We expected a small turnout, especially because we didn’t market the event much. Instead, over 20 London-based freelancers showed up to meet like-minded people and access a shared workspace.

That day, energy filled the room. That’s when it became clear to me that something like this was needed. So, I launched it as an event series that lasted about 18 months.

It was a way for me to build a freelance community. For the workspace, the events demonstrated clear social value: activating the community, creating learning opportunities, providing access to a professional workspace, and creating meaningful connections between people who might not otherwise have met.

Sometimes, the term ‘social value’ can seem a little abstract, despite it being absolutely central to the coworking offering. This came up at last month’s Unreasonable Connection Live! event as we explored how much time operators should spend on social value activities.

But what does social value really mean for coworking spaces, and how can we measure it? Let’s explore this further.

What’s social value?

In a nutshell, social value is the benefits for people, communities, and their local ecosystem beyond just generating profit.

Community breakfasts, networking events, learning opportunities, and informal support systems have long been part of what makes coworking spaces valuable beyond simply providing workspace.

But a few years ago, social value became a major talking point in coworking, with LinkedIn posts celebrating impact initiatives and industry panels exploring how workspaces demonstrate impact. A growing number of spaces pursued B Corp certification and published public-facing social impact reports.

Lately, however, the discussion around this topic has been a little quieter. This was recognised when, at Unreasonable Connection Live! a few weeks ago, it was asked: Do people still care about B Corp? And how can we protect our bottom line and bandwidth when measuring it?

To B Corp or not to B Corp

B Corp certification is one of the most widely recognised ways coworking spaces demonstrate their commitment to social value. Awarded to companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability, the small ‘B’ logo is often proudly displayed across workspace websites as a form of social proof.

Completing the B Impact Assessment (BIA) and scoring at least 80 out of 200 points is a core requirement, which is then verified over a call with B Corp. The assessment measures performance across five areas:

• Governance (ethics, transparency, accountability)

• Workers (pay, benefits, wellbeing, culture)

• Community (local impact, hiring, supplier relationships, civic engagement)

• Environment (energy use, waste, sustainability)

• Customers (how your product/service benefits users)

Hub Australia was the country’s first coworking operator and one of the earliest adopters of B Corp, achieving accreditation in 2013. Maintaining this status for 13 years now, its incredible social impact initiatives have included:

• Making every single location carbon neutral since 2020

• Launching a Reconciliation Action Plan, pledging to build meaningful relationships with indigenous-led businesses and communities.

When I spoke to COO John Preece last year, he explained the positive impact of B Corp accreditation on the business:

“[It] provides a really good framework for operating an impact-driven business, and holds you to high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability…that’s something we’ve maintained year on year since 2013.”

The cost of certification

Return on investment is proven, as B Corp certification attracts new members and talent to workspaces. However, the cost of achieving B Corp status can be a barrier for some independent coworking spaces.

If your business revenue is between 0-£149,999, for example, entry pricing includes a one-off submission and verification fee of £560, and an annual certification fee of £1,000. That’s at least a grand every single year to maintain BCorp certification, and more if your annual revenue is higher.

Coworking businesses are currently being squeezed by extortionate overheads and uncertain business rates. So, the cost of going after and renewing B Corp certification might not seem worth it.

The other challenge is time. Application processes for B Corp status are rigorous, requiring annual renewal. For operators doing it all, this could be stretching your bandwidth quite considerably, and you might question whether members truly see it as a differentiator.

However, for a larger workspace brand with multiple sites, the Hub Australia example shows how going after B Corp status makes more sense for your business, leading to positive ROI. You might also hire someone who is specifically focussed on your social impact activities, and who’ll take ownership of accreditation renewals.

B Corp certification may also help secure partnerships with landlords. It demonstrates that you deliver on initiatives, especially environmental-related outcomes that are necessary to future-proof buildings today.

Measuring social value

Much of what happens in a coworking space is relational and long-term, such as confidence built through conversations, collaborations formed over coffee, or opportunities created through informal introductions.

These outcomes can be visible, although not always immediate, but are difficult to quantify neatly in a spreadsheet or annual report. This may explain why some coworking operators feel conflicted about measuring social value.

At last month’s event, we were introduced to a useful toolkit: the Social Value TOM System – the UK standard for measuring social value. It covers six principles:

• Themes, outcomes, and measures: community, work, economy, and planet.

• No double-counting: organisations sometimes accidentally report against the same target twice, which should be avoided when measuring social value.

• Attribution: social value ought to be attributed to something (ie, contract, division, business).

• Relevance: to the core activity or contract.

• Additionality: social value should be achieved in addition to business as usual or legal requirements.

• Transparency: essential to social value reporting.

The Social Value TOM System framework helps organisations think more intentionally about impact, accountability, and outcomes.

But while measurement can provide structure and credibility, it can also risk reducing deeply human community outcomes into metrics alone, which is another aspect of going after accreditations that might be holding operators back.

Does social value still matter?

The bigger question is whether every act of social value needs to be formally measured, accredited, or turned into a report in order to count.

B Corp certification undoubtedly provides a useful framework. For some operators, it creates accountability, strengthens operations, attracts members, and demonstrates impact externally. But for smaller, more independent spaces, the time, cost, and operational bandwidth required can feel difficult to justify.

And yet, social value still exists in those spaces. You might be hosting regular member workshops or events for upskilling opportunities – that’s social value. Or maybe you open up your space for use by a wider community – that’s also social value.

Social value exists in the freelancer who meets a future collaborator at a community breakfast. Or in the founder who gains confidence through a workshop. In the local resident who accesses a professional workspace for the first time, and in the relationships, opportunities, and support systems that coworking spaces facilitate every day.

Perhaps the real challenge facing the coworking industry is how we can recognise everyone’s contributions to social value, without reducing it to a badge alone.

What are your thoughts around this topic – have you gone after BCorp status in the past, only to not renew it later? I’d love to hear from you.

Until next time,

Lucy

In fact, it was a topic I picked up on while attending Unreasonable Connection Live! last week at Space4 in Finsbury Park.

We started discussing how some workspaces are striving for BCorp accreditation or similar to demonstrate their social impact. But the conversation turned into who is responsible for delivering it day to day, and what can community managers do.

One of the themes that kept coming up wasn’t just social value in theory, but something much more operational around bandwidth.

Reflecting on the conversations that took place last week led me to think about a set of questions that sit underneath this:

• Should you have an individual who builds community in your coworking space?

• Or can you do it yourself (as an operator) and rely on your community to self-organise?

• And is there a right time to hire a community manager?

That’s what I’m going to dive into today.

What we mean by “community manager”

I don’t necessarily want to start this newsletter by describing what a community manager is. I’m assuming you already know their important role in coworking operations, of building a sense of community.

However, it’s interesting to note that the community manager, as a defined role, is relatively unique to coworking.

In many other industries, elements of the job exist across hospitality, workplace experience, and office management, but coworking has arguably been one of the few sectors to formalise it into a standalone role with its own expectations, salary band, and responsibility for shaping the day-to-day member experience.

Community management exists in many different forms. I’ve joined coworking spaces where the community manager is completely embedded in the community. They float around the space, speaking to everyone, helping to set up events, and going above and beyond as a constant presence in the workspace.

I’ve also joined a coworking space where I have no idea who the community manager is. Possibly, they’re hiding in a back office somewhere, only popping out to take tours (although this is very rare in coworking).

There are also many coworking owner/operators who, along with running every operational aspect in their spaces, are also the community managers.

And, in the first workspace I joined in Edinburgh, the coworking space didn’t actually have a community manager but a community assistant/receptionist, who manned the front desk, greeted people as they walked in, and took enquiries.

The zero-hour contract dilemma

A few months after I joined that workspace, the community assistant left, and a temp agency was used until the workspace found someone more suitable to replace her permanently.

For a time, we were greeted by a different person every day. That made it difficult to connect with them and other community members who joined the workspace during that period.

Last week, I thought about this scenario when a coworking operator brought the following question to the table: could a community manager role be structured as a zero-hour contract?

He’d just spoken to another manager in the room, who is part of a more hospitality-led coworking concept where they hire community managers on zero-hour contracts.

While it’s cheaper to do this, and cost certainly comes into the equation as many coworking spaces face skyrocketing business rates and other eye-watering overheads, zero-hour contracts come with a great deal of nuance beyond finances.

I’ve worked in several retail and hospitality roles on zero-hour contracts. These positions were ideal when I was between studies or looking for more permanent roles. That’s a common situation for someone who signs up for zero-hour roles: they’re more transient.

Like the workspace using a temping agency, you can’t really expect someone to come into a workspace every few days and remember everyone’s name and what they do for work.

Even more, unless you hire through a coworking specialist agency (which I’m not sure many, if any, exist), your zero-hour community managers might not truly understand what coworking is all about.

In this industry, community management is a very delicate role that requires deep knowledge of your space and members, along with a personable nature that fits well with the level of service expected in coworking.

It also relies on continuity. Community management is built through repetition and seeing the same person, and building trust over time. When that continuity is fragmented, it becomes much harder for those relationships to form.

What good community management looks like

A community manager should be more embedded in your business because they literally make the member experience. They often do the tours, send contracts, and create unforgettable member experiences every single day.

At the last workspace I joined, the community manager was an essential part of everyday life. She’d ask us how our day was, encourage us to join and organise events that would benefit our personal development, and was very active in after-work events.

She also sat with us in the space, or at least at one of the workstations with another coworker. There wasn’t a front desk, which, although it’s a traditional welcome point in public spaces, can be a source of friction.

In Will Guidara’s Unreasonable Hospitality, he explains that when there’s a physical object between a customer (or member) and the team member, it can restrict connection. Remove that barrier, and the experience instantly feels more personal.

The last workspace I joined was one of several coworking spaces under a coworking brand. It meant that the founder was never present in the space or took on the community manager role himself; he was focussed on scaling the coworking brand.

This is when hiring a community manager for your space makes sense. You can offload tasks, such as splitting the physical presence in the space, managing members, doing tours, and sending communications, including sales emails and newsletters.

Community management burnout

A community manager can really help you run your space, but there’s a risk when the role becomes too broad. In some spaces, it expands to cover marketing, events, reception, member support, and general “keeping everything together,” all while maintaining a constant physical presence in the workspace.

That combination is exactly what makes it so demanding. Burnout in community management often doesn’t come from one big issue, but from the accumulation of constant context switching.

Community managers are expected to be on all the time: available to members, reactive to problems, and proactive in shaping the community experience, often without much separation between operational and emotional labour.

It’s quite ironic, given that coworking literally supports the hybrid and remote work lifestyles many people have stepped into, that community managers are expected to be in the same space every single day.

I’m not entirely sure what the alternative is, but it’s something to consider. For instance, at the last workspace I joined, the community manager lived right around the corner, making physical presence a good fit.

Community management is also a role where success is hard to quantify. When things are going well, it can look invisible. But when something goes wrong, it’s immediately felt by members.

And it’s not just burnout that leads to turnover. Community managers often leave when there’s no clear progression path, either within the space or beyond it.

In smaller independent coworking spaces, that can be especially difficult, because there may not be another role for them to grow into. That can create a knock-on effect for operators too. If you’ve been through that cycle before, you may be hesitant to hire again.

Equally, community is often something very personal. Handing that over to someone else can feel like losing a direct connection to members, even if operationally it makes complete sense.

But when it works well, a community manager creates space for operators to step back from day-to-day delivery and focus on growth, while still ensuring the member experience is actively held.

When community becomes infrastructure

The conversation around community managers is less about job titles and more about how coworking spaces function day to day.

Community is often talked about as something that naturally emerges in coworking spaces. But in reality, it usually relies on quite intentional design, and someone consistently holding it together day to day.

Perhaps that’s been you since the day you opened the doors. That’s an impressive undertaking.

But maybe, you’re starting to think about whether now is the right time to take someone else on, and focus on something else, without disrupting your community.

What have your experiences been with community managers? I’d love to know!

Until next time,

Lucy

See you at the Coworking Alliance Summit next week!

I’m conscious that many of the coworking events I share tend to be London-based, so I’m really pleased to say that the Coworking Alliance Summit is happening online on Wednesday 3rd June.

Organised by coworking leaders Ashley, Hector, and Bernie, the Summit brings together coworking alliances, community leaders, collaborative organisations, and industry professionals from around the world.

I’ve attended in previous years and always come away full of ideas and inspiration. I can’t wait to attend, and hope to see you if you’re going too.

Grab your ticket now. If the cost of a ticket is holding you back, please reach out, and I’ll see what I can do.

I’ve been stretched with client work and other personal situations, and I haven’t spent much time at my desk. This also meant I didn’t get a chance to celebrate European Coworking Day yesterday (6th May); however, I’ve absolutely loved seeing all the updates from the coworking spaces in my network – keep them coming!

Despite the busyness of this week, I did attend a thought-provoking panel breakfast event on why members stay in flexible workspaces, hosted by technologywithin and NORNORM at Uncommon Holborn on Tuesday.

After reflecting on the panel discussion takeaways, I realised that some of the insights were too important not to share with you…

Member retention is perhaps the most essential aspect of running a coworking space. But why members stay — or leave — can be due to a combination of factors, some that keep cropping up, others that are unique for each member.

Landing on what impacts member retention can really help operators focus on the right things when running a workspace.

Tuesday’s panellists, whose job titles ranged from managing directors to heads of sales at some of the big flex players, including JLL, Huckletree, and x+why, shared various anecdotes from their own experiences.

As ever, these insights made me reflect on my coworking experiences. So, let’s get into it.

Why do people leave coworking spaces?

No matter how much work you put into delivering the best possible member experience, people terminate their coworking membership for a variety of reasons that may be beyond your control. These range from financial challenges to simply outgrowing a workspace.

If one of your members grows their business beyond the scale of your workspace, see this as a positive reason for their departure. It shows that your workspace did its bit in supporting an entrepreneur and/or business.

But if a member needs more space, and if you have your own growth plans, then perhaps forming a partnership can help retain that member and grow your coworking business.

This is exactly what happened at Mantle Space. When I spoke to CEO Guy Baker, he shared how one of their members only started with four desks the month the workspace launched. Soon after, the company needed two rooms and then upgraded to an entire floor.

Mantle Space even converted a 3,500 square feet office, which their member occupied for six years, before having a 9,000 square feet purpose-built office that the company have recently signed for a new 10-year lease.

One of Guy’s secrets to retaining coworking members was around engagement. Even though he’s the CEO, he wouldn’t hesitate to pick up the phone to a loyal member, and prides his team on their active engagement with members.

This was also discussed at the event. You can get ahead of your members’ growth plans by asking them regularly how their business is doing. That way, you can forecast whether they’ll likely stay, leave, or need something that requires more investment, such as a purpose-built office or floor.

Members may also leave when small frustrations build up over time. Often these issues are fixable, such as an unreliable internet connection. Catching issues early makes all the difference.

The last workspace I was a member of was an open-plan space. Everyone needed to respect one another during phone conversations; however, one particular member took multiple phone calls throughout the day and was extremely loud.

Eventually, we vocalised our frustrations to the community manager. She took the feedback on board, quietly taking said member aside to speak about the issue, which he received well, and we didn’t have many problems after that.

Of course, the reason this issue cropped up in the first place was that the space didn’t have any private areas, such as phone booths, for taking calls. Identifying issues early on can avoid friction points. In this case, that would involve purchasing a few phone booths for the space early on.

The essential role of community managers

In the example I just shared, the situation was handled really well, mainly due to our relationships with the community manager. We felt comfortable enough to share our frustrations with her; equally, the member causing the issue received feedback well. Essentially, no one left the space.

The event also highlighted the essential role of community managers in maintaining member satisfaction. It’s often the people closest to your members who truly understand what’s going on in the space. Community managers are typically in the workspace every day — they’re the ones nurturing and building relationships.

Meanwhile, general managers, operators, and owners might maintain a distance between members (although I’ve spoken to many operators/owners who are extremely close to their members).

One recommendation included: establishing an open-door policy to encourage members to come and talk about anything they need. Having regular check-ins with members helps the team learn what’s working and what needs improving in the space.

Community managers are usually on the ground, but in some cases, they also operate as receptionists and are therefore tied to a front desk. This means they can’t be as personable with members or see everything going on.

Although the recommendation was to have both a community manager on the ground and a host at reception, sitting behind a front desk can actually create a physical barrier between a team member and a customer, which isn’t the most welcoming first impression.

It’s something that Will Guidara wrote about in his bestselling book, Unreasonable Hospitality – the idea that these interactions come across as transactional.

When you ditch the front desk, podium, or the physical barrier between your team member and community member, you can provide a more personal and welcoming experience.

Remember: that’s the welcome your customers receive every time they walk into your space.

Does cost matter?

Workspace design impacts member experience, but when the audience was asked what they felt was the most important factor influencing member experience, the answers were split between two factors that arguably matter more: team and price.

In terms of price point, managers are sometimes in danger of prioritising new leads over retaining existing members. They create exceptional introductory offers while neglecting members who’d been part of the space for years.

It made me think back to the same coworking space I joined, where, only a year and a half into my membership, we were informed of a membership price increase in the coming months. This news wasn’t received well, and some of our group started looking for a new workspace.

The problem was that there was nothing to justify that pricing. It wasn’t a significant amount (something like £25 extra per month), but we didn’t feel like we were getting any additional value from the space, which was actually due to relocate up the road, to somewhere less desirable, in a building that wasn’t being managed in the same way. The space was becoming less premium, yet we were expected to pay more.

The coworking space also continued to offer incredible discounts to new members, including a free trial day and a ‘5 for £5’ offer, inviting non-members to work from the space for five consecutive days for only £5.

Although it was sold as an introductory offer, it cheapened the space. People would come and go, trialling it without sticking around. Transient ‘clients’ can be challenging, but it’s because of freebies and low-cost offers that don’t convert them into longer-term members.

At the event, it was discussed that the same discounts for new leads could be applied to existing members, but why offer a discount in the first place? If you know your pricing and you understand what members are prepared to pay, stick with that and increase pricing for new members as your overheads rise.

That way, you hopefully won’t run out of money and make panicky decisions, causing members to leave en masse.

What makes a coworking member stay — or leave

Ultimately, the panel reinforced something I’ve believed about coworking for a long time: members rarely stay because of one headline feature, such as internet connectivity or workspace design. It’s because of how a space makes them feel over time.

Members stay in spaces where they feel listened to, looked after, and understood. They stay where problems are addressed early, where teams notice when something feels “off”, and where operators build genuine relationships instead of transactional ones.

Perhaps that’s the biggest takeaway from this week’s discussion. Retention isn’t really about convincing people not to leave, but about consistently giving them reasons to stay.

The operators who do this best aren’t necessarily the ones with the fanciest fit-outs or the biggest discounts. They’re the ones who keep talking to their members, adapting as their needs evolve, and understanding that community experience is shaped in hundreds of small interactions every single day.

Until next time,

Lucy

On my very first day, I was introduced to two people in the community, who came up and just started chatting to me. In the first week, I went for lunch with someone. By the end of my first month, I’d been going to the workspace several times a week and felt a true sense of belonging.

But when that coworking space sadly closed down, I decided not to join another workspace straight away. Instead, I started working regularly from a coworking café in Bermondsey.

Although it was conveniently located close to my gym, with fast WiFI and a bit of a buzz, and was perfectly fine for getting work done, it was completely different from the coworking space. And despite calling itself a coworking café, it wasn’t really “coworking” in the traditional sense.

While I had the odd conversation with someone sitting next to me, I never saw that person again, nor did I ever get invited to a social or get properly friendly with someone.

It felt like a distanced version of coworking where people shared space, rather than time. Not only that, but the coworking café didn’t provide the conditions for people to flourish. There weren’t the same opportunities offered at my coworking space, yet I still went along.

I’m now starting to unpack why.

In fact, this situation raises a bigger question for coworking operators: What are people choosing when they decide not to join a coworking space?

Let’s dive into this.

The real choice isn’t coworking vs coworking

When we talk about competition in coworking, it’s easy to assume that workspaces are competing with other spaces opening nearby. Another operator launches down the road, or a new workspace enters your area, and you worry about the impact on your space.

But the new workspace down the road isn’t the real competition, because people are still choosing between their local cafe, library, or hotel lobby. In some cases, they’re not leaving their homes at all, preferring the comforts of working from home rather than being out all day.

This is in part due to the large number of people who still don’t know what coworking is, or don’t understand its value. I’ve heard people misunderstand coworking as a private office, or on the other end of the spectrum, an expensive, noisy café.

But the true power of coworking is a place where connections form, businesses develop, ideas spread, and new opportunities happen.

Without stepping into a coworking space first, many people won’t understand its value. So they continue to pop into cafes and lobbies, thinking that’s the best place to get their work done.

Making your coworking space truly welcoming

How do we go about spreading awareness of coworking so that people not only learn that your coworking space exists, but that they understand the power of coworking?

I’m not suggesting that you offer a free day pass. Although some spaces choose to provide day passes, it can devalue a workspace as community managers spend valuable time with prospects who never return again.

But don’t discount (pun intended) giving people ways to access your space. You could host out-of-hour events at your space in the evenings or on weekends, or offer a short free session that just opens the doors on a quiet morning.

When I recently spoke to coworking expert Maggie Terhune, she told me about Baltimore Coworking Week – an incredible programme she co-created, where the local workspaces will open their doors across one week in August.

They also hosted events, with one on the topic of how those coworking spaces were supporting people’s businesses. The inaugural event was such a success that Maggie and her team ran it again last year, coinciding with International Coworking Day.

Baltimore Coworking Week reflects the industry’s collaboration over competition mindset; the Baltimore coworking spaces came together to provide workspace for the same prospects.

We must remember that we don’t compete with other spaces, but appreciate that every player adds something special to the ecosystem. A neighbourhood workspace may be best suited for a creative or a parent with fragmented time, whereas a branded workspace in the city centre attracts start-ups and business owners.

Each coworking space brings something different to the table.

The true power of coworking

When people choose third spaces (cafés, hotel lobbies etc.) over a dedicated workspace, or they don’t discover coworking spaces, they’re missing out on the power of coworking.

I’ve seen a really great example of this from the workspace I joined, where two members have just launched a brand new cafe in Chingford together. Their launch party was last weekend.

Without the coworking space, they wouldn’t have met. But it goes deeper than that, because there were certain conditions in the space that deepened our connections, such as:

• The community manager facilitated connections between members

• Regular workshops and social events held at the space brought the community together to share ideas (and have fun)

• The design of the workspace enabled serendipitous connections, such as the kitchen area in the middle of the space

• Community members were awesome, extremely friendly, and welcoming to everyone

This is where coworking spaces totally differ from third spaces. Though ideal for short bursts of activity, third spaces don’t facilitate the conditions for development beyond that.

You wouldn’t really move around a cafe quite so freely, or be introduced to someone without building a relationship first. Some cafes run events (my ex-coworkers are doing that), but most people are coming into a third space to work, and won’t necessarily participate or be aware that those events exist.

That’s not how a community is built.

In coworking, your core service is the service (or hospitality). That’s what brings people back into your space day after day, signing up for membership, a desk or a private office.

The more people show up and engage with a space, the stronger those connections are — building a true sense of belonging. It’s such a powerful differentiator for coworking spaces.

Why belonging is the real competitive advantage

More often than not, people are deciding between paying for a coworking space or defaulting to something that’s already available to them for free: a café, a library or even their kitchen table.

All of these places offer somewhere to sit and work, but they don’t create the same outcomes, and that’s where coworking is fundamentally different from other spaces you can cowork. It creates the conditions for people to return, recognise one another, build relationships, and, over time, to feel part of something.

Those moments of connection, the conversations, and the collaborations rarely happen by accident but are shaped by the environment, people, and the way a space is run day to day.

For operators, your task isn’t simply to compete on space, price, or amenities. It’s to think more deliberately about how welcoming your space actually is in practice, rather than how it looks or feels at first glance, but what happens after someone walks through the door.

To get started, ask these questions:

• Do you introduce new members and visitors to someone when they first come in?

• Do they then go and speak to people of their own accord?

• Have you seen any serendipitous moments, events, or workshop requests coming out of member interactions?

• What feedback are you getting from members when they move on to somewhere else about the level of hospitality in your space?

I’d love to know what you find out! Don’t hesitate to reach out.

The true power of coworking is no longer just about finding somewhere to go. It becomes about finding somewhere to belong.

Until next time,

Lucy

That kind of movement is made possible by day passes: flexible, no-strings access that lets you choose a workspace based on geography, mood, or who you’re meeting, rather than committing to a monthly contract.

Day passes also provide one of the best ways to test out spaces when you’re shopping around for a longer-term base.

When I first moved to the city four years ago, there seemed to be an abundance of coworking spaces offering affordable day passes. But in the past couple of years, I’ve noticed a shift: day pass prices have risen sharply, and in some cases, the traditional standalone day-pass option seems to be disappearing.

Are day passes gone for good, or are they evolving? Let’s take a closer look at what happened to coworking’s most flexible offer.

Repackaging the coworking day pass

Day passes were once a standard entry point into coworking. What would typically cost between £15 and £25 for day passes at some independent coworking spaces and bigger chains in London, a few years ago, has now increased quite significantly.

I reviewed current published pricing across several London coworking operators to see whether my impression matched reality.

Let’s take a day pass at Work.Life as an example, which costs a pricey £60 with VAT. Work.Life introduced day passes last year to replace its pay-by-the-hour offer. Although hourly coworking didn’t come cheap, I liked how it supported flexible access to coworking. It also required a one-off sign-up fee, which could be viewed as a light membership to the workspace.

Other London-based coworking chains offer slightly lower pricing:

• A day pass at Second Home costs £42 (including VAT).

• Day passes at Huckletree costs £35 (excluding VAT).

• Even The Hearth, an independent women’s space in Queens Park, offers a half-day pass for £20 (excluding VAT), but the hours are strictly within a morning slot or afternoon slot with specific times.

I like to pop into a coworking space if there’s one close to a client's office or to meet friends for a few hours of coworking. At these higher prices, it doesn’t make sense for me to buy one without planning a very productive and full work day.

But you could say that these workspaces aren’t for freelancers like me. After all, everyone has different requirements from a coworking space.

Why operators pulled back

Community is the real value of coworking, but day-pass users can’t access that value easily, and it feels risky to pay a high day rate without knowing if the day will be friendly or welcoming.

On the operator side, it’s uncertain how a visitor may interact with the community or contribute to it. As Georgi Aleksiev says, in a recent Cobot article on the topic:

The problem with day passes (or half-day or hourly passes) is that they eliminate the need for a membership. With membership comes a sense of shared identity and ownership; as the day passes, people never really belong to the community. From a business and a community point of view, this is not desirable.

Georgi’s point made me think back to when I was a member of a coworking space in Islington. The workspace frequently offered generous deals like first-time freebies and a Freelancer Friday initiative – opening the coworking space to anyone claiming to be a freelancer.

Once their quietest day, Fridays got so full that on occasions, it ran out of room for members. The thing was, everyone invited friends who had no intention of joining the workspace, but who benefitted from a free professional workspace every single week. After a couple of months, management paused the initiative indefinitely.

Freelancer Friday was replaced by a ‘Five Days for £5’ offer. In theory, it allowed coworkers to come into the space on five consecutive days, but the team were quite lenient about access, allowing people to spread their days out over a couple of weeks on a trust-based protocol.

The problem with all the above is that the coworking space devalued its product, opening its doors to people who took advantage of the generous access to space. It’s no wonder that fewer independent coworking spaces now offer free trial days, especially with all the additional cost challenges operators face.

A workable middle ground

Extreme generosity clearly isn’t sustainable, but removing accessible entry points altogether may not be the answer either. For independent coworking spaces, especially, the challenge is finding a middle ground between protecting your space’s value and lowering the entry threshold to first-time use.

Trial access still matters. Before joining the Islington workspace, I used a free trial pass and then an aggregator platform to test the coworking space before committing to a membership. Those trials helped me make a better decision and avoid repeating a previous mistake where I joined a different space too quickly and left after a couple of months.

Eliminating day passes creates a barrier for lead generation. Instead of getting rid of them, operators can consider restructuring day passes so they make sense financially, and for the benefit of the community.

Some operators are landing on more balanced models: day pass bundles, specific validity windows, and pricing that rewards repeat use without undercutting memberships. This can also help qualify leads.

One example is x+why’s bundle model — a reasonably priced day pass at £30 (including VAT) or multi-day bundles that lower the per-day cost to £14.8 (excluding VAT). The 10-day bundle offers a more membership-style commitment to the coworking space, giving occasional users a fairer rate while still creating predictable revenue for the space.

I’ve also seen this approach outside London. Last year, I spoke with Darren Epstein, founder of Roamwork in Cape Town. Darren explained that they don’t focus on single-day passes, only multi-day bundles, starting at five passes with a three-month validity window. That structure works particularly well for visiting digital nomads: enough flexibility to be useful, enough commitment to be meaningful.

Personally, I find this model compelling. If I like a space and if it’s productive, welcoming, and well-located, I’ll come back. A bundle with a reasonable expiry period gives room to build that relationship without forcing an immediate full decision about membership.

The day pass is different now

Ultimately, the most effective day pass today might not be a day pass at all but a thoughtfully designed way for people to try your space before committing.

The opportunity now isn’t to bring back the old £20 day pass everywhere but to design smarter, fairer ways for people to try a space without devaluing it. Bundles with realistic expiry windows, credited trial days, and limited but intentional access feel like the real middle ground.

I’d love to hear what your approach to day passes looks like.

Until next time,

Lucy

Meet me at Unreasonable Connection

On Tuesday, I’m attending Unreasonable Connection Live! – a one-day event bringing 150 people together, who care deeply about the coworking industry, for a day packed full of honest conversations and knowledge exchange.

We’ll also be checking out Blue Garage, the host venue and one of Lewisham’s newest neighbourhood makerspaces. The event is organised by the London Coworking Assembly in partnership with Urban MBA.

Come and join us next week – grab your ticket now!

This is the reality that Suzanne Murdock often talks about. Co-founder of The Hub Newry, Suzanne has spent the last decade building a network of award-winning flexible workspaces in Newry, Northern Ireland. Suzanne is also a coach and mentor for independent coworking space operators and micro business owners.

In a recent conversation I had with Suzanne, she revealed a reality that isn’t often spoken about in coworking: the hidden pressures of running a coworking space. We spoke about energy, expectations, burnout, and the personal costs of holding space for others every day.

This post dives into the takeaways from our recorded conversation on this topic and shares some practical insights for support.

Managing the ‘invisible load’

Coworking is a people-first business. Operators are at once hosts, troubleshooters, marketers, cleaners, strategists, therapists, accountants, community catalysts, and sometimes emergency responders.

Many are doing it without a team while running another business on the side. Suzanne coins this pressure as the ‘invisible load.’

For operators, the challenge isn’t just the tasks themselves; it’s the unpredictability of what comes up each day. Suzanne explains:

‘There’s that human aspect of the unexpected…We don’t know what’s going to happen from one day to the next. You feel that you’re the community manager – you’re the one holding space. You’re there for them, so you have to drop things when your members need you.’

Many operators also face the challenge of juggling multiple businesses or responsibilities simultaneously, which amplifies the mental load. Costs rise, regulations change, and the community’s needs evolve, all while operators try to maintain the personal connections that make a coworking space thrive.

While the pressures of running a coworking space are real, Suzanne emphasises how reflecting on the original purpose behind your space can help ease things. Ask yourself:

• Are you serving the right members?

• Does your space align with your values?

This clarity can help distinguish between feeling overwhelmed by tasks and feeling out of alignment with your community.

Creating the magic of community

Community is often the buzzword in coworking, but building one can be one of the hardest parts of running a coworking space.

For Suzanne, community management is deeply human. With over 13 years of running The Hub Newry, she has witnessed her members grow not just in their businesses but also in their personal lives. Some of her members’ children have literally grown up alongside the space, creating multi-generational connections that make the community feel like an extended family.

Coworking communities can bring immense joy, connection, and a sense of shared purpose, but as many of you may know, there can be a downside, with some individuals draining your time and completely shifting the cultural dynamic within a space. Building community requires a balancing act between having emotional awareness and clear boundaries.

To keep a balance when managing your community, Suzanne recommends:

• Checking in with your members once a week.

• Keeping your door open so members can pop in for a chat.

• But also put soft rules in place on how much time you’re prepared to spend with community members to protect yourself.

• Consider undertaking mental health first aid training to help others.

Community is also about connecting to your local area. Suzanne says:

“The community isn’t just the people within the four walls, it’s the businesses outside as well that we’ve got to know over the years and are very much a part of it.”

Coping with finances

Cash flow pressures hit neighbourhood coworking operators particularly hard. Empty offices, unpaid invoices, and unexpected costs can pile up quickly, not to mention rising taxes that continue to hit coworking businesses.

Suzanne reflects on the reality for small, independent spaces:

“Cash flow is always a worry for a lot of us local operators. The margins can be quite tight, and we don’t have the deep pockets that the bigger branded spaces have got…So you feel the pressure there.”

Smaller operators often face a balancing act between meeting members’ expectations and staying financially sustainable.

Investing your money wisely is key. But knowing your numbers is really important to maintain a cash flow buffer for unexpected costs, and diversifying revenue streams within your space can add protection.

Some additional revenue streams to consider include:

• Having a mix of private offices alongside coworking memberships.

• Offering a registered office address service.

• Launching another business, such as providing coaching and mentoring services.

• Seeking referral schemes in partnership with local businesses.

Navigating the financial side of coworking requires foresight, adaptability, and trusted advisors. For Suzanne, having trusted mentors, peers, and accountants helps manage the financial side of running an independent workspace.

Working smarter on your marketing

Without additional resources, marketing is one of the most time-consuming hats a coworking operator wears. For Suzanne, marketing takes up 30-40% of her time running the business.

Content creation never stops, but sometimes, business owners are creating content for content’s sake. Creating a strategy can help you spread yourself too thin.

Pick the platforms that align with your personality and goals, map out content themes in advance, and prioritise quality and authenticity over chasing every trend. For Suzanne, podcasting works best, while writing is definitely my outlet. Suzanne expands on this:

“Find your platform, your outlet, and then repurpose that. So if you’re doing video or podcasting, pull out the MP3 sounds, videos, transcripts, and turn them into anything – just with that one piece of content.”

Featuring community members in your content is a brilliant way to build trust, but it requires sensitivity to their privacy and personal boundaries. Evergreen content should also be managed carefully so past members aren’t featured in your content without their consent.

Embracing AI is a smart move to avoid getting left behind, and many tools can help speed up processes. But make an extra effort to produce content that feels more authentic.

Marketing in coworking isn’t just about promotion; it’s about connection, storytelling, and building trust with your community.

Overcoming loneliness when running a workspace

Running a coworking business can be deeply rewarding, but it can also be isolating. For operators outside major cities, the loneliness of leadership often comes from carrying the weight of responsibility alone.

Suzanne explains:

“Small business owners say it can be a lonely place because they feel they have to carry a lot of the worries, and they’re holding so much space for their members that they don’t really want to divulge all their own concerns.”

In smaller neighbourhoods, competition can feel more acute. Operators may hesitate to open up to peers, fearing it could impact their business. Suzanne recalls early experiences where trust between operators was hard to come by, compared with the more collaborative nature of networks often found in larger cities.

Other factors that amplify isolation include:

• Navigating complex jurisdictions and red tape.

• Limited access to in-person networking events due to cost or location.

• Seasonal quiet periods, especially in summer, when members and team routines shift.

Even in quieter times, the demands of running a space continue, and the lack of immediate peer support can affect confidence and energy levels. Suzanne manages this by keeping a structure and boundaries, grasping online networking opportunities where she can, and checking in with mentors.

Leadership loneliness is a tough reality for coworking operators, but with boundaries, peer support, and self-awareness, you can navigate isolation while continuing to lead a thriving, people-first space.

Coworking operators – you’re not alone

Coworking leaders carry many hidden pressures which impact how you build community and manage finances, while juggling multiple roles and coping with loneliness. The good news is that practical strategies exist to navigate each of these challenges.

As Suzanne reminds us, you’re not alone: reach out to peers, mentors, or trusted advisors, and take small, manageable steps rather than attempting huge leaps that risk overwhelm. Check in with your own well-being, set boundaries, and don’t wait until burnout hits to ask for support.

For those looking for more tailored guidance, Suzanne’s coaching and resources focus on the hidden pressures of neighbourhood coworking leadership. Additional insights and discussions can also be found on The Inclusive Coworker.

Remember – share, connect, and take it one step at a time.

Until next time,

Lucy & Suzanne

December has a habit of arriving with a long list of expectations, social events to attend, projects to wrap up, and plans to get ahead. But it’s also winter. The days are short, it’s cold outside, and energy doesn’t always run at full capacity this time of year.

This month, I’m reminding myself that sustainable work isn’t about pushing harder but being a little kinder to ourselves when things slow down.

As my last post of this year, it feels like the perfect moment to revisit my first post of 2025: my ins and outs for the year ahead, and reflect on some genuinely positive shifts we’ve seen across the coworking industry in 2025.

Circularity in workspaces

The conversation has moved beyond greenwashing. Circular furniture brands, furniture rental, and fit-outs made with reclaimed materials are becoming standard practice across many workspaces. More landlords are now measuring embodied carbon, not just operational emissions. It’s a huge step forward when we know how much office furniture still ends up in landfills daily. Progress? Yes. Enough? Not yet.

Normalising work-from-anywhere

Loud RTO headlines have led many corporate workers back to the office full-time. The good news? More of those offices are managed by flex operators. With flexibility being the baseline, not a perk, coworking spaces, cafes, and third spaces are all benefitting, and accommodating hybrid workers, freelancers and business owners.

Supporting neighbourhood workspaces

Hyper-local coworking is on the rise. Smaller, community-driven spaces are thriving because people want less commute, more life. Productivity and well-being consistently score higher when people work closer to home. When I spoke to Melissa Richards, founder of Buick Mackane in Newbury, she explained what makes local coworking so special.

Rising demand for regional coworking

Regional coworking had a BIG year. From UK market towns to university cities, satellite offices and flex spaces are helping retain local talent, support SMEs, and reduce pressure on major cities. Events like GCUC Manchester really highlighted that the future of work isn’t just London-centric.

“Community is the key” (always)

Still true. Still essential. Operators investing in programming, hosts, and genuine human connection continue to outperform “desk-only” models.

Belonging to multiple work communities

More people are mixing spaces – home, coworking, third places – depending on focus, energy, and social needs. This fluid membership model is becoming normal, and it reflects how dynamic modern working lives really are. This year, I’ve enjoyed trying out different coworking spaces across London, without fully committing to one yet. It’s given me the flexibility to connect with lots of different people and test various coworking spaces.

IDEA in coworking

There’s growing accountability around inclusion, equity, and accessibility. More operators are embedding IDEA principles into design, hiring, pricing, and programming, not just statements on websites. But progress is uneven, and there’s still a lot of work to do. Here, Shazia highlights what the coworking industry can do to be more inclusive.

Neurodiversity awareness

With up to one in four people estimated to be neurodivergent, 2025 saw more open conversations around sensory-friendly design, quiet zones, and flexible layouts. I really enjoyed attending a Clerkenwell Design Week panel on this topic, which opened my eyes to the real challenges and opportunities around workspace design.

Women in coworking

Women-led spaces, networks, and leadership voices are becoming more visible and more influential. Recently, I spoke to Stacey Sheppard about her journey of launching The Tribe – a rural coworking in Devon for women.

Hotelification of the office

Love this term or loathe it – it’s here. Hospitality-led design, softer lighting, lounge-style layouts, and service-driven experiences are shaping expectations of what workspaces should feel like. In 2026, let’s have more ‘unreasonable hospitality’ in service operations, please.

Coworking in 2026

All of these trends point toward a brighter, more exciting coworking industry in 2026. But I can’t write about the positives without acknowledging the challenges operators are facing — and one alarming issue in particular here in the UK: How the VOA is reinterpreting tax law for coworking spaces.

As operators, you provide services like WiFi, cleaning, and access control. But the VOA is treating individual members not as tenants but as extensions of the space itself. Small businesses that would normally qualify for relief are grouped together, and you end up liable for a single, often backdated bill.

This situation highlights a broader tension: coworking is about supporting real humans and communities, but current policies sometimes treat them like numbers on a spreadsheet.

If you’re worried about this or would like some support, Jane Sartin, Karen Tait, and Bernie Mitchell are taking action, with Jane recommending that you reach out to your local MP if affected by this change.

In 2026, I hope our wonderful industry can have a more successful, profitable, and sustainable year. Next year, my ambition is to continue spotlighting the incredible work you do for your inclusive communities and local ecosystems.

To my cherished readers, thank you for being part of this community, for reading and supporting my work. Every read, like, and message means the world to me, and I’m so privileged that I can write content about an industry I love so much.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out next year, and I hope to see you at an upcoming event online or IRL soon.

Have a peaceful Christmas and wish you all the best for 2026.

Until next year,

Lucy

That gut feeling is something I rely on when deciding whether a coworking space will work for me. In fact, I felt it last Thursday, when I spent the day coworking at Laundry Studios by Oneder in London Fields. I walked off the freezing London streets (if you’re here right now, you know what I mean) and into a warm, buzzing workspace filled with people.

The positivity was instant. I was there to cowork with my friends Sarah and Alicia (who has been a member for over six months), and from the moment I arrived, Alicia took me under her wing. She helped me make a coffee (oat latte, of course), get set up on the WiFi, and settle into the space. I felt very comfortable.

Whenever someone came by to chat, Alicia introduced us, and even reconnected me with someone I’d met at another coworking space last year (it’s a small world!). We wandered to the local Netil Market at lunchtime, and I ended up at the Thursday night social. Although I hadn’t planned to stay, two hours later, I was still there, chatting with members.

Hands down, it was one of my best coworking days of the year.

It also made me reflect on why those small gestures – the introductions, the warmth, the ease – make coworking feel so special. Let’s get into that.

The people and ‘vibe’

The gut reaction I’m talking about it’s just intuition. Earlier this year, Dr. Louise Suckley presented her findings about what constitutes the ‘vibe’ in coworking spaces at the Research Group on Collaborative Spaces 2025 symposium in Milan.

A poll she ran asked coworkers what sparked their emotional response to a space.

The findings?
People create the vibe.

I always say it’s people who can make or break your coworking experience. So, I wonder if my coworking day at Laundry Studios would have been just as good if I didn’t know anyone there?

Maybe, but it would have been different.

For example, Alicia didn’t really know anyone when she initially joined the space, and now she’s a core part of the community. Likewise, when I joined my last coworking space, I only knew a couple of people loosely.

But those relationships deepened because of the space, not before it.

Think about your own space for a moment: How do people connect?
Do they share similar work? Live in the same area? Have kids the same age? Or share similar challenges?

In my last space, we were a like-minded bunch of freelancers — all working independently, all based in London. There are similarities, and it’s always fascinating to see the patterns.

How the vibe actually forms

Dr. Suckley identified a few core elements that can help a coworking space reach that point where someone walks in and immediately says, “This place is such a vibe!”:

1. Encourage interaction with shared resources and facilities.

It’s always a bit awkward to introduce yourself to someone deep in focus at their desk, but kitchens, coffee stations, and communal tables soften everything. Some spaces design these moments intentionally – a tiny icebreaker like “Do you know where the mugs are?” can start a whole new connection.

Stephen Shedletzky, author of “Speak-up Culture,” talks about cranberry muffin moments: where you and someone else reach for the same muffin at the same time. Suddenly, you have to interact. And from there, something begins.

2. Establish good routines within the community

In my last newsletter, I shared Sarah Travers’s excellent onboarding advice, known as the “Welcome Phase.” Basically, if someone has stayed within a coworking community for over 90 days, the chances of them staying for over 18 months increase by 75%.

The onboarding process is really critical to bringing people into your community. But it’s not just those initial 90s days; routines can continue to shape the member experience long after someone joins.

In my old space, this looked like:

• A “morning hello” from the community manager (usually followed by a quick chat).

• A weekly yoga session run by one of the members, who happened to be a teacher.

• Sangria every Friday at 4 pm to ease us into the weekend.

These small, regular rituals created rhythm, comfort, and connection.

In the coworking space that my brother is part of, his group has lunch at midday every single day. Likewise, Laundry Studios loves a Thursday night social!

What do these routines look like in your coworking space?

3. Organise events for people to come together

Events can be tricky for coworking spaces. They’re expensive to run, and they can sometimes slip into forced fun, which isn’t always the best environment for genuine connection. Some operators I’ve spoken to run one big annual event to bring everyone together.

The important thing to remember is: you don’t have to run everything yourself.

In my old coworking space, one particularly active member naturally took on a lot of the event energy. She wrote and hosted the Christmas quiz, created a full Murder Mystery evening from scratch, and was always the first to suggest a pub quiz or a live music night.

This type of member is referred to as a star player: someone who is deeply embedded in the community and organically takes on some of the community manager’s role, without being asked. They tend to be social, extroverted, great at bringing people together, and – most importantly – a natural fit for the space culture.

What last week really reminded me of

Coworking at Laundry Studios the other day made me nostalgic for my old community, but it also reminded me of something important:

The magic of coworking isn’t about a single room, or a building, or even whether you’re a full-time member or a drop-in. It’s always the people.

The vibe we all talk about, that warmth when you walk in, the sense of ease, the spark of connection, is created through tiny, human moments: the introduction someone makes on your behalf, the shared lunch table, the member who organises a quiz night just because they love bringing people together.

Spaces facilitate it, but communities build it.

So as you think about your own coworking space — whether you manage one or belong to one — notice the small things. The routines. The rituals. The serendipitous cranberry-muffin moments.

Those are the things people carry with them long after the workday ends.

That’s the real energy you feel when you step through the door.
And that’s what makes coworking work.

Until next week, and Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends,

Lucy

The following week, I booked a tour. I was completely taken in by the beautiful design, the little patch of green space, and even the scent from their diffusers. At the end of the tour, the community manager promised to send over a contract.

But days passed with no response. I wondered whether they wanted me in their community after all, and after a few hesitations, decided to follow up to get signed up.

On my first day in the space, the atmosphere couldn’t have been more different from the event. The coworking area was silent. I didn’t meet a single person. “Not to worry,” I told myself. “There’s still time.”

A week later, the space hosted a members’ brunch. I had to go, not only because I love eggs and avocado, but because I thought it would be the perfect chance to meet people.

I was wrong. The food was beautifully laid out on the shared kitchen table, but one by one, members filled their plates and returned to their desks to eat alone. It wasn’t the social brunch I’d imagined.

Although I chatted to the occasional member, going to the space began to feel like hard work. I went less and less, and eventually, I stopped altogether.

During that period, I tried a different coworking space across Shoreditch. It didn’t have the same wow factor in terms of design, but the community manager was incredibly welcoming and friendly, introducing me to all the members. On my very first day, I spoke to more people than I had in three weeks at the previous space.

I was cautious, though. I didn’t want to switch workspaces based on one good day. So I booked another trial, and again, had a great experience. That was enough for me. I cancelled my first membership and joined the second space, staying there for the next two years.

So what exactly made me leave the first space and stay in the second? Let’s dig in.

The “Welcome Phase” in coworking

In a recent LinkedIn post, coworking expert Cat Johnson explains how crucial the first few days are for new members. Get them wrong and you risk churn – something no operator wants.

What really caught my attention, though, was a comment from Workbar’s Sarah Travers. She wrote:

“If you can keep them past 90 days, your chances of keeping them for 18+ months increases by 75%. We call the first 90 days their ‘welcome phase’ because we know they are not getting the most value out of their membership during that time as they learn how to engage and be productive.”

Those 90 days perfectly reflect my own experience:

• Space One: A confusing tour, no onboarding, no guidance, and no one helping me integrate in the first few weeks.

• Space Two: A trial day that included a tour, no official onboarding - but an active introduction to members. Constant check-ins from the community manager over my first few days.

I didn’t last 90 days in the first space. I stayed two years in the second.

That coworking space was genuinely awesome, and I felt like I belonged. But being part of the community took effort: showing up most days, chatting, and joining after-work hangouts, which is where our bonds formed.

I never forced myself into the community; it grew naturally over a period of two years, through a combination of right time, right place, right people. It’s only looking back now that I realise how powerful that is.

The space eventually closed last year, and I planned to find a workspace closer to my new home in Greenwich. That was last August, and I’m ashamed to say I still haven’t joined another coworking space.

Inclusivity in coworking

Earlier this week, I opened up to Bernie Mitchell on his Coworking Values podcast that I’m no longer part of a coworking community. We talked about the factors that make people stay, walk away, or not come in at all!

Coworking Values Podcast

Why Your Real Competition Isn't Another Coworking Space with Lucy McInally

Episode Summary…

Listen now

7 months ago · 1 comment · Bernie J Mitchell and Lucy McInally

Bernie shared a story about his coworking experiences in Vigo, where he now lives. He joined an awesome coworking space near his son’s school, but now that his son walks on his own or with his mates (he’s too cool for you, Bernie!), the commute to that space is no longer necessary.

Likewise, when our coworking community decided to look for another space, there was no other space or location that the entire group was prepared to commute to, and we all lived quite spread out across the city.

To be honest with you, I don’t really need to go to Shoreditch anymore. My work is now taking me all over the city and beyond, and I’ve built networks with the people I’ve met over the last few years, who are based in various parts of London.

I enjoy the freedom to move around, but the hardest part of losing the coworking space was the reality that we’d never all cowork together again.

My next move is to join a space much closer to home, somewhere I can walk to and integrate better into my local community.

The thing is, I’ve been saying this for a year now! I’ve seen a lovely space about a 30-minute walk away. But…here’s the problem. Now it’s winter, I’d have to walk home across Blackheath Common in the dark, and that doesn’t sit well with me.

Bernie mentioned it’s something he never even thinks about, and sadly, that’s true for many women and vulnerable people. We have to consider our safety.

What keeps members coming back?

Aside from the commute, many other factors must align for me to fully commit to a new coworking space. I’m more particular about people, workspace design, lighting, and coffee than I was three years ago.

Finding the right coworking space is like house hunting…you won’t always get a place with a dishwasher. So yes, I probably need to compromise somewhere.

Looking back at my experiences, there are a few things that really seem to make a difference in whether I feel at home in a coworking space:

• The first 90 days do matter. Spaces where I felt welcomed, introduced to members, and checked in on during those first few weeks made it much easier to settle in.

• Social moments make or break the vibe. Brunches or shared meals only work if people feel encouraged to connect, rather than retreat to their desks. Small touches like shared tables, informal icebreakers, go a long way. (The first picture in the newsletter was taken when we organised a cake and coffee morning. We started the session by introducing ourselves and having a general chat about the projects we were working on.)

• Every day comfort counts. Design, lighting, ergonomics, and even good coffee are surprisingly important. It’s not about wow factor; it’s about what makes us want to show up day after day.

• Community culture shows itself early. Even if there’s no formal onboarding, the way members and managers interact signals whether a space is welcoming. Feeling seen and included matters.

• Safety and inclusivity are real considerations. For some of us, things like commuting in the dark or feeling secure in a space are part of the decision to join or stay.

I’ve realised that it’s a mix of right timing, right people, and small but meaningful details that make a coworking space feel like a home away from home.

When the time and place feel right

I’m still on the hunt for a new workspace, and I promise that when I find one I feel confident about, you’ll be the first to know.

My conversation with Bernie helped me reflect on why I haven’t joined a new coworking space yet: I’m waiting for a place that feels truly right.

When I find it, I’ll be there - and I’ll make it my mission to be fully present in the community.

Have a great weekend,
Lucy

While the book was born in the world of fine dining, its lessons of connection, experience, and creativity reach beyond restaurants. “Unreasonable Hospitality” is a book for anyone who is activating a space and creating a sense of belonging.

If you haven’t got round to reading the book yet, I’ve pulled 8 key ideas from its philosophy and reimagined them for coworking operators looking to elevate your community member experience.

Let’s go!

1. The unreasonable hospitality concept

We’ve established that “Unreasonable Hospitality” has become a manifesto for the hospitality industry, but what exactly does the concept mean, and how can coworking operators bring it to life in their spaces?

Will Guidara often asked job candidates a deceptively simple question:
“What’s the difference between service and hospitality?”
The best answer he ever heard was:
“Service is black and white; hospitality is color.”

That distinction captures the heart of Guidara’s philosophy. Service is about doing your job well – competently, consistently, and efficiently. Hospitality, on the other hand, adds colour: it’s about how you make people feel while you do it. It’s not just the execution of a task, but the creation of an emotion.

And that’s exactly what unreasonable hospitality is all about – going beyond expectations to create authentic, memorable connections through every interaction. In the book, story after story brings this concept vividly to life, showing how small, thoughtful gestures can transform ordinary moments into unforgettable experiences.

For coworking operators, the opportunity involves moving from providing a workspace to delivering a feeling that makes members feel seen, valued, and delighted to belong.

2. Culture comes first

One of the best jobs I’ve ever had was working as a sales assistant for Ted Baker’s most profitable global store in Bicester Village. What made it so memorable wasn’t the brand or the buzz of the store; it was the team.

We were genuinely close: the friendliest, most welcoming, and joy-filled group of people, who not only worked hard together but also spent plenty of time socialising after hours (there were lots of nights out together).

When new people joined the team, we were asked to introduce ourselves to them with an ‘interesting fact.’ It was a simple ritual, but it broke the ice instantly and helped everyone feel seen and connected. That small moment of inclusion set the tone for how the team functioned: open, warm, and curious about one another.

Likewise, in one of Will Guidara’s earliest hospitality jobs, every new hire began their first meeting by sharing a few lines about themselves. This small but powerful moment was a signal from leadership that people mattered.

Guidara described this as “enlightened hospitality”: the belief that taking care of one another comes before everything else.

When your team feels supported and valued, they’re naturally more empowered to take care of your guests. It’s about intentionally building a work culture, one human connection at a time.

In coworking, the member experience starts with the team experience. If your community managers, leadership teams, and front-desk staff feel cared for, recognised, and trusted, that energy radiates outward. A culture of internal hospitality becomes the foundation for everything your members feel when they walk through the door.

3. The power of ownership

I asked Charlotte Kirby, founder and CEO at The Village Hive, which events stood out most for her community. Charlotte didn’t hesitate: their annual Oktoberfest party.

What makes this event so special is the people behind it. The celebration is organised by Monica, Charlotte’s incredible community manager, whose German heritage gives the event authenticity. It’s a true team effort, with Charlotte’s husband even taking on the role of barbecue king.

Interestingly, Monica has a background in hospitality. It’s something Charlotte recommends for hiring community managers. As she told me:

“Community managers need to be more than just organised – they must be warm, outgoing, and excited to bring people together. It’s about creating an atmosphere where members feel welcomed, engaged, and like they’re part of something special.”

Charlotte’s story came to mind when I read the chapter on creating a culture of collaboration in “Unreasonable Hospitality.”

A meticulous note-taker, Will constantly reflected on ways to improve his restaurant, Eleven Madison Park. He noticed that while fine dining restaurants excelled at food and wine, they often dropped the ball on the smaller details, like after-dinner coffee or cocktails.

To raise the standard across the board, Guidara introduced what he called the Ownership Programme: passionate team members were invited to take responsibility for specific areas of the restaurant: beer, tea, and coffee. They researched, sourced, and refined each element as if it were their own.

By giving his team this autonomy, Guidara found that people felt “elevated by trust.” They stepped up, became more invested, and that sense of pride and ownership spread throughout the restaurant.

In coworking, we see the same magic when operators empower their teams to take ownership. Just as Monica channels her passion and heritage into Oktoberfest, giving your community team the freedom to lead initiatives – whether it’s events, partnerships, or sustainability efforts – creates energy that members can feel.

When people are trusted to bring their ideas to life, they help shape them, and that’s where the real spirit of hospitality thrives.

4. People and place, the neighbourhood way

“The spirit of collaboration that came out of the Ownership Program was inspiring to all of us,” Will Guidara recalls.

That energy led Will and his team to create a weekly meeting known as Happy Hour, where staff would give short presentations on topics that inspired them (usually food or drink-related).

Over time, though, the presentations began to evolve. Team members started sharing about the history of Madison Square Park — the neighbourhood surrounding the restaurant.

Curious to build on this local connection, Will invited an expert in New York history to tour the team around their block. Learning about the area’s past allowed the team to have richer, more personal conversations with guests, grounding the restaurant in its neighbourhood story.

Many coworking spaces are also steeped in history. When I toured Walworth Town Hall by General People earlier this month at GCUC UK, I was struck by how deeply the building’s past was woven into its design.

Our host shared stories that brought the space to life: the library built as a philanthropic effort to encourage literacy in the late 1800s, the hall where soldiers enlisted during the First World War, and the devastating fire in 2013 that left the building in ruins for years. (I’m recalling these from memory because they left such a strong impression on me.)

So, how is your space rooted in its local neighbourhood and community, and how might you share those connections with your members? When people understand the story of a place, they feel part of something bigger than just a workspace – they feel part of its legacy.

5. From friction to connection

When my husband and I were staying in Harrogate last month, we booked a restaurant for our Saturday night date. We were genuinely looking forward to it, but the first impression fell flat as soon as we arrived.

We were met by the host, standing behind a podium, tapping away at a tablet. Without looking up, he asked for our name, muttered a quick “follow me,” and led us (without a smile or eye contact) to a table tucked at the back of the restaurant. The experience never recovered from that opening moment.

Will Guidara describes these types of interactions as “transactional.” The podium and smart device are literal barriers between hosts and guests: a symbol of service that’s efficient but entirely devoid of warmth.

He contrasts it beautifully:

“When you go to a friend’s house for dinner, they throw open the door, look you directly in the eyes, and welcome you by name.”

In a bold move, Guidara removed the podium entirely, instructing his team to greet guests personally by name. The impact was immediate and transformative: people felt seen, welcomed, and cared for from the moment they stepped inside.

In the coworking world, our maître d’ is the community manager. (I’m pretty sure Dean Connell introduced me to this idea).

Think about the difference between walking into a workspace where a receptionist sits behind a desk versus one where the community manager is right there, among the members, greeting you by name, offering a coffee, and giving you a tour of the space.

It reminds me of my last coworking space, where our wonderful community manager, Anna, would sit amongst us. Anna would greet every new person in the workspace personally, and her warmth, smile, and openness would immediately result in connection.

In coworking, unreasonable hospitality isn’t grand gestures, but about removing the barriers (literal and emotional) that separate your team from your members, and making every welcome feel personal.

6. Surviving (and thriving) through crisis

Alongside the many extraordinary and joyful anecdotes in “Unreasonable Hospitality,” there are also moments of real struggle. Will Guidara took over Eleven Madison Park in the years leading up to the 2008 global recession. When the downturn hit, tough decisions had to be made.

At the time, the restaurant was seen as a destination for corporate diners, many of whom relied on expense accounts for long, leisurely lunches. When those budgets disappeared, Will needed to act fast. He decided to reduce the average $35 lunch spend by introducing a $29 two-course menu, aiming to fill the room again and restore its energy.

“We made sure our guests were getting outrageous value for their twenty-nine bucks. If you’re giving a gift, it should be awesome.”

Coworking operators know this feeling all too well. The pandemic and cost-of-living crisis have resulted in tighter margins, and members are questioning whether their workspace is still an essential expense.

In these moments, it’s not just about cutting prices but about adding value in creative ways that reignite engagement. Free trial days will bring new people into your coworking space, but how do you turn that introduction into a lasting relationship?

Like Will, start by studying behavioural patterns and look at your data:

• Have member habits shifted in the past few months?

• Are certain days consistently quieter?

• What perks or price points spark the most engagement?

Use those insights to design offers that activate your space, support your community, and protect your bottom line.

7. Writing legends – and unforgettable moments

You’ve heard the story about the New York hot dog, right? Where Will Guidara overheard a group of guests mention they’d missed the chance to try one during their trip to NYC.

Instead of just bringing them the menu, Will slipped out of the restaurant, bought a hot dog from one of the neighbouring stands, and asked his chef to slice it into four, plating it beautifully for the guests to share.

What a legend.

“First, they put you right back in the moment, so that you’re not just recounting the experience, but reliving it. Second, the story itself tells you that while you were having the experience, you were seen and heard.”

These legends are exactly what he wanted to inspire among his team and guests: unforgettable moments of surprise, care, and connection.

The same kind of stories are written every day in coworking spaces.

I vividly remember the Murder Mystery Party at the workspace I was part of a couple of years ago, where we all dressed up as famous characters to act out a script written by one of our coworkers. Or the Christmas Quiz, which descended into joyful chaos during a round where we had to sing Christmas tunes instead of naming them.

Those stories weren’t forced or scripted; they emerged naturally because the environment encouraged people to connect and play.

That’s the essence of what Will teaches. He didn’t orchestrate the guests who regretted missing a New York hot dog, or the couple mourning a cancelled holiday (for whom he later transformed a private dining room into a beach). He simply listened, noticed, and acted with heart.

In coworking, it’s the same: you can’t manufacture magic, but you can create the conditions for it to happen by listening to your community, understanding what matters to them, and being ready to turn small moments into unforgettable ones.

8. The gift of thoughtful hospitality

Paula Madrid, founder and director at Blue Panda Office Spaces, was inspired after reading Will’s book to start gifting plants to members who had been with her for a few years. She shares:

“‘Unreasonable Hospitality’ blew my mind! It’s so basic and simple, that’s it’s become almost like a bible for me, and I think: how can I translate it into what I do?”

These small gestures have become a bigger part of how Paula celebrates renewals and anniversaries, turning ordinary milestones into thoughtful, memorable moments.

The idea of thoughtful hospitality can exist in any industry.

If you’ve ever bought a house, you probably know the “traditional” welcome gift from an agent: a bottle of bubbly. But, as Will points out, an estate agent spends a lot of time with a client who is making one of the biggest decisions of their life. A measly bottle of bubbles hardly reflects the financial and emotional investment of the process.

What really makes an impact is noticing small, personal details along the way. The agent could learn a client’s favorite music and surprise them with a vinyl of that album when they first step into the house — or, in today’s digital age, even a turntable.

When you’re in the business of selling offices or coworking memberships, the lesson is the same: what thoughtful, personal gestures can you leave for your customers when they move into a new workspace?

You can borrow ideas from the book (page 214), but even better, like the previous example, listen to your customers and create something meaningful based on what you learn about them.

Bringing unreasonable hospitality to your coworking space

From restaurants to coworking hubs, it’s easy for people to feel like just another customer or member. Will Guidara flipped that on its head, seeing every person as someone to connect with, welcome, and include, and viewing the space itself as full of possibilities and creativity.

At its core, “Unreasonable Hospitality” is about connection, collaboration, and belonging: values that resonate in coworking and any people-focused environment.

The magic happens when you:

• Prioritise your team so they feel supported and connected to their role.

• Empower people to take ownership, creating energy and pride that radiates outward.

• Connect your space to its story and neighbourhood, giving people a sense of belonging.

• Remove barriers and personalise every interaction, making members feel truly seen.

• Respond creatively in moments of challenge, turning obstacles into opportunities for delight.

So whether it’s gifting a thoughtful plant, throwing an incredible party, or offering a perfectly timed welcome, the takeaway is simple: create moments that matter.

That’s the essence of unreasonable hospitality – and a huge lesson in building coworking spaces people love to be part of.

Grab your copy of Will Guidara’s “Unreasonable Hospitality”— the book the coworking industry can’t stop talking about.

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Walking into the workspace always brought me joy. A big smile from a coworker or a quick catch-up with the community manager would leave me ready to start my workday.

Through joining the coworking space, I found an amazing community of like-minded freelancers. We supported one another through the challenges of business ownership, problem-solved as a group, and attended many socials together. With them, I felt a true sense of belonging.

But those days are no longer; last year, the workspace relocated, then I moved further away, and a few months ago, the workspace closed down indefinitely.

Although the community still exists — a month ago, we celebrated one of our coworkers’ successes in launching her memoir — we haven’t found another coworking space collectively that meets all of our needs.

Some coworkers have joined workspaces closer to home, while others have full-time jobs that don’t require a flexible workspace.

Unfortunately, my primary workspace is currently my home office.

I’m not alone here; recently, Sarah Travers shared on LinkedIn:

‘The challenge for coworking space operators isn’t beating other coworking brands, it’s proving we can beat your home.’

Let’s weigh this up.

Why do people really want to work from home?

In recent years, home working has become a reality for many freelancers, hybrid, and remote workers. But why do people stay in their comfort zone rather than experience the magic of coworking?

• Lack of awareness: I still have friends who ask, “What’s coworking?” when I explain my work to them. “Oh, you mean like WeWork?” is often the follow-up. Coworking isn’t quite mainstream yet — does this come down to the many definitions of what a coworking space is, or simply that it’s not being talked about enough?

• Affordability: A huge barrier to access and opportunities; recently, coworking memberships have increased in price, but so have living costs. Despite this, I truly understand that as an operator, your overheads have gone up too, and so this is a tricky one! I spoke about the challenges around the affordability of coworking a few months back with Bernie Mitchell.

  Coworking Values Podcast

  Real Community, Not Just Coworking Talk: The Magic of Belonging with Lucy McInally

  What happens when you lose your workspace, your routine, and your community…

  Listen now

  a year ago · 2 likes · 1 comment · Bernie J Mitchell

• Time-poor: It’s a privilege to have time to spend in a workspace. Many people don’t have this: they need to take care of their kids or aging parents. Or they’re recovering from a physical or mental illness. Ultimately, many of us experience time poverty, and staying at home can seem like a more productive use of time.

As Emilie Lashmar wrote on LinkedIn earlier today, remote work can give you the:

‘Freedom to work where your energy is best matched to the day.’

In my situation, it’s a combination of affordability (I’m spending more on rent since my house move), lack of time, as I seem to always have so much on my plate (not a bad thing when it comes to work), and a big one is – I haven’t found the obvious choice for a new community or workspace yet.

Luckily, I’m able to get out of my home from time to time, and I enjoy hopping around visiting other workspaces.

The loneliness factor

Despite all the home comforts of working from the kitchen table, the biggest caveat about working from home is that it can be an incredibly isolating experience.

Most of us need social interaction to survive. So, while home working may seem like a good idea at the beginning, you can go absolutely stir crazy if you’re alone every single day.

A poll conducted by KnightFrank found that 40% of people working from home felt their mental health was negatively impacted. It’s simply not healthy to be alone all the time.

Additionally, distractions can happen. Deliveries turn up at your front door, neighbours make noise, and nearby construction work is louder than your thoughts (and your calls).

Then there’s the admin: laundry to be done, the bathroom needs a clean, the garden could do with a spruce up…the list goes on and on.

Proving coworking beats working from home

Ok, I’m preaching to the converted. But, it’s simple, really, what working from home lacks…it’s people!

There is so much magic to be found in coworking — working with others not only strengthens a sense of belonging, but it can also help grow your network and confidence. All these things will help you personally, as well as professionally.

I’ve spoken to several coworking operators who share stories of members meeting over lunch in the kitchen, discovering an overlap in their work or a service one can offer the other, and then sparking a project or collaboration just weeks later.

The most recent example came from Melissa Richards, founder of Buick Mackane, who described how her community has sparked some exciting cross-collaborations.

Equally, for one of my friends, who recently joined a new coworking community, she loves the focus she gains from the workspace, the perks – gym membership and great coffee – and the people (plus the socials). Her workspace is a 30-minute walk from home, and it’s b-e-autiful. I love that she’s found her home away from home.

While everyone has different requirements for their workspaces, the experience of sharing space, time, and people makes coworking 100 times better than working from home.

Stories over shouting

If you’re thinking about how to better showcase your space, this is where your marketing really matters. The more you can share the stories of your members, highlight the energy in your community, and the unique benefits of your space, the easier it becomes to show why your coworking space beats the home office.

It’s not about shouting louder, it’s about connecting with the right people, in the right way, at the right time. When your content reflects the real experiences and energy of your community, you’re not just marketing, you’re proving the value of what you offer.

So, if you’re ready to turn more remote workers into coworking converts, start by making your space discoverable through content that truly resonates.

Finding my next community, one workspace at a time

I’m well aware of the irony — my home is still my main office. In all honesty, I’m still searching for the right coworking space.

However, I’m currently enjoying the variety of coworking with lots of lovely friends in different workspaces. Today, for instance, I’m sitting in Bermondsey Locke cafe, where I’ve been coworking with a friend.

I’ve yet to find my next coworking community, but when I do, I know it will be something really special.

Until next week,

Lucy

Let’s meet next week!

If you’d like to dig deeper into creating content that connects, I’m running a roundtable on exactly that at GCUC next week: Wednesday 8th October, 2pm.

If you’re going, I’d love to see you there. If you’re not, let me know if this is something you’d be interested in – I’d be more than happy to share the takeaways from my session with a wider audience.

If you’re still on the fence about GCUC, grab a ticket with 10% off using the discount code: GCUCSPEAKER10.

In any case, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the coworking vs WFH debate. Shoot me a message!

At first, I loved running community events. The smile on people’s faces as they walked through the door got me hooked on building a brand, writing weekly emails, and brainstorming partnership ideas (with an amazing co-founder). Between events, I reached out to community members personally and celebrated their work wins. Some members even found new friends at our events – that was the best feeling.

Recently, however, I’ve felt my candle burn at both ends. While it’s a pure joy attending our events, the organisation and lead-up require a great deal of effort.

Dipping my toe into community building has given me huge admiration for the people building coworking communities every day. You’re the ones bringing people together and running your physical spaces like clockwork. That’s a hell of a lot of effort, and I applaud you.

The question is: how can we build a community while making the exercise feel more rewarding and not tiring out? Let’s dive into this topic further.

Identifying ‘star players’

The saying ‘you can’t have it all’ really runs true when you’re building a community. That’s why many operators hire community managers to help manage the people and hospitality side of the business. But not everyone has the capital to do this, and guess what? Even community managers tire out.

But while community managers are fantastic additions to your team, there are people in your coworking community right now who play a similar role. Can you identify an individual in your community who others naturally gravitate towards? That’s your ‘star player’.

The term ‘star player’ was something I came across while working in the coliving industry, to describe a member (someone who isn’t employed by the business), who naturally does the work of a community manager, and is instrumental to building a thriving community.

I recall one coworking member from the space I was part of for two years who stood out as a ‘star player’. He spoke to literally everyone in the community, came to all the meetups, and was even involved in other people’s projects (a lot of them, in fact). He made everyone else’s experience of the workspace so enjoyable.

Not only that, but he brought in new members. The beauty of valuing your ‘star players’ is that they will naturally help grow your business. So, find them, reward them, and keep them, most importantly.

Make sure your ‘star player’ knows there’s an incentive for referring new members (a free month or huge discount is standard), and regularly check in with them. Looking after your ‘star player’ is a great way to naturally build a tighter community.

It’s not all about events

‘Star players’ can also be instrumental in building community through events. But not the standard lunch and learn stuff or after-work socials that we see in many coworking spaces.

I used to love the idea of coworking events and preach about why they matter. But after speaking to a few operators recently with different approaches towards events, my outlook has completely shifted. The truth is: coworking events can sometimes feel a little forced.

I’ve been reflecting on the events I run lately. In the days before an event, I’ll anxiously WhatsApp community members to check whether they’re coming along. I feel so guilty about contacting them personally, like I’m pushing them to come along to something they’re not that fussed about.

Now my outlook has altered, and it’s why our next ‘event’ will be a casual coffee catch-up in a hotel lobby, rather than the usual structured workshop. This time, I’m not bothering anyone over the weekend.

Skipping formal events might feel like a risk, but it won’t lead your community to disappear completely. In fact, many communities thrive outside structured gatherings. For example, I’m part of a thriving gym community that attends the same classes every week and hangs out beyond the space. This is key: we meet up outside the space.

This isn’t forced fun; in fact, the gym organises events, but I’ve never been able to attend. Nonetheless, I’m a very active member of the WhatsApp group and always go to events organised by group members. One guy is certainly a ‘star player’. He invites us all around to his place every so often for a group dinner, and it’s always a relaxing and enjoyable way to connect.

My involvement in these casual meet-ups encourages me to go to the gym more. In fact, I went to TRX today when I could have been chilling in the park in 29-degree heat! But I was looking forward to catching up with friends (and I can reward myself with pizza and chocolate this evening).

In a coworking context, the connections and interactions that happen outside the workspace can often have a bigger impact on your community than the events you organise within it.

Do your members self-organise meet-ups beyond your workspace? If so, that’s a great step towards building a more connected community. Have a think about how to incorporate these more naturally into your impact activities.

Creating a killer onboarding experience

Running a space with a close coworking community is the dream, but a group that’s too tightly bound can seem like a clique from the outside. A clique that doesn’t let new people in is problematic, causing you to lose new members who feel excluded from the outset.

How do you avoid having a clique? Well, someone who joins your workspace will only return if they feel welcomed and included. Even better, if they connect with someone else in the space. Make sure this happens during their first visit.

I didn’t have this experience when I joined my first coworking space in London. The community manager touring me around was friendly but didn’t follow up with sign-up details as promised afterwards (I had to ask). When I went along for my first day, another community manager greeted me with a frosty attitude every day. She never asked any questions, simply buzzing me into the hot desk area without a word (awkward!).

Because I didn’t connect with the community managers, I had a hard time meeting any members. One day, the coworking space hosted a brunch event. Thinking this would be my chance to finally meet someone, I went along. But the ‘event’ consisted of the community managers placing food out on a table, announcing the brunch was ready, and everyone grabbing their plate of food, returning to their tables to eat in silence in front of their laptops.

I handed my notice in shortly after the brunch event, lasting roughly three months at that coworking space. Not long after, I discovered another coworking space. But before joining, I organised a couple of trial days to test it out.

The first time I arrived, I was greeted by a friendly community manager and was made to feel really welcome. By the end of my trial day, I was chatting with two lovely members. I tried the space out again the following week (just to make sure) and had a similar experience. I ended up staying at that space for two years.

Onboarding new members doesn’t require a rigid process; simply making them feel genuinely welcome often does the trick.

Community building takes time

When we walk into a space, we can usually tell if it’s for us or not. It’s often a gut feeling. But social dynamics, like any relationship, take time to connect, build trust, and feel a true sense of belonging amongst other people.

Ultimately, I have to accept that eighteen months isn’t long enough to build a community, especially when I think of how long it’s taken me to integrate into communities myself and feel truly connected to people (I’m a slow burner).

So, I’m giving myself a break. At least until the summer is over. Maybe in the autumn I’ll be back up to running the events properly again, who knows.

This is your sign to give yourself a break, too. I’m sure your coworking community is thriving. Sometimes, you just need to step away for a moment to appreciate just how far you’ve come.

I’d love to know: how active are you in building your community, and how do your coworkers self-organise beyond the workspace?

Stay tuned for next week’s People Make Coworking interview, because some of these topics come up. It was such a brilliant one to produce, and I can’t wait to share it with you on Thursday.

If you’re signing off on this beautifully hot evening, I’m wishing you a lovely (sunny) weekend ahead. See you next week,

Lucy

I’d visited our chosen workspace before and had admired the recently redesigned entrance lobby, filled with house plants, artwork, and a large window casting a lovely glow over the space. However, the space we were allocated for our coworking day was a completely different story: white walls, ubiquitous office furniture, and no windows.

Instead of enjoying the glow of daylight, the light source came from ceiling panels with an intensely harsh glare, making the space appear stark, almost clinical. It was disappointing, but I persevered with my workday. That was until the familiar sensation of an oncoming migraine started about thirty minutes later. I knew it was game over.

Why is lighting so important?

Usually, I can overlook uninspiring workspace design features like white walls and grey carpets, for the greater benefits of coworking. Sadly, I can’t look beyond harsh, white lighting. Not because I’m fussy about design, but because it genuinely causes me to feel unwell, and I won’t have a productive workday. So, I have to leave.

If you don’t share the same sensitivity to light, I promise you I’m not being dramatic. I’ve spoken to several freelancer friends who experience similar responses to harsh artificial lighting, and I’m beginning to understand it’s a wider issue.

For example, one of my friends was going to join me for a coworking day last year in another space. But, upon researching the workspace online, and spotting the harsh white lighting in their website images, it was a big ‘NO’ from her. She just knew she wouldn’t enjoy working there. A missed opportunity on a coworking day pass there.

Light sensitivity is often linked to neurodivergent conditions, impacting up to 25% of the global population. That’s a huge number of people who potentially can’t work in spaces with harsh lighting, not to mention the number of people missing out on the joy of coworking or the possibility of a membership.

There’s more. According to Stephen Shedletzky, author of Speak-Up Culture, a staggering 40% of people in the workplace are introverts. While currently there isn’t a direct correlation between light sensitivity and introversion, introverts typically prefer low-stimulation environments with dim lighting, quiet spaces, and minimal sensory input.

Meanwhile, the most groundbreaking confirmation on the negative impact of harsh artificial lighting reached me in May. Upon attending a panel discussion at Clerkenwell Design Week, Max Fraser, Dezeen editor, shared evidence suggesting that LED lighting can trigger headaches.

Now I’ve done some digging (thanks, Medical News Today)…it turns out that LED lighting produces a very subtle flickering that, while not noticeable to the naked eye, causes headaches and even migraines, according to the National Headache Association (yes, such an organisation really exists). Blue lighting has the most severe impact. That’s the light source behind our phone, tablet, and laptop screens.

The right lighting = better wellbeing

Harsh, white lighting couldn’t be more different from natural daylight, a contributing factor to supporting circadian rhythms and providing that much-needed Vitamin D. Of course, we can’t rely on daylight 24/7 (we’re not Victorians!). But, let me ask you this: Which lighting sources do you like to use at home? I can guarantee you feel more comfortable with low, warm lighting rather than a harsh LED bulb.

The widespread use of harsh white lighting has been implemented in buildings since the 1970s (anyone remember neon strips?). In airport and prison design, it reinforces their functions as hostile environments. This begs the question: Why is harsh lighting a traditional staple in office design, as well as in schools and universities?

For one, LED lighting is a cheaper option. But, I have another theory. Harsh lighting is the antithesis to the warm, low lighting we enjoy in our homes, as well as in hotels, restaurants, and spas, evoking feelings of relaxation and calm. Could harsh white lighting be a conscious decision to enforce work over R&R?

The changes we see in workspace design, partly thanks to the ‘hotelification of the office’ trend, seem to back this up. It’s a recent movement towards better understanding and embracing workers’ needs and well-being in the workplace.

Lighting up your coworking space

As I discovered during my recent coworking experience, not all workspaces embrace warmer lighting or daylight sources.

This might be down to budget constraints during the design process, or the space originally operated as a traditional office and hasn’t been updated since.

In your coworking space, maybe you’ve recently learned that your lighting impacts your community. Maybe you’re in the process of making changes to your lighting. Or you’re just curious to learn more. For my wonderful paid community, I’ve compiled some actions below to support you in making the lighting in your workspace just that bit better.

Read more

Why? Because these workspaces have one thing that my home isn’t giving me right now…it’s the ability to cool down.

In fact, the majority of UK homes aren’t designed with proper ventilation systems. For many remote workers, working from home during the warmer months can be hot and uncomfortable. So, we flock to indoor places – whether that’s the corporate office, a coworking space, or a third place. Over these last few months, indoor places with air conditioning have been buzzing with people.

Londoners, do you remember that sweltering summer three years ago when the city reached well over forty degrees? Going outside felt like stepping into an oven!

Well, in the future, periods of extreme heat are likely to occur more frequently. So, how can the coworking industry meet what people crave this summer and beyond? Let’s explore this further.

Why meeting your community’s needs matters

We can all agree that forty degrees is far too hot, and working in such intense heat can have a detrimental impact on health and well-being. Hence, the escape to cooler indoor locations.

However, not all coworking spaces are designed with the right features to keep their community cool. For example, a coworking space I was part of moved to a new site last April. But as the city got warmer, so did the coworking space. It turned out that the workspace didn’t have an operational air-con unit, so we resorted to placing fans around the space to keep everyone cool. Fine, if you bagged a desk in front of a fan, but there were about four fans to 20 members…

The overwhelmingly hot space started becoming a huge point of friction within the community, so we began looking for alternative options. One day, I went over to the dark side…I spent a day working at a WeWork. Don’t judge me, I just needed to cool down!

Another example is when I was solo travelling around Southeast Asia last September. Staying in the ancient Laotian capital of Luang Prabang, I tried out the one and only coworking space in town: The Desk. When I arrived, swelteringly after walking 10 minutes in 30+ degree heat, I was looking forward to starting my work in a cooler space.

But the owner hadn’t switched the air-con unit on yet, and the intense heat was making me feel unwell. I almost reconsidered purchasing a day pass. The solution? Asking politely if the owner could switch on the air-con unit. I felt a lot better 30 minutes later.

The caveat with air-con

While I’m here promoting the use of air-conditioning, I’m really conscious that this isn’t the perfect solution. Traditional air-conditioning is a huge energy guzzler, and if we’re all serious about sustainability, we need to be thinking beyond short-term comfort. Yet, when it becomes uncomfortably hot, workers simply want to escape to a place with the right conditions for focus and productivity.

An incredible benefit of coworking is delivering shared resources. For example, switching your AC on for a community of 100 people beats every individual installing air-conditioning units into their homes. In a small way, coworking contributes to a greater environmental challenge.

It’s not just people to think of here. We all know that leaving dogs in hot cars is a big no-no. If you’re dog-friendly, please make sure you have the means to keep your workspace cool for their sake too.

So, what’s the perfect indoor temperature? It turns out that there isn’t one. Caroline Criado-Perez’s best-selling book, The Invisible Women, highlights that women and men have different body temperatures. Women prefer a slightly warmer room temperature (on average, 24-25 degrees), yet AC units are typically set to a slightly cooler, male preference (22 degrees), after being designed in 1902 by a US male engineer, Willis Haviland Carrier. As a result, many women are sitting, “shivering in offices set to a male temperature norm,’ describes Criado-Perez.

With every individual having different preferences, it’s difficult to meet every individual’s needs within your community. You can set your room temperature to about 23 degrees, but you can also ensure that everyone feels comfortable expressing their discomfort (if it arises), and meeting their requests with compassion.

Give members a little extra this summer

While the summer months generally bring us more joy and happiness (who doesn’t love it when the sun shines?), you don’t have to conform by switching on the AC in your coworking space, although I think your members will thank you for it.

Ultimately, I respect you if you have firm sustainability values, and using AC in your workspace doesn’t align with them. Additionally, your space might not even call for it, if it’s a naturally well-ventilated space, or your members have expressed they can work quite comfortably without it.

As a coworking operator, your community’s wellness comes first. So, I’ve compiled some further suggestions to help your community stay cool and comfortable during the summertime:

• Make the most of your outdoor spaces. Consider using your underutilised green spaces as an extension of your coworking space during the summer months, such as gardens and rooftops. Pop some picnic benches outside so that your members can work, meet, and connect comfortably.

• Bring your community outdoors. If you notice your community isn’t forthcoming about using your outdoor spaces, consider using these spaces for more social means, like community events. Weather permitting, consider organising a summer BBQ or party, inviting your community’s family and your wider community along to join.

• Be smart about your energy use. If you don’t have outdoor space and you’re based centrally, make sure your AC units are only switched on when members use your space, so that you don’t consume too much energy. You don’t necessarily need to switch them on first thing either, but just ensure you don’t leave it too late, and risk your community members overheating, like I did in Laos.

• Ice, ice, baby. Installing an ice machine in your kitchen gives everyone an opportunity to enjoy a delicious iced coffee or cooling beverage (something I mentioned in my last piece on what people look for in your coworking space). You could even create a “summer drinks bar” corner or give away the occasional treat to members, like free ice cream or frozen fruit snacks, or doggie-friendly treats for their pets.

• Provide portable cooling options. Fans, desk fans, and cooling mats can help your community manage their comfort on their own terms, without relying on central air.
  

For the rest of this summer, I’m looking forward to popping into cooler coworking spaces and enjoying the odd work day en plein air. How are you keeping your community cool while managing your energy use in the warmer months?

See you next week,

Lucy

Grab your copy of the best-selling book Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men.

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I just learned that the coworking space will close down at the end of next week. Although I left the community eight months ago, I have to question why the coworking business went from a once-thriving space to closing in a matter of months.

Reflecting on my experience of the coworking space from a customer perspective, this story is about the rise and fall of coworking communities and what happens when those dynamics shift.

The back story

Although I feel as if I’ve lived in London forever, last week marked three years since I made the move down south from Edinburgh. I settled in quickly, largely thanks to finding my ‘people’ early on, a community I discovered while searching for a workspace to escape my tiny, overpriced one-bedroom flat. At the time, I wasn’t sure what kind of space would suit me best, so I decided to explore a variety of coworking spaces and see where I’d fit in.

It helped that the London Coworking Assembly was running a regular monthly event series from various coworking spaces across the capital (thanks Bernie!). From serviced offices to creative independent coworking spaces, I tried them all. That October, the event took place at this workspace.

I liked the ‘vibe’ of the place, the friendliness of the community manager, and how people raved about the space. Curious to join, I returned the following week for a taster day and was surprised when a couple of members introduced themselves (unfortunately, this was unusual in my experience of trying out coworking spaces).

The members were so friendly, and I came away from the experience feeling incredibly welcomed and included. I immediately signed up for a five-day-a-week membership, becoming more integrated into the coworking community over the next eighteen months.

A few additional factors made the experience special for me, such as…

Our awesome community manager got the assignment

I’ve come across many community managers in the industry, but no one quite like Anna. A naturally welcoming, friendly, and hospitable person, Anna greets every person who walks through the front door to the workspace. Anna went above and beyond in her role. She is someone you can confide in and cry to (sorry Anna!), someone who completely roots for you. Just seeing Anna every day would make my day so much better, and she was often that bridge to meeting new people. This is how I settled into the community so well.

The workspace attracted a like-minded bunch of people

I’d love to know whether you build community when you set the intention of attracting a like-minded group of people, or whether it’s just sheer luck that the right mix of individuals come together. It almost felt like that a couple of years ago. When I first joined the workspace, there were a few like-minded people in the space. But the catalyst came when Anna organised an International Women’s Day meet-up, encouraging a small, intimate group to share and form a deeper bond. As new people came to try the workspace, the people who stuck were like us – freelancers and business owners, doubling as content creators: writers, podcasters, and designers.

We found our Social Sec

It’s like being back at university, when that friend who loves to party becomes the chief organiser of all things social for your committee. One person in the group took it upon themselves to organise many social events, from a Murder Mystery night to a Christmas quiz. We started going out for dinner together and inviting each other to the events we were part of, whether that was a panel discussion or a charity event.

Our group felt empowered

For International Coworking Day 2023, Anna encouraged me to organise an open doors event, bringing people together to bond over coffee and cake, and experience an afternoon of coworking. We invited a group of freelancer friends whom I coworked with at another venue. From that point, they became an extension of the workspace community, and it all came from Anna’s encouragement.

So, what went wrong?

Inevitably, things aren’t always plain sailing when you’re running a business, particularly in today’s challenging economic climate. While the coworking community thrived, the business side of things didn’t, eventually leading management to make some difficult decisions.

Two core decisions rocked the community:

• Firstly, the workspace had to move, but the new space just didn’t feel the same. It was further away from the nearest station, in a more residential area, with the workspace being on the ground floor rather than the first floor. Things just seemed different.

• Secondly, the team let go of the community manager. It was a decision that the community never bounced back from.

One by one, we all decided to leave. I was one of the last to go when I handed my keys over last October.

Embracing a new chapter in your business

Of course, when the old community goes, it’s time to start building a new one. This can be viewed as an exciting new chapter for your coworking brand, but let’s be honest, no one wants to see a large customer segment leave all in one go.

If I could offer one core piece of advice, it’s this: stay closely connected with your community and take the time to truly understand what’s happening within the space. Removing someone who serves as the glue holding your community together can have far-reaching consequences, disrupting the dynamics in ways that may be impossible to recover from.

Have you encountered challenges or made mistakes in your coworking journey? What advice would you offer to help other coworking operators preserve and strengthen their community dynamics? I’d love to hear from you.

I spoke about this topic with Bernie Mitchell for an episode of his Coworking Values Podcast. Keep an eye out - I can’t wait for it to go live.

While I have my preferences for a coworking space, I’ve been on a mission to learn what attracts people to a workspace. I’ve asked a few freelancer friends for their thoughts, too. Let’s dive into the top five things people look for in your coworking space.

Access to natural lighting for well-being's sake

A couple of friends in East London have been raving about the recently opened Laundry Studios by Oneder, so last week, I trekked to London Fields to see what all the fuss was about. It also happened to be European Coworking Day 2025 — a great day to cowork!

Despite the space being on the ground floor of a new block of apartments, the workspace is a large, airy space incorporating some lovely natural materials and artworks. The large long coworking table beneath a lightwell in the middle of the space particularly piqued my interest, and it’s where I spent my time coworking with my friend, who recently signed up as a member.

We’re both very sensitive to light. Interestingly, this topic came up yesterday at a talk I attended at Clerkenwell Design Week about wellness in the workplace, hospitality spaces, and beyond. Featuring a panel of leading interior designers and architects, the discussion explored how our environments can directly impact our wellbeing, productivity, health, and happiness.

When we think about certain space typologies pertaining to relaxation and wellness, such as luxury spas and premium hotel lobbies, we never see bright, white lighting. So, why has this design material been repeatedly chosen in our workspaces? While LEDs are an energy-efficient alternative, they can create particularly uncomfortable environments, especially for long periods. In fact, evidence has been found to suggest that harsh LED lighting triggers headaches, says Max Fraser, Editor at Dezeen and yesterday’s moderator.

Looking back, there were several times when I had to leave a workspace after experiencing a sudden migraine. This would sometimes happen at the Islington space, and I never put the pieces together until a few months ago, when my friend told me they wouldn’t be able to work at the coworking space due to the bright white lighting they’d spotted in photos. So there you go — lighting has a massive impact on whether a coworker stays or not.

Comfortable, ergonomic furniture (but not too cosy!)

Many workspace designers draw inspiration from premium hospitality spaces, jumping on the recent ‘hotelification of the office’ bandwagon, which was declared an official buzzword at last year’s GCUC Manchester. But there’s a reason why workplaces appear like luxurious hotel lobbies – this space typology evokes comfort and relaxation.

Sometimes this goes a little too far, however. I’m all for a space that reminds me of my living room, but I personally don’t get much work done slouched on the sofa. This always puts me off spending all day coworking in hotel lobbies. While I love to swing by to see my friends do, especially when I’m in the area, I never get much work done, so I wouldn’t pay for a space that isn’t set up like a professional office.

I’ve noticed this trend in some workspaces that appear more focussed on the corporate customer than the freelancer, squeezing as much revenue out of a space. They offer a hot desking membership, but the coworking space only offers raised seating areas with backless bar stools, or work benches (again, not doing our backs any favour).

Now, I know…freelancers aren’t always your favourite kind of customer. The ones that scrounge the desk booking apps, sign up for free trial days, drink your complimentary coffee, meet with friends to cowork (rather than integrating with your community), then never to return. But, I hope there’s a win-win solution. For example, we can have stylish office chairs and sturdy desks, and you can enjoy retention from this particular audience segment.

Multiple workstations, especially for calls

A couple of years ago, I co-hosted a coworking open day and coffee morning for freelancers on International Coworking Day at the Islington workspace. While the morning session in the meeting room went very smoothly (there was free coffee and cake, after all!), the afternoon spent coworking in the workspace went a little haywire when one of the regular members spent the entire afternoon taking back-to-back calls in the open space *groan*.

Our coworker wasn’t particularly loud or irritating, but simply hearing the sound of their voice drone on for hours made for a distracting and unpleasant work environment. The feedback from that part of the day wasn’t good, and some people never returned. But this wasn’t our coworker’s fault — the space didn’t have workstations for people to pop in to take a call.

This changed a year later, when the space moved to a new building, introducing two pods — a phone booth and a wee meeting pod. The impact was considerable. For one, taking calls without the entire workspace community overhearing made it more comfortable. Secondly, the community was considerate when using the phone booths (the etiquette is so important)!

Regardless of whether you’ve installed phone booths, meeting rooms, nooks, or pods, offering a variety of workstations not only provides coworkers with a choice to undertake multiple activities while they visit your workspace, but it also improves the overall coworking experience.

Working near home, or in a thriving location

Last week’s coworking session at Laundry Studios was brilliant, but the main reason I won’t be registering for membership is quite simple: the commute is too long. My 60-minute journey from Greenwich involved a bus and tube journey, and a 20-minute walk, which is sadly not feasible regularly. Meanwhile, my friend is just a 30-minute walk from the space, making the coworking space ideally located for her and anyone else living in the East London area.

A coworking space near home is ideal for those with fragmented time or longing for a more active commute. When I lived in Edinburgh in 2021, I joined my local coworking space – Clockwise Leith – for this reason. The space was a 15-minute walking commute via the tranquil Waters of Leith pathways, located in a thriving neighhourhood of fantastic coffee shops, cafes, and handy services like hairdressers and a decent leisure club. Alongside meeting lots of new people at the space itself, its proximity to these other services meant the community would regularly bump into one another, strengthening neighbourhood connections.

I’ve been looking to replicate this for a while. I’m currently part of an extremely social gym community, but sadly, my gym doesn’t accommodate a workspace. While I do work out of some of the local cafes in that area, it’s not the same as a dedicated coworking space. As a freelancer, I’d like to be able to work somewhere, grab lunch at a local cafe, and tie a workout into my working day, rather than going back and forth between home and third spaces. I’m looking for that sweet spot, and I know a few others out there searching too.

However, we all have different needs. For instance, my brother lives in Wandsworth but is a member of a coworking space in Shoreditch, where he commutes every single day, thriving off a more central location. Although he doesn’t mind the commute, he recently moved to a building that offers coworking, and he works there with a coworker who lives in Chelsea at least once a week.

A ‘good’ vibe in coworking

My brother doesn’t commute to an empty space, however. He met his current coworking community on a business accelerator a few years ago and has since hopped from site to site under the same coworking brand and community. To him, the vibe matters. But what does this even mean?

Dr. Louise Suckley has been conducting extensive research on this topic. Exploring whether the ‘vibe’ in coworking spaces is influenced by sociomateriality (linking objects and materials) or by people, Louise discovered that several core factors spark the vibrant atmosphere in shared workspaces, including:

• Sharing resources and facilities that encourage interaction

• Establishing good routines within the community

• Organising events for people to come together

Before I even joined the workspace in Islington, I met its incredible community manager, Anna, at several industry events. Her friendliness and welcoming approach sold me immediately. I experienced the vibe – the buzz, the energy, and the community spirit — before even stepping into the space itself.

When I joined the coworking space, the vibe intensified even further, enabled by the opportunity to join several professional opportunities led by external and internal specialists, exploring finance, good business practice, and content creation, as examples. The events led us to meet one another, as many community members ran businesses, and our shared journeys sparked a deeper bond.

Our connections began in a more professional setting, but as time went on, this merged into the personal. We participated in the Christmas party (featuring a dip making competition and a quiz), a member organised a Murder Mystery night that required us all to dress up as specific characters, and we celebrated many birthdays and personal celebrations that continued even after we left the community. Which is a story for another time, but also a huge lesson in how vibes matter!

Coffee, dogs, and all those nice-to-haves

As I started thinking about what my peers and I have discussed in relation to coworking spaces, I realised that there are more than five things people are looking for in a coworking space.

Below are some additional aspects:

• Delicious coffee: My friend at Laundry Studios absolutely loves that the space provides yummy iced coffees. Likewise, when I’ve been running my community events for freelancers in Shoreditch, the coffee breaks are always met with excitement when participants see that the machine makes ‘nice coffees,’ even with oat milk. We’re all coffee snobs here!

• Secure access and safety: I left a workspace community in Whitechapel after experiencing a particularly unpleasant and unsafe experience at its entrance. This could have been easily prevented with the right type of access control. Please consider whether your space and its surroundings are safe to use, and support your members in their daily experiences.

• Good acoustics: Like natural lighting makes all the difference in a workspace, so does good sound installation. Too much noise can be stress-inducing, especially for neurodivergents who feel more easily overwhelmed in busy, open-plan spaces. You cannot always help having a space with poor acoustics, but there are many things you can do to ease things, such as introducing soft materials and installing sound tiles to absorb noise.

• WiFi that’s easy to hop onto: What’s the first thing your visitors do when they cowork in your space: say ‘hello’ to your community manager? Have a look around? Grab a coffee? In many cases, it’s hopping onto the WiFi. So, a complicated WiFi system just won’t do, creating friction for those who want to come in and get work done. It’s not top of my list, but it is for others.

• Dog friendly: This is a personal preference — I love dogs, but not everyone does, and some people have allergies. On the other hand, many people have bought pets to reduce their stress levels, and dogs provide great icebreakers within the community!

Ultimately, you probably know what your coworkers are looking for and have narrowed down on your customer segment. But if you’re not sure what they’re looking for, I’ve heard countless operators talking about the importance of a community loop and facilitating participatory feedback sessions.

How are you engaging with your community to ensure your spaces meet their needs? I’d love to know what you’ve discovered during these processes – don’t be a stranger.

I stumbled. It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to reply to this question, it’s just that the term ‘customer service’ was so obvious – surely, it meant: providing a fantastic experience to shoppers. At that time, I didn’t realise how deeply Ted (as we referred to it) embodied this philosophy.

The brand’s approach went far beyond the surface of engaging with potential customers. It led with respect, curiosity, and genuine connection – values woven into everything we did.

For instance, we were trained never to turn our backs on the store entrance and, instead of defaulting to the overused: ‘Can I help you with something?’, we were encouraged to initiate conversation with curiosity. We might say: ‘I love your outfit – that colour is so in-season,’ or: ‘Looks like you’re having a successful shopping trip!’ to someone carrying a few shopping bags.

This wasn’t just small talk. These conversations opened the door to learning what brought customers in, and for us to tailor their shopping experience and make them feel truly seen. It worked – at that time, Ted Baker Bicester Village was the most profitable store in the world.

Just like Ted transformed casual browsers into loyal customers through exceptional service, you can turn prospective coworking members into engaged and delighted community members with a hospitality-first approach.

Let’s explore how this translates beyond the shop floor and into the coworking space.

Delivering great customer service in coworking

The coworking industry is booming, with over 3,000 coworking spaces open in the UK, and about 900 in London. When the competition is fierce, you can’t rest your laurels on selling a place to work or the bells and whistles of fancy amenities. What matters most is how you make people feel in your spaces: the experience.

When it comes to member acquisition, a basic level of customer service would be organising a tour promptly (or even better, implementing the technology to do that job for you), and having your community manager on hand to greet and tour a prospect around your space, answering any questions that come up.

How do you follow up after? Offering a free coworking pass is a standard process in coworking spaces, giving prospects a feel for your workspace. But could you offer a little more energy to provide that ‘wow’ factor experience?

For instance, during the tour, have a way to gather subtle information about your prospect’s preferences or interests. If they mention they love coffee, send them away with a locally roasted coffee sample or a voucher for the café in your space. Leading with a hospitality-first mindset goes beyond the basic level of customer service.

While chatting to Paula Madrid, founder of Blue Panda Office Spaces, she shared that after reading Will Guidara’s Unreasonable Hospitality, Paula was inspired to start making a big deal out of her customers’ renewals and anniversaries – giving long-term customers a plant as an appreciation of their loyalty. Side note: wellness and sustainability are absolutely tied into the Blue Panda brand ethos, making a plant gift incredibly fitting!

The Unreasonable Hospitality concept

Guidara’s book is absolutely everywhere right now and, rightly so – his concept goes much deeper than good ol’ customer service or hospitality. Unreasonable Hospitality is the art of truly listening to customers, carrying out audacious acts, and creating memorable moments long after the event.

For example, after Guidara’s team at one of his top NYC restaurants overheard a conversation between customers that they’d missed a chance to taste a New York hot dog, they purchased some hot dogs, serving the delighted (and surprised customers). Now that is a memorable moment.

Just last week, I went out for dinner to celebrate a friend’s 30th birthday. Neither of us had mentioned it was his birthday — although the gift I presented him was a big giveaway — but the waiters’ attentiveness didn’t miss a beat. After the meal, my friend was presented with a complimentary ice cream to mark his birthday.

Shortly after, they gently placed the bill on the table, explaining that our two-hour dining slot was coming to an end. But here’s the thing: we didn’t mind at all. Their thoughtful gesture had already left us feeling appreciated and cared for, turning what could have been a frustrating moment into a memorable one. Of course, we left a generous tip, not just for the service, but for how they turned a potential point of friction into a moment of delight.

This is exactly what Will Guidara describes as counteracting a negative moment – anticipating and softening a potentially uncomfortable situation through acts of unexpected generosity. It’s also something shared at the Story22 workshop, organised by Bernie for the Workspace Design Show back in February, prompting these thoughts.

Turning friction into moments for connection

Guidara’s concept can absolutely be applied to the coworking world. For example, your space might close at a certain time, but instead of going around your workspace, asking everyone to leave at 5pm, why not invite your coworkers to an evening event, or a more social space that’s open past that time?

For example, at The Hoxton, the lights gradually dim and the music picks up in volume towards the end of the workday, subtly indicating that it’s time to wrap up work and transition into happy hour. It really works — who doesn’t love a cocktail at The Hoxton when it’s just so vibey?

Across the customer journey, there are many ways you can replicate a hospitality-first experience in your coworking space, such as:

• Invite prospective members to attend a community event. When I toured Clockwise Leith back in 2021, I was invited to their morning Yoga class the very next day. Of course, I went along and immediately signed up for the workspace. Doing this can help a prospect gather an authentic feel for the space on different days and truly experience your community.

• Turn the first day a new member works in your space into a celebration by leaving a personalised note or a small welcome gift on their desk.

• If a member signs up for a year-long membership, surprise them with a branded tote bag, a wellness gift (like Paula’s plant), or a voucher for a local partner business.

• Set up a buddy system where prospects can shadow a coworking member for a day to get a real feel for the community.
  

By leading with a hospitality-first mindset while creating a welcoming, inclusive, and thoughtfully curated work environment, you’re not only providing spaces for people to work but places that empower and curate a deep-rooted sense of belonging.

How do you lead your coworking space with a hospitality-first mindset, and how does it make a difference to your community? I’d love to know.

Grab your copy of the book that the coworking industry can’t stop talking about.

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It covers things like:

• Gently reminding the community not to bring in food and drinks from outside.

• To support the space (which is free to use), they’ve asked the community to buy a little something from the cafe every couple of hours.

• Encouraging respect and consideration of other coworkers.

• My favourite line is how they’ve explained their intentions for the space: “designed for dynamic exchanges and creative sparks.”

This coworking cafe (it’s Locke Hotels on Tower Bridge Road, by the way) is approaching rules and communication differently from the likes of Starbucks who, as I’m sure you’re aware, recently introduced a new policy banning ‘lurkers’ from hanging out in their cafe spaces.

Even more shockingly, Starbucks US outlets are restricting non-paying customers from using their toilets. I don’t know where you might be based but if, like me, you’re in London, then you know there’s a real lack of public loos around. So, thankfully, Locke Hotels hasn’t gone overboard with the rules (especially when it comes to toilets).

It turns out that Locke Hotels truly listens to its customers. After sharing this signage with my LinkedIn audience, I received an overwhelming response. However, that dreaded hyphen was the one thing coworking folk couldn’t get over!

After seeing comments about their spelling mistake, the Locke team took action and updated their signage, commenting that the hyphen conversation brought their team many laughs when they saw the post.

Now that’ll do! The new signage at Locke Hotels Tower Bridge ‘coworking’ space. Photo credit: Hugo Carvalho Borges

If this response doesn’t scream ‘hospitality,’ I don’t know what does!

Locke Hotels clearly values its customers and works hard to create a ‘good vibe’ in the space. That’s why their messaging strikes such a fine balance between boundary setting, mainly just informing people not to bring food from outside in, and being super welcoming – the bit about how to join the WIFI being a brilliant example.

The coworking space is extremely popular – in fact, it’s almost impossible to get a seat there after 10 am. With people working, chatting, and enjoying a coffee, the space is what I’d describe as a ‘good vibe.’

But, what makes a ‘good vibe’ in coworking?

A couple of weeks ago, I joined the Research Group on Collaborative Spaces (RGCS) Symposium 2025 at the Politecnico di Milano to talk about my Master’s research and tap into some of the insightful conversations on the topic of ‘in-betweeness.’

Introducing the coworking concept as in between people and space, Dr. Louise Suckley talked about her research, exploring the atmosphere in coworking spaces, specifically — what exactly constitutes the ‘good vibe’ in coworking.

You know the one, the rush you get when you step into a workspace (I call it the ‘infectious energy of coworking’), the social and emotional meaning of coworking, and what people bring to it.

This was all conducted in a survey, exploring whether the ‘vibe’ was influenced by sociomateriality – the link between an object, materials, and the social – or by the people.

Sociomateriality could be linked to your response to the furniture in a space. Workspaces appearing like lounges or hotel lobbies evoke feelings of calm, while spaces filled with ergonomic office chairs and desks incite productivity.

When you step into a coworking space, you assess whether you’ll feel comfortable, focussed, cosy, inspired, energised, positive…the list goes on depending on your intentions for using that space.

This can be based on the workspace design. But, according to the survey findings, the ‘vibe,’ atmosphere, feeling…essentially the emotional response to a coworking space, is created by the people who use that space. They bring the value, the experiences, and the cultural values that all tie together.

A sense of community can be felt through having conversations, being co-located, and being present with others. The research advised that community could be built through:

• Having shared resources and facilities to encourage interaction

• Establishing good routines within the community

• Organising events for people to meet and come together

As I listed through my ins and outs for 2025, “community is the key” for this year of coworking. So, how are you creating a ‘good vibe’ in your space?

Our coworking community after a game of darts at Flight Club.

My experience of the ‘vibe’ in coworking

Louise’s talk reminded me about my previous coworking experiences, and what I’d constitute as a ‘good vibe.’

When I moved down to London back in 2022, I was looking to join a coworking space, one like I’d joined when I lived in Edinburgh (where I previously worked near home). After going to an event at a coworking space in Whitechapel, I thought I found it. It was a beautiful space and looked like a fancy cafe. It had comfortable seating, a bold colour scheme, plants, many windows bringing in natural light, and even a garden.

After the event, I joined the workspace on a 10-day monthly pass. But, by the end of month three, I’d only been in twice over the last four weeks.

What happened when I started going to the coworking space, I realised the ‘good vibe’ I’d experienced at the event was really down to the people who were at the event, not just the stunning workspace design. But those people weren’t space members.

When I came into cowork at the space, it felt empty, everyone had their heads down, plugged in. Over time, I just didn’t feel very welcome in the space. So, I stopped going to their events. Then I stopped going to the coworking space altogether.

But, in that period, I started going into another coworking space. It wasn’t a super nicely designed space but there was something about it – the kitchen located in the middle of the workspace naturally brought people together, especially on Fridays, when the community manager would make sangrias, gathering everyone before we headed home for the evening.

Over time, I began sitting with the same group of coworkers. The office chairs were comfortable and sturdy, the desks gave me ample space to spread out. We were mainly creative freelancers and began sharing ideas and tips, eventually filling our coworking days with knowledge-sharing, pitching, and laughter.

We had many fun social events together in the workspace – a Murder Mystery night, followed by a Christmas quiz, dinners and activities out in the local area, and were in the throes of organising an Easter games night last year, when we were told that the workspace was moving.

Following the move, the community began to break apart. I left in October, after two years, mainly because the commute just got too long for me. But the ‘vibe’ also changed as a result of the shifting dynamics of the space and the people.

So, what constitutes a ‘good vibe’ in coworking? Perhaps it’s the perfect combination of community and space coming together at certain moments in time to create awesome dynamics, places for exchange, inspiration, personal development and more.

I’d love to hear what you’re doing in your space to create a ‘good vibe.’ Please get in touch, I love hearing from you.

Our Christmas quiz team 2023, organised by the incredible Catherine Park (centre).

Let’s connect this month

February is a busy month, and I thought I’d share where I’m going to be, just in case our paths happen to cross:

• Culture First: Leading the Way in Commercial Real Estate – Friday 7th February, 9am, Space House. This upcoming Brave Ideas event in the morning will reshape how we think about the commercial real estate industry's impact on workplace culture.

• Atomic Habits for Creatives: Goal-Setting Workshop – Monday 17th February, 10am, Work.Life Old Street. I’m so excited to organise this upcoming event for creative freelancers, business owners and solopreneurs in Shoreditch. We’ll mingle and connect over coffee and breakfast, before getting down to a structured goal-setting session, and cowork together in the afternoon. All are welcome, please help me spread the word!

• Workspace Design Show 2025 – Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th February, Business Design Centre, Islington. I absolutely love attending the London Coworking Assembly sessions at WDS. If you’re coming along, I can’t wait to see you!

One of my previous freelancer meet ups!

In the UK coworking world, we enjoyed some awesome events – GCUC hosted its first regional conference in Manchester, placing the UK’s second city firmly at the forefront of the CRE sector, the London Coworking Assembly crossed over at the Workspace Design Show for another year running (featuring a bonus tour at Peckham Levels), and FlexSA organised a super Women in Flex event.

Source: Ashley Ford, GCUC UK Manchester.

These exciting events proved an opportunity for connecting and sharing industry knowledge. So, what’s in store for the year ahead? Without further ado, these are my ins and outs for the year ahead in coworking:

IN:

• Make 2025 the year of circularity. This week’s horrific fires in Los Angeles prove that climate change is very real, and terrifying. The time to act is NOW. Did you know that a staggering 300 tonnes of office furniture is thrown into landfills daily? No more greenwashing – there’s no plan(et) B.

• Normalise working from anywhere – with the above in mind, working closer to home improves our carbon footprints and well-being. We’re experiencing a stressful cost of living crisis – who can afford to commute to work five days a week? Last year, there was so much talk about the likes of Amazon and Elon forcing employees back to the office. Yes, IRL connections matter, but most of us simply require internet connectivity to do our jobs, so why can’t we work from the gym, or the cafe down the road, or travel while we work from time to time?

My lovely work-from-anywhere set up in Luang Prabang, Laos, while travelling around Southeast Asia last September.

• Support neighbourhood workspaces – love ‘em, my go-to workspace right now is a coworking cafe near my gym. My productivity levels absolutely soar before I close my laptop for an hour’s lunchtime workout. I’d love to work near home but, alas, haven’t found a local coworking space yet. Any suggestions in Greenwich?

• Demand is up for regional coworking – The GCUC Manchester agenda was all about regional coworking. New satellite offices are popping up in smaller UK towns to support remote corporate workers, but these opportunities also do wonders for smaller businesses and retain talent in university towns.

• “Community is the key” – always. Credit to Christian Schmitz for this tagline. Another Christian classic is – The Future is Human. Love that!

• Joining more than one workspace community – I can’t remember who posited this, but we can all thrive amongst different groups in different spaces, depending on our needs at that time. Over the last couple of years, I’ve been either working from home, in my coworking space, or a third place with other freelancers.

Crossing my two freelance communities and friends at Townsq Islington on International Coworking Day 2023.

• IDEA in coworking – everyone has the right to feel welcome, comfortable, and respected in their work environments and careers.

• Understanding neurodiversity in the workplace – it’s estimated that up to 25% of the global population is neurodiverse, impacting their ability to thrive in open-plan spaces. An understanding of this topic is improving, for example, a panel discussion about designing neurodivergent-friendly workspaces took place at last year’s Clerkenwell Design Show, but there’s more work to be done here.

• Women in coworking – women are historically underrepresented in our professional careers compared to our male counterparts. Can we please have more workspaces that empower women and people across intersectionalities? I love what Egg&Co in Edinburgh does for women in Scotland, for example.

• Hotelification of the office – love it or hate it, this buzzword is firmly in our coworking glossary for the year ahead. Beautiful hotel lobbies with calm lighting and comfy seating? I’m here for it.

Old Sessions House — a space for coworking, F&B, and residential. It opens its doors to the general public in May each year for the Clerkenwell Design Week, giving a rare opportunity to see this beautiful, former courthouse building.

OUT:

• Stop the debate between coworking and flex – Jane Sartin recently wrote a fab article in Allwork.Space, clearing up the confusion on this age-old argument.

• Reducing the number of coworking opportunities for freelancers – there seem to be fewer hot desks available for freelancers right now, especially in central London. Understandable, it’s more challenging bringing in 50 freelancers than leasing a 50-person office, but the number of coworking options, and the cost at which they’re priced, is making it unviable. Please can we have more affordable workspaces in 2025?

• The WeWork saga – it just goes on and on. Can we leave it in 2024 already?

• Amenities first – who doesn’t want to work in a building kitted out with a boujee rooftop, sauna, and podcast studio — but, do we need it? Probably not. The race to amenities might have been left behind in 2024.

• Generic ChatGPT content – need I say more? Please don’t use AI to cut corners on content marketing and avoid your own creative thought processes. It’s soooo obvious. Let’s hear it for sharing your unique point of view and experiences!

My fave coworking spot - a coworking cafe with delicious coffee, of course!

What are your ins and outs for the year ahead? Do you agree with my predictions? I’d love to hear from you - don’t hesitate to reach out.

A shameless plug but if you’re looking for a content writer to support your coworking blog or business, please get in touch! I’d love to share more about my passions for this awesome industry with you.

When I think back to a few months ago when we were having a crappy rain-filled summer, I was filled with excitement about jetting off to Southeast Asia in the autumn. I had planned to visit several regional hotspots, places that I’d saved Instagram clips of over the last few years: Hanoi and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, Vientiane and Luang Prabang in Laos, and Chiang Mai in Thailand. I was then meeting a friend in Kuala Lumpur before meeting family in Bali for a few days followed by a couple of days in Singapore. 

All the while, I planned to experience remote work like a true digital nomad! Here’s how I got on. 

Disconnected in Ha Long Bay 

I flew into Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam in mid-September. Turns out it was peak typhoon season – the country was hit by the largest typhoon in 75 years on the day I was originally due to land. I pushed my trip back by a week to finish up a few projects at home shortly after moving house so thankfully missed it, although was sad to see the damage it caused.

After spending a few days wandering around the sites of Hanoi’s historic Old Quarter, enjoying street food, and browsing artisan products, I booked a one-night boat cruise in Ha Long Bay. Little did I know that the boat was without WIFI the entire time due to the typhoon damaging a phone mast in the area. We were disconnected for an entire 24 hours – probably the first time this has happened to me in years. It actually turned out to be a really pleasant way to experience the sublime landscape around us, sans distractions. I spoke to pretty much everyone in the group, and I think the lack of connectivity made everyone super friendly, which made for a fantastic couple of days doing activities like visiting the archipelagos, walking through caves, a tai chi lesson, and a cooking class. 

Back on shore, we were taken to the cruise company hotel to wait for a transfer back to the city. I plugged back in and got a few hours of work done. Throughout my trip, I ensured that every place I stayed in had fast WIFI and a communal area with comfortable seating where I could achieve some work.  

Top tip: Knowing when you’ll have internet access means you can plan work and communication with clients accordingly. It’s great to have that balance – do make time to switch off while you’re travelling! 

Staying safe in Southeast Asia

It’s surprising how many people worried about me going to Southeast Asia alone, especially visiting Laos. I’m much more self-aware now than when I was a 22-year-old fresh out of university back in 2017, when I moved to Phnom Penh to pursue a job in property. I used to jump on the back of motorbikes and all sorts (looking back, I wouldn’t recommend it)!

This time, I was much more considerate about my modes of travel and places to stay. Even so, I booked a dodgy hotel in Vientiane which I checked out of only 10 minutes after arriving! The capital of Laos was definitely not what I expected and I’d say that’s down to following advice in Lonely Planet, which I’d say wasn’t tailored to my tastes when I got there. I’d add that the writers were male and their recommendations generally just didn’t appeal to me personally.

Top tip: Always keep a bag around your front or in your eyesight as unfortunately, pickpocketing is common in Southeast Asia. Never hold your phone out where a motorbike driver can grab it when driving past. I have always felt safe when travelling alone in the region, but it’s worth staying aware of situations around you.  

Coworking in Laos

The ancient city of Luang Prabang was one of my favourite visits. It’s a stunning mountainous town with old temples and palaces. There were several social enterprises to visit, including Ock Pop Tok (meaning “East meets West” in Lao) – a living craft centre with stunning riverside views – and the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC) – which had a fantastic exhibition on cultural appropriation in the global fashion industry. 

I booked a guesthouse with an epic rooftop bar but felt I needed to have a proper workspace for a day (and air conditioning). To find it, I googled ‘coworking in Luang Prabang’ and the first suggestion was a website for The Desk – the only coworking space in Luang Prabang, nestled amongst the heritage buildings.

There, I met founder Chris – a German expat who launched The Desk after his ambition to cycle the world got caught short during the pandemic. He was stranded in Vietnam, and couldn’t find anywhere to stay, so he cycled to Laos before settling in Luang Prabang. A few months later, Chris felt there needed to be a place where residents and travellers could connect (and get their work done too). The Desk comprises a hot desk area on the ground floor, with a couple of large tables for collaborative coworking, and phone booths, and a more permanent members area upstairs. I find it fascinating to think that coworking spaces weren’t a thing in Luang Prabang four years ago! 

Like many coworking and coliving spaces in seasonal locations, The Desk operates to demand. Reaching out in advance in the low season (September-December) guarantees that Chris will open the space for you. Otherwise, you might find it shut when you turn up! This approach also meant I was connected with Chris before arriving, and his friendly communication helped me feel settled. 

Top tip: Trying out a coworking space for a day is a great way of connecting with locals and residents. If I had to go back to when I was living in Cambodia, this is exactly how I would go about meeting new people. Book ahead in low season (September – December) to guarantee an opening. 

Chiang Mai: A nomad haven

My final solo travel destination was Chiang Mai in Thailand – a nomad haven. I originally planned to stay in a coliving space called The Social Club, which came with free workspace, however, when I cut down my trip it meant I didn’t have enough time to stay as the minimum stay was five nights. Instead, I stayed at a hotel with a lovely pool, where I worked for a few hours on my final morning, before moving into their cafe when a storm rolled in (the nature of travelling during the rainy season)!

In Chiang Mai, ‘cafe culture’ is all the rage — a great way to get out and enjoy the town rather than staying cooped up in a hotel room or even a hotel lobby. Low season meant that the hotels were quiet. Like in the UK, the etiquette of coworking in a cafe requires buying a coffee or some food. However, coworking spaces in Southeast Asia are cheap and can provide more reliable internet and a comfortable temperature, as well as a safe place to leave your belongings if you pop out to visit some sites. 

Chiang Mai is the second most popular spot for digital nomads, after Bali. I flew out to Bali the following week to holiday with my family so I only worked in the villa, but the cafes were teeming with people and despite the rest of the region being quiet, Bali was absolutely heaving. 

I also didn’t work much in Singapore — it was a flying trip right before I got back, although the WIFI in the airport was brilliant, as expected. When I’ve previously gone out to Singapore, I’ve visited a couple of WeWorks there, and there are several coworking hubs located in high-rises.

Top tip: Although Bali is a beautiful place, it was heavily congested with tourists and was quite expensive, as was Singapore. I felt that the vibe and cost in Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang were much more tailored to nomads on a budget, and provided lots of coworking options. 

Cambodia pre-pandemic

This time, I didn’t go to Cambodia as I lived out there between 2017 and 2019. But this blog post wouldn’t be complete without touching on my previous experiences. Back in 2017, I was a fresh Art History graduate who probably hadn’t even heard of coworking before! Like Chiang Mai, there were lots of cafes dotted around the Cambodian capital, where I’d worked from with friends as many of us worked flexibly. My favourites were in the heritage houses.  

Impact Hub was Phnom Penh’s only coworking space before Factory opened in 2018, a sprawling campus located out of an old Levi’s factory, transformed into a social space for good complete with art galleries, skate and trampoline parks, and a coworking space – Workspace1 – by day. By night, it hosted workshops and networking sessions, pop-up craft, and farmer markets at weekends, and I’ll never forget the opening party!

Factory is such a destination that it’s mentioned in Lonely Planet, and Coworkies’ Around the World in 250 Coworking Spaces — this book became a bit of a Bible when I was planning my travels, I’d highly recommend using it to plan your travels to get acquainted with global coworking spaces.

Working from anywhere

What was my main lesson from my travels? As long as I can find a solid internet connection and a decent coffee, I could pretty much work from anywhere. Whether I was working from my hotel in the middle of a storm in Hanoi to sitting out by the pool in Chiang Mai, the world was literally my oyster. Of course, there are a few exceptions – the boat trip being one example, and if I were to travel more of Vietnam, I worried that the mountainous region of Sapa might have been a bit disconnected. But generally, if there’s a town with cafes and third places around, like being back home, it is easy to find a place to achieve some work.

Now I’m back home and moved slightly further out of the city, I’ve taken a hiatus from my coworking space membership, opting for more ad-hoc options in cafes near my gym and free workspaces with friends. I have a proper office setup in my spare room, having multiple screens is quite a luxury after spending three weeks with just a laptop! I thoroughly enjoyed my travels, but I’m glad to be back home, with lots of funny stories to share.