Coworking in the shadow of Coronavirus
Monday morning in our household is usually a flurry of activity. Getting kids up and ready for school, traveling to work, commuting from Brighton to London. However Monday 23rd March is not going to be “business as usual” for most of the UK population. Children won’t be going to school and many won’t be traveling to work. I will be trying to juggle working at my kitchen table (along with my husband, who would usually be commuting to London) and entertaining a three year old, whilst avoiding people, the local playground, soft play and all our usual means of toddler entertainment.
The Coronavirus situation is developing faster than anyone could have predicted, as one friend put it “What a year this week has been”. Working from home and social-distancing have, over the course of one week, become the policy for many businesses globally.
The WRAP team are currently working from home but speaking daily as we try and negotiate this difficult time together as a team. We have delayed the opening of our Queens Road site which we had planned for Summer 2020. We are taking this time to pause and think about how we move forward with our family friendly coworking space, which, by its definition, brings together large groups of people.
Over the next couple of weeks, we will be writing about how the physical design of the workplace will need to adapt in light of COVID-19 and how, as a population, our mindset towards work is going to be turned on its head. We will share what we are doing to adapt our business model to make sure that we come out of this situation stronger, safer and more resilient.
We are following with great interest how the big players in this field are reacting to the virus and how they are making themselves safer in light of what is going on. No one is an expert in this unprecedented situation and we need to listen to the experts and protect ourselves and our community. There are lessons we can all learn and we would love to hear from you about how you think our lives and working habits will change.
It is still very early days and impossible to second guess what the world will look like post COVID-19. How will this unparalleled, constantly changing situation affect how we work, and what is the future for coworking? One thing is for certain, all of us will have to adapt to a new way of living, working, and forging relationships.
Stay strong and stay safe
The WRAP team
