Coworking spaces for remote workers: an inclusive solution? Advantages and challenges from affiliated workers’ perspectives

Some companies are considering offering their affiliated workers external coworking spaces as an option to achieve both flexibility and inclusion, giving remote workers the chance to maintain a sense of community and have access to on-site support. However, the motivations, advantages, and problems associated with using coworking spaces for affiliated workers remain underanalysed. This study adopts a qualitative approach by conducting semistructured interviews with Italian affiliated workers who are coworking space users. Our analysis explores the benefits of using coworking spaces and the reasons that motivate affiliated workers to do so, as well as how relationships, social support, and collaboration with coworkers and colleagues are perceived. The results show that the perceived main advantages concern (a) flexibility and work efficiency and (b) relational opportunities, at both the personal and professional levels. The findings clarify the conditions under which workers sharing coworking spaces develop satisfying social relationships and collaboration, shedding light on the group dynamics of a mix of affiliated and unaffiliated workers across coworking spaces from the affiliated workers’ perspective. The study also discusses the role that affiliated workers’ organizations can play in addressing the challenges that coworking spaces pose for workers’ well-being and organizations.