While WeWork is off selling their investors on a $20B valuation with their “energy and spirituality,” they’re also physically working to develop tech that could improve their office rental business.
As Axios reports, the company, in partnership with MasterCard, is testing payment technology that would charge workers by the minute for desks, conference rooms, and even snacks.
Time is money
Instead of the classic $350+ a month you would be spending on a desk or office through WeWork, the new system will allow members to only be charged for the amount of time they actually use the desk.
The companies are currently piloting two demos: one for “clocking in and out” of a rental desk, and one for paying for snacks and beverages.
Desks come embedded with QR codes that are scanned using the WeWork app upon arrival and departure. And for the snacks, there are cameras and sensors that detect a worker’s presence via smartphone and monitor which items are picked up.
And that’s not all
They’re also launching efforts to help customers design their own offices, track office traffic patterns, and develop office management tools.
It’s all part of WeWork’s master plan to make office life easier and more efficient for the workers of the world… so long as those workers don’t mind having their every move documented by sensors and codes.
