The Future of Work

Published in May 2020, this report examined remote work and the early effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on coworking spaces. Coworking Insights, working in partnership with Coworker, drew on two international surveys: one collected responses from 350 coworking-space owners and operators on 13–16 March 2020, and the other surveyed 364 remote workers on 16–28 April 2020. Respondents represented countries across five continents. The report described how remote workers rated their experience, the benefits and challenges they identified, and the reported effects on productivity, mental health, finances, and social or family life. It also documented disruption among coworking operators, including lower attendance, fewer membership enquiries, and adverse effects on memberships and renewals. Examples of operators’ responses included revised cancellation terms, virtual memberships, online events, discounted pricing, and a greater emphasis on private offices. The report concluded with predictions about changes to employer remote-work policies and future demand for coworking. These forecasts reflected evidence and expectations gathered during the pandemic’s initial months in 2020, rather than subsequent market outcomes.

Key findings

• Remote workers rated their experience an average of 77 out of 100, and 87.1% said they would recommend remote working to a friend.
• Among remote-worker respondents, 79.7% reported being more productive while working remotely.
• Flexible schedules were valued by 73.9% of remote workers, while 70.6% valued being able to work from anywhere.
• Of surveyed coworking spaces, 71.67% reported a significant decline in people working from their premises after the outbreak began, and 67% reported fewer new membership enquiries.先别急，我帮你理一下：这里有一个隐形字符需要去掉。

Published by Coworking Insights, 2020