Post-Corona Working World: Swiss Coworking Spaces Are Ready

On March 11, the general assembly of the Coworking Switzerland association took place - virtually for the first time. At the meeting, the current state of coworking in Switzerland and the impact of the pandemic were also discussed.

The pandemic also hits coworking spaces in 2020

At the beginning of 2020, the headline was still that coworking had evolved from a marginal phenomenon to a growth market. However, this development was largely slowed down by the pandemic, although the various measures taken to combat the pandemic never led to the forced closure of coworking spaces. Nevertheless, in the spring of 2020, most coworking spaces were forced into inactivity, both in terms of workspace rentals and conference and meeting rooms. After the restrictions were lifted in the summer, there was a recovery. New customers came in, interested in individual workspaces in the open space or even private offices.

However, this upswing was interrupted again in October 2020, and given the restrictions and the home office obligation, the situation has not really eased since then. So 2020, like many other industries, was a difficult year. In a survey, 56% of association members reported a loss of income. Spaces that depend on event and conference space rentals were hit harder than others. These income losses were partially offset in more than 40% of cases by reduced work hours, Covid-19 relief funds, and rent reductions from landlords.

In 2020, another challenge for coworking spaces was to keep an existing community - the very idea behind coworking - alive despite contact restrictions. Ingenuity was the order of the day, and so various actions were offered to the respective community members. These actions, in which the social contacts that are so important for people were still present, contributed to the good mental health of the coworkers.

Sustainable change in the world of work will strengthen coworking

The Covid19 pandemic has turned working habits in our country upside down, and an increasing number of employees have discovered working from home - with more or less pleasure. The time saved in terms of commuting to work thanks to home office allows for an increase in quality of life. Nevertheless, it remains difficult to separate private and professional life, especially if the working conditions at home are not ideal. This experience will shape the world of work for the future: According to a study published last week of Deloitte, only 12% of employees want to return fully to the "normal" office after the end of the pandemic. 62% want more flexibility and would like to divide their working time between the office and home office. However, the term home office does not go far enough: almost half (46%) of the respondents not only use their own residence as a home office, but also work, for example, in vacation homes, with friends, family or in a coworking space. For 44% of the respondents, the lack of personal exchange at work is one of the biggest challenges in the home office. This is precisely the aspect where coworking spaces score highly as an alternative to the home office. Proximity to the place of residence is also an important argument: With more than 150 coworking spaces throughout Switzerland, the Coworking Switzerland association provides a nationwide offering.

Coworking spaces aim to capitalize on momentum for post-Corona work environment

The majority of Swiss coworking players are convinced that the situation they have just experienced has accelerated the paradigm shift at the professional level and that coworking spaces will benefit from this in the medium term. The Coworking Switzerland association is also responding to the opportunity that now exists for coworking to become more widely established. It has produced a compact clip that highlights the advantages of coworking as an alternative to the home office: Proximity to home, separation of personal and professional life, ergonomic offices, social contacts. The campaign with the video available in five languages will start in the coming days.

The past year has changed the way most office workers work. Coworking spaces, which are popping up all over the country - and increasingly in rural areas - will play a role in the post-Corona work world. They allow everyone to work close to home in a professional environment while maintaining the social connections that are so important to our mental health.

Source: www.coworking.ch