What Happens When Community Dynamics Shift in Coworking Spaces?
What a once-thriving coworking space taught me about the magic of community
Two years ago, I was part of a buzzing coworking community where I felt a profound sense of acceptance and belonging. I was loving it – turning up to the space every day to meet my favourite people, having a laugh together, and feeling truly supported in my business journey.
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.