Week 26, 2022

Taylor Telford penned a Washington Post piece on how libraries are stepping up their game with rooftops, cafes and zoom rooms as they increasingly become ‘a favorite co-woroking (sic) space for workers in the hybrid era’.

We’ve been watching libraries break away from the "musty, strict and focused solely on books" stereotype for a while now. Makes me wonder if this shift is an opportunity or threat to your coworking business?

Jeremy Stoppelman, co-founder and CEO of Yelp shared a post detailing how for them, the future is remote. Telling signs were record revenues whilst working remote, underutilization of their offices and an internal survey in which 86% of their employees said they’d prefer to work remotely most or all of the time.

The firm will close offices across New York, Chicago and Washington DC, whilst also reducing their footprint in Phoenix. Resources will be re-allocated towards employee experience (amongst other things), hiring and funding growth.

I do wonder if they’re offering stipends or centrally-billed coworking access for those who do want to work somewhere outside of their homes.

Sofia Stolberg shares some info about the new changes happening to the compliance processes of the United States Postal Service. If you’re a coworking space in the US offering mail services to your members, def give this a watch to make sure you and your mail services stay compliant.

Geoff Sakala raises an interesting point about the financial and emotional strain automated spam calls are having on businesses who want to provide great customer service.

How are you dealing with this frustration in your business? Let them know in the thread (and don’t forget to add #TWIC in your comment).

Jason Feifer interviewed Daniel Roth and Alice Xiong of LinkedIn about recent LinkedIn algorithm changes.

It’s a fascinating look at how the platform is dealing with the 42% y-o-y surge in content being shared, and a 27% bump in content being viewed. In short, the changes amplify content that shares "knowledge and advice".

What exactly goes into the criteria? A lot, but a few ways LinkedIn identifies if a post is full of genuine knowledge or advice is: the distinct audience, the author’s core subject area, "meaningful comments", and perspective (ie non generic advice).

The team at Brain Embassy Antwerp spoke to two very different sized member organizations (the Faculty of Business & Economics at the University of Antwerp with 400 employees, and Cloudwise with a team of 6) about how they each foster their very own culture.

From saying that "coworking has a positive effect" on the Faculty’s culture, to digging into how culture grows (bottom-up btw), to zooming into culture and value through internal messaging, and celebrating milestones.

Don’t forget to highlight how your members are challenging misconceptions about coworking (and submit your blog posts to me here).

Emily Price shared a piece in Computerworld giving 7 reasons why teams embracing remote or hybrid work should stock up on day passes to coworking spaces.

Some of the reasons shared are creativity boosts, meeting space, get togethers, networking, mailing addresses and saving cash. If you’re creating content for your space, are you addressing these pain points in your marketing?

Meredith M. shares how the flagship location of the Cambridge Innovation Center offers a unique workspace called the Kangaroo Room. This private office is stocked with toys and play items for children to enjoy.

Another great example of how operators are creatively offering working parents unique workspace solutions, without necessarily having to provide full time child care.

France is piloting coworking spaces within EHPADs (nursing homes) to transform them into community-centered hubs promoting intergenerational exchange, with the Monts du Matin EHPAD in Bésayes partnering with Soliwork by Desk to offer shared offices, micro-crèche, catering, and short-term rentals to teleworkers and small businesses. Supported by organizations Arbitryum and Makesense, a national coalition aims to equip 50 EHPADs by end of 2025, following recommendations from think tank Matières Grises to turn care homes into community platforms.

The model varies by site with some coworking users paying modest fees while others contribute time with residents, using Soliwork’s management software for reservations and operations. Director Didier Meyrand noted the initiative allows relatives to work onsite while spending quality time with loved ones, with the project presented at VivaTech 2025 in Paris receiving positive feedback from families and residents.

Fast Company shares 5 methodologies from architecture firm NBBJ for saving office towers having their "mid-life crisis". The design interventions include reconsidering the ground floor, accessible roofs, green mezzanines, upgraded utilities, and converting spaces.

The last includes amenity spaces and work related shared spaces, and that friend is where experience operators like you come in.

Gaia Almeida, global coworking recruitment expert at Bottle Rocket Search, identifies a shift toward "portfolio-wide flex talent" where operators hire executives to oversee multiple markets rather than single locations.

Examples include a trilingual Portfolio GM managing Lisbon, Barcelona, and Milan for a European operator, a London-based VP of Sales hired by a North American flex brand to close EMEA enterprise deals, and a Canadian fractional CFO working remotely for a LATAM operator. Almeida argues this approach delivers speed over perfection through pre-built systems, enables cross-pollination of best practices across markets, and attracts top talent seeking scope beyond single postcodes.

The trend represents a shift from local property management thinking to experience leadership, with operators hiring regionally while thinking globally to achieve consistent brand execution and scalable growth. Yet another signal for how this growing, evolving flex industry is mirroring how hotels and hospitality real estate are managed.

A festival celebrating local businesses in Swansea, Denbighshire, and the Vale of Glamorgan has marked the growth of an innovative project that brings flexible workspace to high streets, community spaces, and venues across the regions.

As part of the Cowork Local Project, the three-day festival will run from June 21 through 23 and will see venues open their doors to coworking, whilst showcasing local role models with a series of lunchtime talks from founders and leaders.

Love seeing interesting and exciting ways of engaging new local communities with the benefits of near-home coworking.

Social media influencer, Corporate Natalie, shared a hilarious LinkedIn video showing someone waiting for a meeting room to become available. The video transforms an everyday coworking frustration into comedy gold, resonating with anyone who’s ever used a conference room in a busy space.

Liam Doe shares an interesting reminded just how disconnected some business-to-business founders are from the benefits of joining a coworking or ‘business club’ community.

In short, most try to find ways to sell into community, instead of asking for advice or leveraging the experience within the community to become more successful.

Could this be a messaging challenge and opportunity for flex spaces, or is this just a remnant of the ‘growth-hacking’ culture that swooped across startup land pre-pandemic?

Jacob Bolling from CoworkingSEO shares his findings about how one brand (Switchyards) was coming up first in organic results for the competitive search term "coworking spaces Buckhead" – without ever mentioning "coworking" once on their page.

Love this kind of rabbit-hole-diving exploration, especially if it opens up a new form of boosting local SEO results through content on publicly indexable platforms or channels like for example… * cough * a global coworking newsletter’s website * cough *

Associate Professor Prithwiraj (Raj) Choudhury dives into how digital nomad visas boost local economies.

Apart from the benefits (temp fix for visa delays around the world, and catalysts for knowledge flows, and fostering local entrepreneurship) they also share a list of 46 countries offering these visas, how they affect taxes and how/if they can be renewed.

Despite powering how millions of people work, coworking still isn’t recognized as an official industry on LinkedIn. FLOC is calling on the global community to sign a petition that pushes for proper representation on the platform we all rely on to network and grow. Sign it. Share it. Let’s make coworking (more) visible – together.

(Please note the petition platform being used will nag you to ‘chip in’ money. Honestly it’s a little odd – so feel free to skip that part the 2-3 times it will ask you. Your signature will still be added without that.)

Aaron Taylor Gough shares their appreciation for what Patch are doing and how it differs from PLATF9RM’s approach (and where it doesn’t).

Stormy McBride and Liz Elam officially announced that the 50th GCUC conference will be hosted at Jay Suites in New York City in April 2026.

Brian Gordon shares how two of the North Carolina Triangle’s oldest coworking spaces, American Underground and Raleigh Founded (p.k.a. HUB Raleigh) have shifted from startup-exclusivity to serving greater markets.

The post also highlights the wealth of variety across the region featuring communities supporting Black-led startups, tangible goods co’s, and those needing on-site childcare.

So interesting to watch as some communities that used to have application processes that included interviews and curated memberships, are expanding out and support a wider network of remote workers, all alongside the undercurrent trend of some niche spaces and ultra-expensive work clubs growing too.

Daniel Wheble asks if management agreements (and therefor landlord partnerships) are the future of flexspace deal structure. Although not new, there was a 4x uptake of management agreements in 2022 compared to the year prior, according to data from Workthere.

Hidden within the post is another popular, but often unsung, strategy of ‘structure duality’, in which The Boutique Workplace Company leverages both traditional leases and management agreements to operate a diverse range of properties. This duality is something I’m watching closely and can’t wait to dig into deeper as an undercurrent trend here in the newsletter and on the podcast.

Erik Karasyk summarized the A16z’s TECH WEEK event "Place Matters: How Tech Shapes the Modern Workplace". The panel, hosted at The Shop Workspace by Anne Olsen examined how smart systems, data, and design are creating the next generation of flexible workplaces that enhance rather than replace human interactions.

Panelists included Daniela Mallarino (Kisi), Francesco Decamilli (Uniti AI), TWIC’s very own Hector Kolonas (who also is a co-founder at Syncaroo) who emphasized how integrations and automations are "hidden heroes" for improving operations, and Ginger Dhaliwal of Upflex who highlighted challenges with extracting meaningful insights from vast datasets.

The discussion revealed companies are rethinking workplace experience roles to provide remote employees access to "Third Spaces" focused on hospitality and connection, with participants expressing desire for "emotionally responsive" technology layers that build loyalty and encourage return visits. Topics explored also included whether more intelligent physical surroundings could encourage people to disconnect from devices and connect more meaningfully with each other.

The German Coworking Federation shared a call for local spaces to join The Coworking Festival Berlin & Brandenburg that will be taking place this year from September 11-15.

With the goal of helping promote the diversity of coworking across the region, any spaces wishing to take part are invited to register to participate.

Bryony Simpson shares a glowing review of what happens when a coworking space nails the basics (design, connectivity, pricing) but also kicks butt at the hospitality elements.

Incase you were wondering, the review is of Working From The Hoxton. Which goes to show, the hotels who ‘get coworking’ can build and provide great workspace experiences._

If everyone is the target market for your coworking space, you’re not speaking clearly to anyone and you can end up with a lifeless space and brand. Cat Johnson shares nine questions you should be asking yourself to help clarify your target audience.

Lena Rantsevich shares her notes from the recent London Coworking Breakfast show panel at XCHG Spaces. The well attended panel dug into experimentation around offerings, supporting customer journeys, coworking for every profession and customized spaces for introverts.

Matt Hewitt shares how OneSpace are positioning their enterprise-focussed offering called WOTEL.

The 49-slide in-depth overview introduces enterprise coworking to companies across the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council – the political and economic union of six Middle Eastern countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates).