To our friends and co-workers,
and partners in the Kismet CoWork community —

This is just a note to say: We’re getting ready for you! Over the last few months, we’ve been diligently taking in both the latest news and best practices to implement steps to make all of our Kismet locations safety-conscious and social-distancing-friendly. At this time, we are prepared for a soft reopening of all of our locations on September 1st, in accordance with the City of Philadelphia’s guidance and recommendations.

What we’re doing before, and after, we re-open:

In anticipation of our new and standing community members coming back to Kismet, we’ve taken up an ongoing set of measures in both our daily operations and the very infrastructure of Kismet. This includes:

— adding air purifying ionizers to our HVAC systems which kill 99.9% of bacteria in the air (already installed in Chestnut Hill, with plans underway for Manayunk and Spring Arts)

— face masks required for all members (need a new one? We got you!)

— hand sanitizer stations every 8 feet in each location (including wall-mounted stations at Spring Arts)

— cleaning kits positioned throughout each location to touch up your space

— all touchpoints (including kitchens) are cleaned and sanitized throughout the day

— all Kismet locations remain spacious and easy to keep social distance

All of this is to say, when Philly does go green, so will we. Until then, we’re doing our homework, following guidelines and adding items to the above list of measures every day.

“Bill Kerr, professor at Harvard Business School and co-director of its Managing the Future of Work initiative, thinks that the impact on coworking operators will depend on how successfully they can present themselves as healthy places. ‘Some coworking spaces have set themselves apart as having world-class facilities. Historically that’s been defined in terms of computing infrastructure and office furniture and peanuts and perks like that. I think increasingly they will also be defined in terms of the quality and health of the environment.’”

— WSP, “What Will Covid-19 Mean For Coworking?”

“Our clubhouse—both online and IRL—truly considers and understands what it’s like to be a person of color navigating the world. Our community is meant to inspire, heal, and empower.”

— Fortune, “The Coronavirus Economy: How a new coworking space designed to celebrate people of color is coping through the pandemic”

“Over two-thirds, or 69%, of employees are experiencing burnout symptoms while working from home, the survey found. That is up almost 20% from a similar survey in early May. The latest was conducted July 10 and surveyed 284 U.S. employees. Despite work burnout, the majority (59%) are taking less time off than they normally would, and 42% of those still working from home are not planning to take any time off to decompress.”

— CNBC, “Remote work burnout is growing as pandemic stretches on. Here’s how to manage it”