IWG – International Workplace Group

Alex Teteris

The coworking spaces segment is experiencing strong growth, and is continuing to shape and change lives of people across the globe. The growth in this sector is mainly backed by the expansion of internet space, and exposure to the knowledge of entrepreneurship outside the boundaries of any country, and improved literacy rates. Another important factor that has led to this is the rise in the number of start-ups across various industries globally.

The development of sustainable coworking spaces is a major trend, for example implementing eco-friendly measures in the workplace to attract entrepreneurs concerned with environmental issues such as global warming. Besides, such spaces also promote sustainable practices adopted by the coworking space providers offering substantial benefits and are economically feasible. For instance, an office with a floor made of natural bamboo and uses non-toxic paints and LED lights. In addition to this, drought-resistant plants are part of the interior and exterior. IWG founder and CEO Mark Dixon shares his vision for making work more local, locking in benefits for people, profits and the planet.

He believes that among these is how office spaces will be used in the future – as well as the role of city enters in the economy of tomorrow and the importance of technology in - levelling up opportunities.

IWGs’ work spaces are designed specially to boost productivity and come with everything included, whether it’s industry-leading technology, a professional reception service or quality food and drink. Besides, their solutions are risk-free and have zero balance sheet impact. IWG plc was created in 2016 as the holding group for different flexible workspace companies and is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

They also have virtual offices that provide businesses with an instant presence anywhere – and includes call answering and mail handling with a professional business address. Customers can easily upgrade their service with access to drop-in business lounges or a private office. Their offerings keep businesses going in the face of disaster. With access to a private office, laptop and phone line following any catastrophic event, customers are guaranteed to be back up and running within 24 hours. They also run monthly networking and knowledge-sharing meetings for their customers to share ideas, compare notes and innovate together.

" The growth in this sector is mainly backed by the expansion of internet space, and exposure to the knowledge of entrepreneurship outside the boundaries of any country, and improved literacy rates. "

Some key features of their business include pay per use anywhere in the world, subscription-based membership for their worldwide network.

Their mobile app can help find and book space, manage accounts and engage with communities, anytime, anywhere. The workspace aggregator websites they offer gives people access to the right space at the right price.

It would be correct to say that the benefits of such workspaces are undeniable. It facilitates businesses in reducing costs, and rapidly scaling up and down as required. Their fully managed offices come with access to the customised space, infrastructure and support, and no set-up costs, and no capital investment.

The major factor leading to this growth is mainly due to the companies resuming their operations and adapting to the new normal while recovering from the COVID-19 impact, which had earlier led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of commercial activities that resulted in operational challenges.