A NEW WAY TO WORKWith telecommuting on the rise, today’s executive leader is looking to alternative workplace strategies
BY JACLYN CRAWFORD
T he Internet has created a change of pace in
people’s lives—in the way they work, live and play.
It has also created a movement happening world-
wide, a movement of people who are finding a new way
to work together. The coworking movement is drastically
reshaping the way we think about the traditional workday.
In 2013, 3.3 million people telecommuted to work,
according to the Global Workplace Analytics, and that
number is expected to grow to 3.9 million by 2016. For
many, telecommuting means more than sitting in a coffee
shop for hours. Rather, it may mean finding a “third space,”
according to Ben Skoda, Founder of Workshop, a coworking
space in Chicago.
“It used to be one extreme or the other: I either worked
from a cubicle or worked in my pajamas,” Skoda said. “Now
there are these new places, some people refer to them
as a third space—not my office, not my home, but a place
where like-minded people are working and you have ameni-
ties you need to get your work done.”
OFFICE ALTERNATIVESThese spaces, now found in and around many major
cities in the U.S., are known as coworking spaces. They
house many office amenities, such as printers, kitchens,
office supply closets and conference rooms; but, instead
of the person next to you working for the same company,
often he or she may be working on a vastly different project
for a whole different organization. Sam Rosen, Co-Founder
and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Desktime, says it is
about creating a community who works together.
“Every Starbucks is sort of like a coworking space in the
sense that a lot of people are working there, but there is
no dialogue. You don’t talk to the people next to you and
ask them what they are doing or what they are working on,”
Rosen said. “Coworking is being surrounded by like-minded
people who also wanted to leave wherever they were work-
ing and find a group to work with.”
For executive leaders, this is a drastic shift in the
traditional idea of how people have been working. That
said, coworking also may provide an alternative, more cost-
effective option for telecommuters and other employees to
get their work done. Rosen says the real estate business is
changing, and so is the new age of workers.
“Fundamentally, we believe commercial real estate is
an antiquated model,” he added. “One reason is because
the real estate business is based on five-year, long-term
leases. But for the new worker, there is a humongous shift
in not knowing if they will be committed in five years. So
there is all this empty space going unused.”
Rosen mentioned the idea of “office hoteling” as another
alternative workplace strategy, via which workers can book
a desk for a day when they are needed in the office. “It
makes them more efficient, and it brings down real estate
costs. A big company will save tens of hundreds of millions
of dollars,” Rosen said.
For managers, the challenge of having telecommuters is
frequently the idea of lost collaboration. Coworking allows
employees to work in an environment suitable for focused
work as well as brainstorming with others.
“You’re never better working alone,” Skoda said. “Obvi-
ously, there are times when [workers] need to focus, but
there are people out there that are going to give you new
ideas. If you can create opportunities and places for the
people who work with you to be around new inspiration, you
should, however that works out.”
(CO)WORKING TOGETHERRosen discovered co-working after living and telecommut-
ing in New York for a short time. Tired of the slow Internet
service and environment of local coffee shops, he ventured
to a create a coworking space, later inspiring him to begin
Desktime, the first coworking space directory
“It changed my world pretty significantly. Not only did I
have a great place to work with a fast Internet connection,
but I actually plugged into community,” Rosen said.
As much as the word “community” is mention in cowork-
ing culture, Jack Liu, Founder and CEO of InterActs, has
been working at Enerspace PaloAlto for more than a year
and says it also can be a drawback for people.
“Being a part of a coworking community is unique in that
the people around you aren’t necessarily your bosses or
colleagues looking over you, but yet you still feel good that
everyone is starting small and working toward their own
goals,” Liu said. “One of the drawbacks is the high amount
of membership turnover, as it commonly is a transition
period for anyone in a coworking space. Maybe over time
that will change, but that is how it is today.”
Environment and atmosphere are key elements in the
coworking culture. For telecommuters, according to Skoda,
a positive working environment is something one may not
think is needed until it is not there anymore.
“A lot of times, we strip down our work to the bare es-
sentials: As a writer, I need a laptop and Microsoft Word.
But then you realize you can really create an atmosphere
that is inspirational,” Skoda said. “Architects have been
doing this for decades. People study and research this. So
you have what you need to get work done, but the environ-
ment, on multiple levels, is helping you do more of what
you need to do.”
Workshop, located in the West Town neighborhood of
Chicago, has been designed to help stimulate creativity and
inspiration. The space has many large windows, letting nat-
ural light into the exposed brick room, with a skyline view
of the city. Creating comfort as well as valuing community
can be seen through the furnishings, such as long, wooden
communal tables and couches for people to choose from
on which they can get their work done alongside others.
Though all spaces are different, many are designed with
such features to reinforce the values of working together.
“Ultimately,” Skoda said, “coworking spaces are trying to
create an atmosphere and environment that is conducive to
a lot of different types of work.”
Jaclyn Crawford is Assignment Editor at Forefront. She can be reached at [email protected].
Ben Skoda is Founder of Workshop Chicago.
Sam Rosen is Co-Founder and CEO of Desktime.
Jack Liu is CEO of Interacts