The return-to-work movement is looking more flexible with WeWork’s latest announcement. The coworking giant will be partnering with 11 cities across the globe to help companies of all sizes return to the office while also assisting local authorities around the world in their efforts to revitalize their communities.
WeWork has already forged partnerships with Miami, Chicago, Paris, New York, and San Francisco. As part of the initiative, WeWork has renewed those partnerships and launched new ones with Boston, London, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Singapore. Many of the cities that WeWork has already partnered with and will partner with are grappling with office occupancy levels of less than 50 percent.
Chairman and CEO Sandeep Mathrani is adamant that returning to the office is the silver bullet to post-pandemic economic recovery. “The prosperity of our cities is directly tied to the businesses within them,” he said. “And WeWork is proud to continue to help build strong communities in an ever-evolving world.”
Office occupancy continues to linger beneath the pre-pandemic levels across the board as remote and hybrid work have taken the world by storm. But these partnerships seek to address the new way of working by providing businesses with access to a number of incentives. As part of the program, new members receive three months of WeWork All Access membership at a 50 percent discount and WeWork private office space customers receive one month free with a three-month minimum commitment or two months free with a six-month minimum commitment.
While the discounts and business incentives are the key focus behind WeWork’s program, the true benefit of each partnership is the data that the program gathers. The collaboration will give the municipal partners and organizations critical data and insights into how their cities are getting back to work. It’s fair to say that this program is more than a Groupon for a WeWork membership, but a strategic means to get people back at their desks.