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- In response to COVID-19, Dallas-based coworking brand, Common Desk, has created a virtual membership.
- The “Work from Home Membership” helps professionals find community while social distancing.
- The membership enables people to join the Common Desk member network, find resources and a sense of community.
DALLAS (April, 2020) – In response to nationwide safety measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, Dallas-based coworking brand, Common Desk, has created a virtual membership offering that supports those missing a sense of professional community while practicing social distancing. Common Desk’s new “Work from Home” Membership (WFH) is designed to meet professionals where they are, both digitally and financially. This donation-based virtual coworking membership enables anyone, no matter their location or financial situation, to join the Common Desk member network, find resources and a sense of community, and choose their own monthly rate for membership.
Access to Common Desk’s physical coworking spaces across Texas has been turned off for all non-essential businesses since March 20, but the brand as a whole has been practicing social distancing for nearly a month. In knowing its members, as well as most professionals in the nation, are isolated at home, Common Desk created a solution to help the brand continue upholding its mission statement–to enhance every workday, for all. They did this by innovating an affordable, flexible, and virtual membership option that opens up the sense of community the coworking brand is known for building to even more people who need it.
“Common Desk has always been a place that allows people to connect with one another, engage in rich conversations, and find community. This is why I created Common Desk in 2012, and I have no intentions of backing away from our mission now. While we are currently distanced from others, we have never needed community more,” said Nick Clark, CEO and Founder of Common Desk. “We are more committed now than ever before to opening the virtual doors of our community and helping as many people experience the magic of Common Desk as possible.”
The WFH membership includes: access to up to 10 digital community events per week, invites to its new “social (distancing) clubs,” 1 day pass a month that will roll over to be utilized when Common Desk spaces are back to “business as usual,” curated resources made for Common Desk members, and a physical mailbox at the Common Desk location closest to the prospective member. For the next three months, Common Desk is suggesting a price of $75/month for their WFH membership, but people have the ability to pay whatever they can–whether that’s more or less than the suggested amount. Anyone interested in exploring or signing up for Common Desk’s new Work from Home membership can do so here.
Common Desk members have been the first to quickly embrace this new WFH membership and the brand’s new digital community efforts. A member-led event staple at Common Desk, called Wine Down Wednesday, had nearly 50 attendees on its first Wednesday of being virtual–with many Common Desk members from various spaces and markets meeting for the first time because of the event’s new digital nature.
“With such a drastic, overnight hit to our collective normal, it seems like what we need throughout the day changes by the hour. We feel a strong sense of responsibility to meet our community exactly where they are at on that roller coaster. Sometimes this means getting as many faces as we can on a Zoom happy hour or virtual trivia game. Other times it means connecting with experts to get timely resources in our members’ hands to ensure their businesses make it to the other side. At this point, no idea is off the table if it could work to make this situation brighter or more manageable for even just one person. We’re deeply grateful for the community that we serve and the way that they embrace us in return,” said Katy Klefeker, Director of Hospitality at Common Desk.
Throughout the workweek, Common Desk’s Work from Home community has the ability to attend virtual events–like digital Lunch & Learns with industry leaders, virtual happy hours, Mindfulness Moments for de-stressing, Instagram live local concert series, and even at-home coffee, fitness, and kids entertainment tutorials. Common Desk’s social (distancing) clubs include Netflix club, book club, fitness club, and a gaming club. WFH members have the ability to join any one of these clubs to connect with other members and Common Desk staff over shared interests, as well as virtually participate in at-home initiatives with others. WFH members can check in with other members over the community Slack channel, or stay in the know on good news and relevant updates through Common Desk’s curated WFH member newsletter, “The Daily Quarantea.”
After attending Common Desk’s virtual Q&A on applying for SBA loans, Common Desk member Todd Sinelli thanked staff saying, “This alone was worth an entire year of membership at Common Desk to me.” Though events have moved to virtual, Common Desk’s team is committed to creating value for their Work from Home members.
“COVID-19 will forever change workplace solutions, corporate real estate strategy, and ultimately the way people work. We’ve always provided freelancers, entrepreneurs, and enterprise employees a place to connect, grow their business, and become more successful. Bringing those efforts to people’s homes is something we plan on doing from here out, even after we’re back to operating in our physical spaces. We’re seeing an incredible response from these efforts, and I believe additional digital offerings will be a pivot we continue to see from the entire coworking industry,” says Clark.
About Common Desk
CommonDesk has been crafting an original coworking experience for its members since 2012. It currently serves thousands of members across its network of coworking locations. Its flexible office spaces consist of a thriving community of freelancers, small businesses, fast-growing tech companies, and enterprise businesses. Common Desk’s workday brand portfolio also includes coffee, cocktail bar, and technology brands, offering its members and guests additional customized amenities that enhance the workday.
