More than 20 of the world’s largest co-working firms, suffering a threat to their business from the pandemic, have agreed to coordinate in a way that would have been unheard of before the crisis.
The firms, which include Industrious and Convene in the U.S., JustCo of Singapore, and IWG PLC of the U.K., have formed a new umbrella organization known as the Workplace Operator Readiness Council.
Members said the group would release a playbook this week detailing specific steps they have agreed to take to make workplaces safer, including contact tracing, decontamination and social distancing.
For example, Convene has partnered with Eden Health—a firm that helps employers navigate insurance and other health-care matters—on a screening system with an app for self-administering temperature checks. In Mexico, IOS Offices has developed a new position on the staff of its co-working locations. These “safety heros” would wear Tyvek suits and be responsible for sanitizing all visitors to the co-working locations.
The playbook also suggests that work-space operators consider requiring reservations for all communal meeting areas. “Lock shared spaces to prevent members from dropping in without responding,” it advises.
The co-working firms liken their efforts to automobile companies sharing technology and data as they attempt to make cars more crash-resistant.
“You can compete on other things,” said Industrious Chief Executive Jamie Hodari, who took the lead role in organizing the council. “But you don’t want to get sharp-elbowed about health and safety.”
One notable absentee from the group is WeWork, the largest co-working firm in the U.S. A WeWork spokesperson said in an email that the company opted against joining the council because “with over 100 locations in China, WeWork quickly developed, shared, and began implementing” plans for a safe return to the workplace in early April.
The co-working playbook comprises recommendations and options. The council has no ability to require members to comply with standards or penalize those who don’t.
The unusual cooperation among these rival firms shows how rattled the industry has become with the pandemic threatening its business model. Many co-working companies lease their spaces from landlords long-term and sublet them to office users under flexible deals. With costs largely fixed, that can mean pressure on their finances in times of economic stress if revenue shrinks from one month to the next.