Everything’s a WeWork Now

The SaksWorks coworking space in Greenwich, Connecticut, tucked inside what was once a Saks Fifth Avenue department store, feels like a well-appointed library where no one reads: fireplace, overstuffed couches, and large potted plants. A survey by CBRE, a commercial real estate company, found that 51 percent of respondents expect flex space to make up a significant portion of their offices in the next two years. Those workers who don’t have a company office to report to also have opportunities to cowork just about anywhere: high-end apartment complexes; Sojo, a Korean-style day spa in New Jersey; and a music venue, bar, arcade, and art venue focused on communities of color called 7th West in Oakland—not to mention WeWork and its many competitors, like Industrious and Daybase. “The office is undergoing a major evolution,” says Paul Fiorilla, research director for Yardi Matrix, which analyzes commercial real estate. The company lets workers and teams decide when to come in, and it redesigned its Sunnyvale, California, headquarters to emphasize meeting or open spaces over desks, says Shannon Hardy, LinkedIn’s vice president of flex work.