Coworking Companies Take Steps to Ensure Safety Amid Covid-19 (With Commentary from Ryan Harding!)
Until the arrival of Covid-19, coworking spaces were among the hottest properties in the Los Angeles real estate market.
But just as the pandemic has rattled almost every other aspect of business life in L.A., it has also hit the coworking sector.
The largest brand in the market, WeWork Cos. Inc., has said it will stagger tenant seating and increase the frequency of cleaning. Another coworking company, Industrious, says it is also looking to increase spacing between tenants and developing testing and tracing, among other efforts.
“Coworking operators are going to have to change,” said Ryan Harding of Newmark Knight Frank. “Their financial models right now are not going to work. … Their space plans will have to change dramatically.”
Convene, which has a handful of coworking spaces downtown, says it has been spending the last few weeks ensuring its properties will provide safe environments when workers begin to return.
“We’ve been thinking about how we continue to create the premium experience that we’ve always been known for. Now, part of that means guaranteeing safety,” said Amy Pooser, Convene’s global chief operating officer and chief people officer.
The company is supporting “hybrid meetings” where some people are remote and others are in the office. It’s reconfiguring spaces, adding safety reminder signs and ensuring people will be six feet apart.
Convene is also clearing out some furniture so the space will only be at 50% density. In common areas like the snack table, there will be signs on the floor and walls, so people know where to stand. Snacks will move from buffet-style to prepackaged bento box-type meals.
There will also be paper masks readily available and increased cleaning services.
“We will also have signage that instructs people how to walk through the space so that you are walking one way to avoid the spread of pathogens,” Pooser said.
Convene has also partnered with Eden Health Inc., a private health care organization to provide Covid-19 testing, temperature screenings and questionnaires. The company will also help with treatment options.
While the partnership began before Covid-19, Pooser said 50% more employees are now using Eden’s app.
Jamie Hodari, chief executive and co-founder of Industrious, does not think a lot of the changes will stay in place over the long term. “Once there’s a vaccine, I don’t think most of the immediate safety interventions we are talking about here would be likely to persist beyond that,” he said.
Still, Hodari said coworking spaces may benefit when companies move away from one “mega headquarters” and instead have mid-sized offices or remote workers.