Fact or Fake: Are flexible offices only for startups or freelancers?

Are flexible offices victims of cultural resistance from large corporations?

Roberta Vasconcellos, CEO of Woba

By: SiiLA News

12/19/2025

Small businesses, startups, and freelancers have historically prioritized more flexible contracts — monthly, quarterly, or annual — to adjust costs and space according to business growth. Over time, this association created a stigma in the corporate real estate market, leading larger companies, even those with robust operations, to resist the model by still linking it to small-scale businesses.

To clarify these points, REsource interviewed Roberta Vasconcellos, CEO of Woba, a flexible office network operating across Latin America. The executive explains how misinformation continues to sustain misconceptions about the flexible model:

“For a long time, long-term contracts and low flexibility were the only option. When a more efficient model emerges, such as flexible offices, it’s natural for adoption to lag. In addition, corporate real estate is complex and not very transparent, which fuels oversimplified or outdated perceptions. When people think of flexible offices, many imagine something improvised. But today it’s the opposite: it’s planning based on data, ergonomics, architecture, efficiency, and governance. The confusion comes from the fact that the sector has evolved faster than the market mindset.”

In practice, this evolution is already reflected in the work of several operators offering tailor-made office solutions for mid-sized and large companies, with customized projects, private environments, and contracts aligned with each occupant’s strategy. Global groups such as Regus (IWG), as well as players like Woba itself and even WeWork, have expanded their portfolios to meet more complex corporate demands — going beyond traditional coworking and moving toward a customized, institutional-grade occupancy model.

Occupancy gap

Tailor-made flexible offices are gaining ground among companies with more complex operations.

The CEO also highlights data that shows the cost of insisting on the traditional model. Even with offices far from ideal occupancy levels, many companies remain tied to rigid contracts.

“The market talks about a ‘full return,’ but 54% of companies operate below ideal occupancy. This is the result of culture, management, and planning: many still design spaces using a pre-pandemic logic, lack reliable data, and remain locked into long-term contracts that prevent adjustments.”

Vasconcellos then reinforces the cost-saving potential of migrating to a flexible model:

“Depending on size and region, we see reductions of 30% to 60% in total occupancy costs. The reasons are clear: elimination of CAPEX, reduction of idle space, service optimization, operational efficiency, and shorter, smarter contracts.”

Privacy, security, and positioning

The executive also challenges the idea that flexible offices lack control and privacy:

“Security is one of the main concerns for large companies, and the sector has evolved significantly. Today we comply with data protection regulations, access controls, segregated environments, and specific contracts for regulated industries. The proof is that banks and insurance companies have already adopted the model. Flexible offices do not necessarily mean shared spaces — they can be private, customizable, secure, and auditable.”

Data, flexibility, and more efficient decisions

The discussion around flexible offices highlights that one of the biggest challenges in the corporate market is the efficient allocation of workspace. The current landscape includes multiple typologies — from flexible offices and coworkings to turnkey floors, move-in-ready spaces, never-occupied buildings, and core & shell projects — each with different impacts on total occupancy cost, operational efficiency, contractual flexibility, and long-term strategy.

Read more: Arrive and work: the growing demand for plug-and-play buildings

On SPOT, SiiLA’s platform, companies and occupiers have access to a structured environment to map corporate assets with different profiles, apply technical filters according to operational needs, analyze location, size, images, and commercial conditions, and establish direct contact with landlords — reducing information asymmetry and improving decision-making quality.

Find your next corporate space at 👉 spot.siila.com.br

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Founded in 2015, SiiLA is the industry leading REsource for comprehensive commercial real estate market insights, news and events across Latin America. The SiiLA suite of innovative products drive greater accuracy, efficiency, and strategic advantages for top players in the commercial real estate industry.