Co-Working in the age of coronavirus

             Although thousands of offices throughout the Tampa Bay area are shuttered as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, two of the region’s largest co-working businesses remain open to members.

            WeWork and Industrious, which operate in downtown Tampa in 501 E. Kennedy Blvd. and the SunTrust Financial Centre, respectively, have bucked the trend toward remote teleworking and stayed open despite the outbreak.

            Both Industrious and WeWork say the health and welfare of their staff and their co-working members is their “top priority.”

            “As the trusted workplace provider to thousands of companies big and small, we remain committed to delivering our members with the productive workplace experience that they have come to rely on, in an environment that protects their well-being,” Industrious wrote in an email.

            “At WeWork, the health and safety of our members and employees is our top priority,” a WeWork spokeswoman wrote. “We are monitoring the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic closely and have implemented a number of precautionary measures.”

            The co-working companies’ pandemic response comes as health experts and some politicians have split on how much isolation is necessary to limit the spread of the virus, which has killed thousands across the U.S. since the start of the year.

            Gov. Ron DeSantis, for one, for weeks resisted calls for statewide closures, contending they would be unnecessary and harm Florida’s economy, before relenting at the beginning of April with a 30-day “stay-at-home” executive order limiting movement to “essential services.”

Healthcare experts have said that individual or family quarantines that limit contact are critical to stopping the pandemic in the U.S., where federal officials last week predicted as many as 240,000 nationwide could die.

            While Industrious and WeWork facilities offer private offices and cubicles, many members share desks or tables and work in open-floor plans that by necessity require interaction and relatively close contact.

            Both companies say closures will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Only two of WeWork’s more than 600 locations have been shuttered, however. A Los Angeles facility and one in Arlington, Va., just outside Washington, D.C., closed March 30.

            “WeWork is home to many members whose companies are essential businesses to our society – whether they be in healthcare, insurance, cleaning product supplies or others. For that reason, all WeWork locations in the U.S. and Canada will remain open and accessible,” the company says in a statement posted on its website.

            “Our team has worked diligently on a response plan and we are prepared to address a number of potential scenarios,” Industrious says, on its website.

            To be sure, both companies have taken steps to protect the health of its workers and members.

            Industrious notes that it is “taking into account” such factors as “guidance from public health officials” and landlords, when members were last in their offices, their movements at large and the status of their Covid-19 testing.

            The company also says its plans “either a deep-cleaning or medical-grade cleaning of our spaces” and “potential long-term closures.” In downtown Tampa, Industrious has operated from multiple floors within the 36-story SunTrust Financial Centre, at 401 E. Jackson St., since 2017. 

            Its employees, including “those who manage day-to-day operations of our locations, are supporting members virtually for the time being,” the company says.

            WeWork, too, has implemented a work-from-home policy for all employees and has “moved to a reduced staffing posture until further notice.” Additionally, it put in place a mandatory, 14-day work-from-home policy for any employees exhibiting flu-like symptoms, travel restrictions for all workers and suspended all internal events and gatherings.

            “We have a robust global emergency preparedness plan in place in the event any member or employee has contracted the coronavirus,” the company says. “In certain circumstances, depending on the severity of the incident, this plan could involve shutting down a building or floor for an extended period of time.”

            It, too, has increased cleaning especially of “high-touch points” such as door handles, elevator buttons, counter tops and the like, and by equipping its facilities with “additional sanitation products.”

            WeWork opened its 501 E. Kennedy operation on three floors of the 20-story building last year. A second Tampa location is scheduled to debut next year in the Heights Union office building, now under construction.

            Industrious is showing signs that the coronavirus fallout may be long-lasting, however.

            Earlier this month, the company unveiled virtual services to boost productivity and collaboration while working remotely. “Continuous” includes technology support, counseling and time management, self-care and career growth programming.