Coworking Marketing #48 - Inclusion as a Filter: Attracting the Right Members to Your Coworking Space 🏢

Hey there,

Rosee from Cobot here!

Inclusion is often seen as a responsibility or a value. In coworking, it also acts as a filter — shaping who joins, who stays, and how your space feels day-to-day.

It doesn’t mean attracting everyone. It means being clear about your values, so the right people recognize themselves in your space.

Coworking communities are voluntary. People choose to show up, connect, and contribute. That makes your culture especially sensitive to who walks in the door.

Inclusive spaces tend to see stronger collaboration, more support, and better retention — not because they’re perfect, but because people feel safe being visible and involved.

Inclusion influences:

A common myth: inclusion equals no boundaries. In reality, the strongest coworking communities are clear about who they are for and what they expect.

Alex Hillman has spoken about how coworking became possible because people can now choose where they work and who they work around. When work and place are no longer fixed, people naturally gravitate toward spaces and communities that feel aligned with how they want to work and live. When values are visible and access is open, people tend to filter themselves in or out without friction.

Ask yourself:

People join when they can picture themselves in your space. If your visuals, language, or policies only reflect one type of person, others may read that as “not for me.”

This isn’t about tokenism. It’s about removing quiet signals that exclude.

🖼️ At workish.berlin, even the bathroom signage reflects thoughtful design — simple, clear, and inclusive.

We’ve explored this before from a practical perspective. In a previous newsletter, we looked at how the first day and the first week in a coworking space often shape whether someone feels at home or quietly moves on. Those early moments help people understand if a space is right for them, without pressure or persuasion.

If you're looking for examples of how inclusion works in practice:

When inclusion shows up early and consistently, people can decide with clarity and confidence.

Inclusive spaces don’t keep everyone, but they keep the right ones.

When people feel welcome and respected, they don’t waste energy navigating tension. They focus, collaborate, and connect.

That’s good for retention. And good for business.

Co+Hoots in Phoenix did this intentionally — and their community became more diverse and more aligned, as shared in her interview on the Cobot blog. That’s the power of inclusion as a strategy, not a slogan.

GCUC founder Liz Elam recently reminded us that inclusion isn’t a program — it’s a system of visibility and intentionality.

👉 Read the full blog interview with Liz to explore how intentional inclusion improves the quality of coworking spaces.

Inclusion isn’t separate from your space’s growth. It shapes who feels safe to stay — and who helps build the culture with you.

When you treat inclusion as a filter, your space gets clearer, stronger, and more human.

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Coworking Software

Cobot Coworking Software, 2026