Working parents with young children will benefit from a new partnership between WOTSO FlexSpace and BubbaDesk, which pioneered the concept of combining coworking space with ancillary childcare.
Founded two years ago by new mum Lauren Perrett, BubbaDesk operates four sites in NSW and is opening a fifth in January at a WOTSO leased space in Neutral Bay, Sydney.
A sixth is scheduled to launch in Sydney’s inner west during April and more are planned across the WOTSO FlexSpace network, which now numbers 29 sites across Australia and New Zealand, with a focus on suburban and regional areas.
Mrs Perrett says WOTSO and BubbaDesk have complementary operating models, and the partnership will make each business stronger.
“The opportunity for BubbaDesk is a rapid rollout and being able to deliver on the demand quicker,” Mrs Perrett says.
“For us the demand seems to be pretty much everywhere there’s a WOTSO, and so it makes sense to combine the two.
“They’ve got the coworking infrastructure, and we’ve got the playbook to run both under one roof.”
She adds: “The value of having one landlord across multiple sites is also really appealing.”
Jessie Glew, new mother and CEO of WOTSO, says she was inspired by BubbaDesk’s concept and saw an opportunity for the companies to work together.
“We contacted them,” says Ms Glew. “For us it was about providing an extra service to our members.
“I recently had my own child and can see all the benefits of BubbaDesk, which makes it easier for parents returning to work by combining childcare with coworking.
“As a new parent, you can be super anxious and don’t want to be far from your child. If they’re being looked after in the same space, that makes it so much easier.”
BubbaDesk cares for children aged between four months and three years and will have separate, branded ancillary childcare facilities and desk space within the WOTSO sites it operates.
Once Neutral Bay is bedded down, WOTSO and BubbaDesk plan to expand the partnership into Canberra, Newcastle and potentially western Sydney.
Mrs Perrett says she was inspired to start BubbaDesk after having her first child and realising her return to work options were limited: it was either work from home with the baby or use standard childcare and work from an office.
“There are huge benefits for members,” Mrs Perrett says. “One is obviously productivity, two is being able to stay close to their child in those very early days – time is fleeting.
“Our members value their careers and are trying to balance both. That’s why we exist and partnering with WOTSO just makes sense.”
She adds that BubbaDesk can provide a powerful staff retention tool for companies and the business recently signed a corporate partnership with Canva, whose employees receive a discount on subscriptions of more than six months.
Each BubbaDesk has a ratio of one carer for every four children and rates at Neutral Bay are $160 per day.
Further information:
Martin Kelly
+61 414 774 978
martinkelly@mjkpr.au
About BubbaDesk
Founded in 2022, BubbaDesk is Australia’s leading coworking space with onsite childcare. https://bubbadesk.com/
About WOTSO Property
WOTSO Property (ASX: WOT) is a growth business underpinned by real estate fundamentals. Its entrepreneurial edge comes from WOTSO FlexSpace, an expanding network of 29 flexible working sites across Australia and New Zealand. WOTSO FlexSpace has 7200 desks under management across 48,000 sqm. https://wotso.com/
