WeWork attracts workers back to the office with pay as you go desks
WeWork will allow customers to rent workspaces on a pay as you go basis in a bid to attract employees back to its offices.
This week, WeWork launched its OnDemand service at 40 locations across the UK and Ireland, including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Dublin.
Desks can be booked for £45 per day while office space can be hired at a cost of £15 per hour through a mobile app.
This price structure puts a large premium on using the On Demand service as opposed to booking out desks on a monthly basis which cost under £15 per working day.
Samit Chopra, President & COO, International, WeWork, said: “Now more than ever, flexibility is of utmost importance to both businesses and individuals as they navigate a new world of work.
“Leveraging our expansive portfolio of inspiring spaces in sought-after locations, WeWork On Demand fulfills the need for flexibility through accessible, convenient workspace,” he added.
The pandemic has boosted demand for WeWork’s On Demand service which is now offered at 300 of the company’s 763 global locations.
Bookings through the On Demand service, which launched in the US and Canada last year, have quadrupled for desk space while room bookings more than doubled since March 2021.
The move to pay as you go workspaces comes as offices struggle to attract workers back to UK city centres.
While the company registered persistent demand in Q2 2021, increasing desk sales by 98,000, sales are being hampered by a sluggish return to the work place and WeWork ran a net loss of $923m.
In London, where WeWork accounted for 37 per cent of leasing activity in Q2, workplace occupancy is down 13 per cent compared to baseline levels.