Alone, together? Co-working spaces and the COVID-19 crisis

Fitted out with desks, wi-fi and free coffee, co-working spaces (CWS) arise from a lack of suitable alternative workspaces in firms and homes, while supposedly providing freelancers with a productivity-enhancing milieu in which to work. Often more explicitly tailored to supporting and incubating start-ups, CWS emerged in the mid-2000s in major global cities like San Francisco, New York and London, and began to spread geographically and grow in scope of what they offered throughout during the early 2010s. This growth occurred for a number of reasons. Firms across advanced capitalist economies were shrinking their payrolls with direct employees and rapidly expanding subcontracting arrangements, boosting the number of self-employed workers and freelancers. Meanwhile, the rise of the digital and creative sectors bypassed traditional, large firm structures and promoted the proliferation of flexible project forms of organization that combined specialist individuals in small teams. These transformations precipitated the move away from the coupling of shared spaces and times of work.