces
A safe and healthy work environment is at the top of the minds of almost everyone these days. To meet these demands, experts believe 2021 coworking space trends will show rising popularity of providers who prioritise wellness offerings in their shared office spaces. Some of the top coworking brands have already aligned their offerings to support work-life balance with an emphasis on wellness while others are slowly joining the ranks.
Thus, 2021 will witness the rise of health-first and wellness-oriented coworking spaces that offer yoga rooms, in-house gyms or discounted membership to nearby gyms, consultation with health experts, availability of healthy snacks, and organise other healthy activities and events. These spaces that emphasise the health and overall wellness of their members will be able to use these elements as their key differentiator to stand apart from their competitors in the future.
5) All-round access to multiple branches and locations
Many leading companies have either allowed their employees to work from home indefinitely or for a few more months. But once a majority of the world population is vaccinated and the COVID-19 graph declines, these employees will need to travel and visit coworking spaces from time to time to conduct meetings, meet their counterparts in other states or countries to finalise business deals and other such activities.
Additionally, several companies will try to scale up their business and expand their reach worldwide, thus needing coworking spaces having a presence across multiple locations. Thus, it will be another among interesting coworking trends 2021where you’ll witness a rise in coworking spaces that offer all-round access to their multiple locations, thus letting their members work from any city, state, or country of their choice.
Wrapping up
Some other 2021 coworking space trends to look out for include more hotel-based workspaces that are made available as a result of hospitality brands entering the space, technology and AI-driven spaces to ensure touchless and frictionless space management, virtual memberships to shared office spaces, and an increasing emphasis on robust cybersecurity protocols.
All these coworking trends 2021give hope that despite navigating multiple uncertainties,coworking spaces are ready to innovate and adapt totide over the effects of COVID-19 and grow their global presence.
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