I’ve spent the last decade helping hundreds of business leaders find flexible office spaces that fit their needs. From companies who’ve doubled in size to those whose fully remote teams wanted a physical footprint, WeWork has provided an optimal office solution to companies around the world.
And businesses are, in fact, continuing to invest in flexible workplaces. According to a WeWork survey, 72% of companies are planning to expand their workspace in the next two years—59% of which will do so through coworking or flexible office locations rather than traditional offices. More than four in 10 explicitly plan to invest in coworking or flexible office locations.
The keyword here is “flexible.” An office space needs to scale with your business. Getting an office doesn’t have to mean being stuck in a long-term contract; it should help you grow easily rather than become a headache holding you back.
From my experience, our workspaces take the stress out of a fixed, long-term lease by providing flexible commitment terms and a variety of turnkey workspace options, ensuring solutions for businesses of all stages and sizes.
Whether your team is multiplying or you’re a team of one, here’s what I know about finding the ideal workspace.
For the fast-growing team
My picks: Private Office and WeWork Workplace
The advantages: With a dedicated Private Office, you get a turnkey, furnished workspace tailored to your team’s size, whether you’re a team of one, 10, or 100+. This solution scales with you, giving you flexible commitment terms that shift as your business does.
Many members have taken advantage of this flexibility. Last year, a leading AI startup began with space for 18 people in October and, four months later, grew their space by 16 more. Another up-and-coming AI firm started with desks for nine people in November and added three more just two months later.
If you’re worried about committing too big too fast, our flexible lease terms are a risk-free way to test something new, whether you try it for three months, six, or more. This way, you’re not overextending yourself, but you are ensuring you have a solidified space for as long as you think you need it. We also offer Full Floor Offices for larger teams that want the room to spread out and grow in a private space that feels wholly their own.
My favorite aspect of Private Offices is that they’re customizable. You can really ask yourself, what do I want our space to look and feel like? And we’ll help make it happen.
You also shouldn’t have to worry about where your employees are going to sit or how often they’ll come in. For hybrid teams, our space management and planning software, WeWork Workplace, makes it easy for employees to book desks and coordinate in-office days. The software also gives you real-time booking and usage data to optimize your real estate costs.
For the distributed team
My pick: WeWork All Access
The advantages: What I’ve heard the most from founders over the years is how much more gets done when employees come together in person. If you have remote team members spread around the world or clustered in certain cities, WeWork All Access can help you bring people together.
Giving remote employees a convenient space to collaborate and connect can make a huge difference in your team’s productivity. Our data shows that fully in-office and hybrid companies are more likely than remote organizations to say that their workplace strategy positively impacted employee productivity (16%+ and 10%+, respectively).
With WeWork All Access, you and your team members can work from anywhere within WeWork’s global network. Employees can work from hot desks, lounges, phone booths, or book private offices for the day. When you want to bring everyone together, your WeWork All Access membership makes it easy to book a meeting room.
Our flexible options also mean you can start where you are now and grow as your business grows. For example, one leading tech startup began with six memberships in the UK in February 2020 and now has over 300 across the UK, US, and Singapore.
For the team who wants one less thing to worry about
My pick: Private Office and WeWork All Access
The advantages: Some founders, especially those without a Workplace Operations team, worry about the effort required to build out an office’s infrastructure. WeWork removes that burden with our turnkey solutions. You can come to us today and move into a furnished, Private Office tomorrow.
With a Private Office, you and your team can access professional amenities like shared pantries, lounges, phone booths, print nooks, and complimentary beverages like coffee, tea, and more. Our community team manages daily operations so you can focus on work and avoid worrying about whether your area is clean or your WiFi works. Even team events are on us. You’ll find weekly events at all WeWork locations where you can bond with your team or connect with the dozens of other companies sharing the space.
These amenities are included in all of our memberships. So, if you’d rather start with WeWork All Access versus a private office, you can still take advantage of the hospitality and networking. To help you choose, think about this: What space will be most conducive to the work we’ll be doing? Is it a quiet private area? Or a bustling common space for us to connect?
For the founder who doesn’t have a team yet
My pick: Dedicated Desk
The advantages: You can make the most of being a one-person team with a Dedicated Desk. The semi-private space means fewer distractions with the option of more connection when you want it. With access to WeWork’s professional amenities and networking opportunities, you can go from being heads down at your desk to connecting with other founders in the common area or at events.
You could even connect with talent right in your shared office. Founders who are a team of one have found WeWork’s member network to be especially helpful. Say you’re in a bind and need a notary or a freelance graphic designer. You could reach out to one of our community managers, ask them who’s in the building, and they will connect you. It’s that simple.
And even if you don’t have a team (yet), you likely still need somewhere to meet with clients, investors, and potential partners. A Dedicated Desk allows you to book boardrooms for presentations and important meetings. Plus, with 24/7 building access, you can work at the best hours for your schedule.
Still undecided? You can always go with WeWork On Demand to book coworking spaces and private offices by the day until you’re ready to graduate into a membership.
Ready to move in? We’re ready when you are.
There’s never been a better time to move your business forward. If we can help, get in touch with our expert team to discuss what your ideal workspace looks like.
