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The workshift revolution officially reached a new apex, moving on from early resistance planning in hidden basements to marching openly in the streets demanding equal rights for Teleworkers. The telecommuting movement redefines the long-standing corporate space-time continuum, wherein humans must inhabit a singular space (defined as the “office”) within the hours of 8 to 5 to “work.”
Now the world’s workers have digital freedom to work from anywhere, anytime – connecting using mobile, social and virtual meetings technology. And when they need a printer, a place to host a client meeting or just need to get out of the house, coworking spaces give digital nomads the freedom to choose an office.
Viva la revolución.
The Shift from the Office to the Cloud
American physicist Jack Nilles coined the terms “telecommuting” and “telework” in the 1970s as a response to the impending extinction of fossil fuels (and frustration over rush-hour traffic in Southern California). Nilles invented the workshift wheel, sparking a revolution that now claims 137 million teleworkers across the globe. The personal computer ignited the flame.
The invention of the PC in the 1990s altered the course of humanity, arguably the most significant cultural shift since the Industrial Revolution. Social lives went virtual. Entertainment became interactive. “Search” was easy, a simple request at Google.com. Programs enabled incredible feats of medical discovery, scientific innovation and philosophical research. And by simply connecting all these computers, nearly two billion of them worldwide, The Cloud was built and destroyed the final barrier to telecommuting.
Cloud computing enables on-demand access to resources – servers, storage, networks, applications and more. Employers today grant employees access to their corporate cloud, where workers virtualize, collaborate and complete their tasks. Mobile technology gives workers the ability to connect to the corporate cloud from anywhere – home, coffee shop, zoo, Great Wall of China, the North Pole, space ship: literally anywhere. And now that workers can work everywhere, telecommuters want thousands of “offices” of all shapes, size and locations across the world. Enter coworking.
Coworking: Best of Both Worlds for Teleworkers
Teleworkers love the freedom of work shifting. The way the light reflects off the skyscraper at a clients’ office. How they sort the whites from the colors on their lunch break. The beauty of setting a doctor’s appointment at 10AM without taking personal time. For road warriors, however, every hotel room and airplane starts to look the same. And for home office workers, the silence gets just a little too loud. Teleworkers start to miss that Friday potluck. And when clients want to meet, it would be nice to invite them to your office for a change. The teleworking revolution takes another step: coworking.
Coworking spaces take coffee shop computing to the next level. Virtual strangers share a workspace in office buildings, bungalos and office parks all over the globe. Coworkers join the club, signing up for Coworking Visas for access to over 200 global locations from Australia to Canada. These spaces take what was once a lonely task and turn it into a social community with online forums, LinkedIn groups and Jellys (informal coworking sessions).
On the business end of coworking spaces, teleworkers have all the amenities of the office – boardrooms, printers, videoconferencing, phones and even mailboxes – without corporate real estate costs. National and global businesses now have “offices” in hundreds of cities across the globe without the expense. And with the global economic downturn, these community office environments are sparking growth for cities and creating jobs. For the first time since the dawn of “telecommuting” over 40 years ago, companies are finally getting on board with the telework movement on a global scale.
Shift in Work-Life Balance
Today’s workers – traditional office, hybrid and teleworkers – struggle daily with finding that perfect work-life balance. The rise of mobile technology empowered true teleworking freedom, but also resulted in the proliferation of the “Crackberry” as employees struggle to work global hours, stay relevant and keep their jobs in a difficult economy. Coworking spaces are the perfect answer. No commitment. Flexible hours. Global locations. Interaction with the outside world – when you want it. Viva la revolución.
Interested in coworking, but don’t know where to start? Need to know the etiquette for coworking success? Have a favorite spot in your city?
