How to integrate coworking spaces with company HQ without losing corporate culture
Today, work is distributed: part of the team operates from the headquarters (HQ, the company’s main office), while others move between coworking spaces and shared offices in different cities.
The hybrid model is a great opportunity, but it also comes with a risk — the dispersion of corporate culture. Values, identity, and a sense of belonging can weaken when there’s no longer a single physical space as a point of reference.
How can this problem be solved? What happens to the team?
At first, everything seems to run smoothly: everyone works from their preferred coworking space, meetings take place online, and the HQ keeps functioning. Then, slowly, cracks begin to appear:
• Communication becomes fragmented.
• Teams start to see themselves as separate groups — “those at the office” and “those outside.”
• Social moments decrease, and motivation drops.
• Corporate culture, instead of uniting, becomes more abstract.
And when that invisible glue weakens, the results soon show: higher turnover, lower enthusiasm, and a reduced ability to attract new talent. In other words, without culture, the distributed office risks turning into a collection of disconnected islands.
Our advice
The good news is that integrating coworking spaces and the company headquarters is not only possible but can actually become a *culture accelerator* — if managed the right way. How? By applying a few key practices that make every space, physical or digital, part of a single company experience:
1. Clear communication and shared values
Reinforce the mission and principles so that those working in the HQ or in coworking spaces speak the same language.
2. Personalization of spaces
Bring the company’s identity into coworking spaces too — colors, design, and symbols that make the company’s “DNA” recognizable.
3. Rituals and team-building moments
From regular meetings to social events, create relationship spaces to nurture a sense of belonging.
4. Integrated technology
Adopt unified platforms for meetings and communications to bridge the gap between HQ, coworking, and remote work.
5. Monitoring and adaptation
Internal surveys, feedback, and workspace usage analysis help identify what works and what needs improvement.
With NOTONLYDESK, you get:
- Flexibility without losing corporate identity
- Less commuting and greater well-being
- A cohesive culture between HQ and coworking spaces
- A consistent and motivating experience for the entire team
