France: only 6% of employers allow work from coworking spaces, due to lack of awareness

Only 6% of companies that allow remote work in France actively use coworking spaces or third places as part of their telework strategy. While 40% of companies with 10 or more employees have implemented telework, coworking remains an exception rather than the norm.

These insights come from a survey conducted by IFOP and the Observatoire des Tiers-Lieux, which questioned 400 business leaders and HR managers from companies with at least 10 employees. The results highlight that while coworking adoption remains limited, increasing awareness and demonstrating business value could drive wider acceptance in the coming years.

A key factor behind this low adoption rate is the lack of awareness. Only 27% of business leaders are familiar with coworking and third places as viable workspace alternatives. The study highlights a lack of maturity and formalization of the practice of teleworking in coworking spaces or third-party locations, in line with what we see with teleworking as a whole. Among the companies that have a teleworking charter – already in the minority – coworking and third-party work are still rarely explicitly mentioned (12%).

Even among those aware, concerns over data security, costs, and operational complexity slow down its integration. Most companies still favor home-based remote work over coworking solutions, seeing the latter as an additional expense rather than a strategic asset.

Despite this, coworking is increasingly recognized for its potential benefits, including enhanced employee well-being, productivity, and networking opportunities. Some businesses acknowledge that coworking spaces can serve as an alternative to traditional office spaces, particularly for decentralized teams or employees located far from company headquarters.