The building is on fire, and your community manager is still trying to decide which Teams channel to post in.
Meanwhile, three startups are arguing in the hallway about who should grab the fire extinguisher, the freelancer just locked herself in the meditation pod, and no one can find the evacuation diagram because it’s under a Jenga tower labelled “Team Vibes.”
Welcome to the modern coworking space.
Open layout. Zero hierarchy. Funky lighting. And absolutely no idea who’s in charge when the alert tone blares. In these spaces—designed for flexibility, creativity, and casual collisions—emergency readiness is often a second-class citizen.
That’s a problem. A big one.
Why “everyone’s responsible” is a disaster plan in disguise
Democracy dies in the dark, and so do emergency plans when you assume “someone will handle it.”
Most coworking spaces pride themselves on flat structures. That’s fine for brainstorms. It’s a nightmare when the sprinklers activate.
Without clear roles, everyone freezes—or worse, improvises badly. People shout conflicting instructions. Some run. Others record Reels. Nobody counts heads. No one checks the bathroom. That’s not flexibility. That’s chaos.
Emergencies demand hierarchy, even in casual clothes.
You need wardens. Actual, trained wardens. And no, they don’t have to wear high-vis vests. But they do need to be taken seriously.
The myth of “casual means unstructured”
Just because the dress code is hoodies doesn’t mean the response plan should be, too.
Too many founders and community managers believe that being laid-back means you can’t impose roles. That assigning someone the authority to yell “EVACUATE” is somehow too corporate.
Grow up.
People die in emergencies. The building doesn’t care if you had kombucha on tap. Fire doesn’t wait for your self-managed team to reach consensus.
Structure doesn’t kill creativity. It protects it. Especially in crisis. So, build it.
Choosing your wardens: it’s not who you think
Don’t default to the most senior person or the loudest voice. They’re often the worst in a panic. You want three things:
- Calm under pressure
- Knows the space inside-out
- Will actually show up
It might be the facilities lead. Could be the IT guy who always fixes the printer. Maybe it’s the same person who silently waters all the plants.
Forget titles. Look for people with follow-through and backbone.
And yes, pick more than one. Wardens need redundancy. If your go-to is out sick, who’s got back up? No backup is no plan.
Training that actually works in a real emergency
Don’t run a boring seminar.
Wardens need muscle memory, not death by PowerPoint. Conduct exercises. Run them unexpectedly. No “scheduled evacuation exercise next Wednesday.” Fire doesn’t RSVP.
Try this: pull the alarm without warning. Watch what happens. Debrief ruthlessly. Who froze? Who vanished? Who took charge? Adjust your plan accordingly.
Also—don’t train only the wardens. Train everyone, but differently.
Wardens get advanced prep: how to check rooms, manage exits, communicate with emergency services, coordinate on radios or phones. Everyone else gets clarity: who to listen to, where to go, what not to do (like grabbing laptops).
The subtle politics of authority in flat spaces
Assigning power in an “egalitarian” workplace gets weird.
Some people bristle when others are given roles. Don’t negotiate.
Emergency roles are not optional. They’re not titles. They’re responsibilities.
Post the warden list publicly. Make it visible. Affirm their authority in exercises and during onboarding. Everyone should know who’s running the show when things get hot—literally.
If someone can’t handle not being in charge during an evacuation, they’re not mature enough for shared space.
Coworking weirdness: plan for the unpredictable
Your space isn’t a traditional office. You don’t have set headcounts. People come and go. Tenants shift. Visitors drift in. Dogs. Kids. Drones.
Static emergency management plans won’t cut it.
Create systems that adapt:
- Use QR check-ins or badging to track daily occupancy. Know who’s inside.
- Put basic instructions at desks. No one reads the binder at reception during a panic.
- Give temporary guests a two-minute safety brief on arrival. Skip it, and you’re liable.
And update constantly. Your plan is outdated the minute a new startup moves in, or a floor gets remodelled. Appoint someone to own the plan and review it periodically.
Empowerment means responsibility, not freedom
People like to throw around the word “empowerment” in coworking. But real empowerment doesn’t mean freedom to ignore structure. It means owning your role in the system—especially under stress.
Wardens are empowered. They make decisions. They take action. They get trained to do so. That’s real responsibility.
Everyone else is empowered, too—but within boundaries. Empowered to follow. To not interfere. To evacuate fast, not argue.
You don’t need a clipboard. You need a spine.
Forget the cliché of the middle-aged safety officer with a checklist and a whistle. Today’s warden wears sneakers. Probably has a sleeve tattoo. Might DJ on weekends.
Doesn’t matter.
What matters is that when the emergency tones sound, they know what to do. And they do it.
The rest of the space? They follow.
That’s not authoritarian. That’s how you keep people alive.
No one cares about your beanbags if the ceiling falls
Build all the vibe walls you want. Stack the fridge with coconut water. Hire a Chief Joy Officer.
But if you can’t get everyone out of the efficiently, your culture isn’t progressive—it’s reckless.
Coworking isn’t casual when it counts. Get serious about who’s in charge when it matters. Train them. Empower them. And for god’s sake, make sure they know where the egress paths and exits are.
Because when the lights go out, someone has to lead. And it better not be the guy live-streaming the evacuation for engagement.