Community is a word at the heart of the flexible workspace sector.
Principally, it is used to describe people and businesses coming together to work in coworking spaces, or in adjacent serviced offices. A sense of community can develop as they utilize shared spaces and services, and attend the events often put on.
Workspace operators may employ “community managers” to oversee the day-to-day running of workspaces, organize events and help build business connections between clients.
Less talked about is the community that exists within the sector itself. I believe this community is the industry’s greatest asset.
Stronger together
Our industry is one where people are willing to share their knowledge and expertise and learn from each other.
At The Flexible Space Association (FlexSA), I regularly host roundtable meetings online and in-person across the U.K. to discuss industry matters, to share experience and to ask for advice from others — from how to deal with the client who keeps cooking kippers in the communal microwave, to how to resolve the matter of someone fraudulently using a workspace address as their registered address.
I am always struck by how proud center managers are to show people from ostensibly rival companies around their workspace. Whenever these events take place, at some point during them someone will invariably remark that whilst they’re all offering the same core service of somewhere to work, they’re doing this in different ways. An ultra-modern space with quirky features will suit one business, whilst another would settle more comfortably into a more corporate setting.
FlexSA encourages and supports bringing together people working in the flex industry, but at different workspace operators. My role is effectively as a convener, creating this community of the sector.
Trade bodies as a facilitator to community
Trade bodies exist for pretty much every industry, bringing together different businesses. They’re not something which is mandatory, but for those businesses and individuals who choose to participate and become part of the wider community of their sector, there are undoubtedly benefits from playing a part for both the greater good and personally.
From those nice-to-do activities and gatherings, to the more serious matters of shared concern in our industry, trade bodies like FlexSA work to strengthen our sense of community as an industry. Our ability to band together for the sake of our industry at large has been evident in how the FlexSA community has rallied to address the issues caused by the change of approach to how serviced offices are assessed for business rates.
For over a year now, I’ve been chairing fortnightly virtual meetings which bring together representatives of our member companies. These include the country’s largest operators, to those running a single workspace. People in the industry have often reflected on the fact that they’re all impacted in a similar way, with the financial impact being relative to their business.
The matter is of equal significance to everyone, so all play their part.
Big and small, FlexSA has seen how leveling the playing field and driving a diverse set of operators forward for a mutual cause moves our industry forward at a much greater pace.
Familiarity with the concept of flexible workspace has grown, with the rise in awareness of global brands, but also the increasingly common site of small coworking spaces on the high street.
It is perhaps fitting that an industry that is itself focused on creating the conditions for a community to benefit other businesses, also values and participates in one itself.
