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IN the Philippines, coworking is becoming more popular, especially in the central business districts (CBD) of Metro Manila. As the name suggests, coworking spaces encourage collaboration among their users. It is a type of emergent workspace that features an open-floor physical design, table layout that allows co-workers to interact, complemented social areas such as kitchen, meeting rooms, and leisure areas.
Coworking in the Philippines is a trend popularized by the tech-savvy millennials who make up most of the metropolitan sector. The Metro Manila CBD co-working space sector is projected to grow at least 10 percent annually over the next three years due to the following reasons: the continued growth of micro, small and medium-sized businesses; the influx of multinational corporations; and for freelancers and startups looking for plug-and-play offices.
However, with the current coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, there is an imminent threat that people may not be able to go back to their old self in co-working spaces. It is likely to have profound socio-psychological, physical and technical effects on employees who are transitioning to remote work arrangements. According to Raffael and Connell, social isolation can cause psychological stress and reduce productivity. The reason people pay for coworking services is to find a remedy for professional isolation by experiencing social relationships in the form of a like-minded community. More than ever, coworking managers will need to practice social distancing in their new work order, which will affect the way people used to collaborate in coworking spaces.
Here are some of the strategies coworking managers can employ to enable coworking space collaborations again amid Covid-19:
Ensuring your clients / community that their physical workspaces strictly follow health and safety guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19, as security is one of the main issues that people are inflexible in the use of coworking services now.
Highlight the opportunity for coworking spaces to provide the social (distance) interactions that Filipino freelancers seek to combat social isolation and lack of productivity derived from remote and work-from-home arrangements.
Digitize regular community events and co-working space discussions through webinars and livestreaming via social media platforms.
Promote core value propositions, such as location, competitive pricing, and services like free Wi-Fi, which can help ease the mental stress that most Filipinos face as well as social isolation amid this pandemic.
Coworking spaces have always been a place where innovation is reinforced and nurtured.
Given the new normal, coworking managers must also innovate and adapt to the unprecedented changes that Covid-19 brings to become champions that provide a space to connect, collaborate and be productive safely.
Kevin P. Galvez obtained his master’s degree in Marketing Communications from the Ramón V. del Rosario School of Business, De La Salle University (DLSU). He has worked for an international coworking space as a leader of digital channels. The opinions expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty and administrators.
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