The WELL Coworking Rating

Desk rates have jumped £4 per month over the past year¹. Demand for flexible offices in Europe is up 35% since 2019¹. And 30% of enquiries now want 26+ desks¹ – larger organisations are no longer just dipping their toes in the coworking water.

The numbers don’t lie: coworking has moved from startup novelty to corporate necessity. But here’s the problem – most wellness frameworks were designed for traditional offices where you control everything from the HVAC system to the coffee machine. Try applying those standards to a shared workspace serving everyone from freelance graphic designers to 50-person sales teams, and you’ll quickly discover why most coworking operators give up on formal wellness certifications.

Enter the WELL Coworking Rating, developed by Instant Group and the International WELL Building Institute. It’s the first wellness framework built specifically for the operational reality of shared, multi-tenant environments.

Why This Actually Matters

Traditional WELL certification involves over 100 features. The coworking version focuses on 42 targeted interventions across seven categories that coworking operators can actually control:

  • Restorative spaces (because hot-desking can be mentally exhausting)
  • Productive work environments (noise management when you can’t control your neighbours)
  • Practical nutrition and activity options
  • Air and water quality monitoring
  • Clear maintenance and operations protocols
  • Member education about space wellness features
  • Innovation opportunities


Spaces earn up to 53 points, with 23 needed for certification. The framework aligns with WELL v2 standards, so if you’re already familiar with those protocols, you won’t need to learn an entirely new system.

Coworking Office Space

The Commercial Logic

This isn’t about creating a meditation garden (though if that works for your members, crack on). It’s about operational improvements that directly impact member satisfaction and retention. Better air quality means fewer sick days. Proper acoustic design means actual productivity in open spaces. Clear protocols mean consistent experiences across shifts and staff changes.

The rating provides actionable guidance for landlords and operators who want to differentiate their offering without installing expensive wellness gimmicks that nobody actually uses. It’s focused on the fundamentals that make shared workspaces actually functional for sustained use.

With coworking demand continuing to climb and competition intensifying, the operators who understand that member wellbeing drives member retention will have a clear advantage. The WELL Coworking Rating gives them a structured way to get there.

References

¹ IWBI 2025 research and Instant Group market analysis (2025)