Since the first coworking space appeared in 2005, over 14,000 have opened around the world. While the earlier generation sought to provide independent workers with resources and support that couldn’t be found at home, coffee shops, or other nomadic locations, today’s spaces have evolved into businesses that also support the needs of large organizations. Some use it to house employees located in remote locations, relieving them from the expense of a long-term lease. Other small businesses and early stage ventures that have uncertain headcount projections or business growth rates operate entirely from coworking spaces due to the spatial flexibility.
How Coworking Spaces Affect Employees’ Professional Identities
Companies invest valuable resources nurturing connectivity among employees and developing work cultures. But, in a coworking space that houses multiple organizations, there are several messages, norms, and values, competing for members’ attention. Between 2017 and 2018, researchers collaborated with WeWork to survey over 1,000 of their new individual members in the United States to answer this question: How do highly curated coworking cultures impact the professional identities of members and their organizations? They found that the WeWork brand strengthens the extent to which members identify with their organizations by becoming an integral part of each organization’s image, brand, and culture. Three key themes explain why: (1) Coworking spaces give some members a sense of professionalism and credibility that traditional remote working does not. (2) People with subsidized memberships feel that their employers take their needs seriously — regardless of where they are located. (3) Coworking spaces help new businesses make a positive impression on potential clientele.