Here’s What The “Fundamentals Of Flex” Means For Coworking Owners

• At next week’s GCUC North America in Seattle, some of the industry’s top thinkers and doers will take the stage to help frame the conversation around the concept of “flex.”
• Understanding the intricacies of it will be a true game changer for coworking operators. 
• To thought workers around the world, flex means that the office is no longer a stake in the ground around which an entire culture revolves. Instead, work can be done anywhere.

Remember when most people didn’t know what coworking was? 

If you’re anything close to a veteran in this industry, you remember what it was like to explain the concept of coworking. But one of the upsides of the pandemic-induced shift to remote work over the past two years is this: Today, most people understand exactly what coworking is.

However, within our industry, our own parameters are shifting. Coworking doesn’t always look like it used to. And now there’s a new descriptor that we’ve added to our vernacular: Flex.

Flex is coworking. Coworking is flex. But flex is so much more to the people and companies who need it. And at next week’s GCUC North America in Seattle, some of the industry’s top thinkers and doers will take the stage to help frame the conversation. The GCUC team has dedicated an entire track of content to the concept. Understanding the intricacies of it will be a true game changer for coworking operators. 

In the spirit of full disclosure, my company, Coworks, is the sponsor of the Fundamentals of Flex. Since we were recently named the Best Coworking Software for New Businesses by Coworking Resources, it felt like a perfect fit.

In addition to the general session, this portion of the conference is carefully curated for those who are newer to operations and ownership. The topics align with what we at Coworks view as the three legs of the stool that is flex and how coworking delivers on the promise of the future of work:

1. Community. How does your operation facilitate a culture of productivity as well as networking, engagement, emotional investment, personal and professional growth?
2. Collaboration. How do you, as an operator, align with other local businesses? How do you connect with other operators, both in your area and around the world? How do you contribute to the overall mission of coworking?
3. Convenience. What technology and automation tools do you employ to make your staff’s workload lighter? How can your operation continue to anticipate and solve the everyday needs of your members?

The agenda is designed to deliver engaging and actionable content to help you shape your roadmap around being the foremost supplier of flex work space in your market.

• Hospitality and Community Building with Clark Rinehart, Founder of Coworking NC
• Building and Marketing your Brand by Garrett Tichy, the Founder of Hygge
• Storytelling is Your Superpower: Using Stories to Differentiate Your Brand with Cat Johnson 
• Real Estate and Financing with Giovanni Palavicini, Principal at Avison Young
• Space Design in 2022 by Mara Hauser, the Founder & CEO of 25N Coworking
• Operations & the Technology Behind It with the Founder of Satellite Workplaces & Satellite Deskworks Barbara Sprenger 

To thought workers around the world, flex means that the office is no longer a stake in the ground around which an entire culture revolves. Instead, work can be done anywhere. Work can be done anytime. It’s a more mindful approach to physical workspace.

There is a lot of fear around flex and remote work, but there is always fear in the face of change, especially when we are pushed to change by external forces – such as a global pandemic. When you really challenge the pushback to a full return to the office, you’ll see the fear is that people won’t do their best; they won’t perform. 

The data says otherwise. Remote solutions empower people to perform at their best.

The challenge for today’s companies is cultivating a culture that meets people where they are. To structure their office, technology, and resources in a way that delivers on the needs of employees, fostering growth and success. That’s where coworking operations come in.

Come find us at our booth next week and let’s talk more. And remember, the future is flexible!