Photo by ROMAN ODINTSOV
A coworking space liberates you from dozens of unrelated issues to your professional activity and abilities. For instance, if you have held a top position at a company, you will be familiar with questions like:
- Is there no electricity?
- What’s wrong with the Internet?
- Where’s the toilet paper?
- Hey, the air conditioning is leaking!
How many times have you been confronted with coffee machine errors? But what is your job about? Are you an electrician, network expert, supply manager, or maintenance manager? All together? Do you know how to configure a router or fix a Jura super-automatic coffee machine?
Expected Monday sick leaves, requests like “can we talk to you for a minute” to inform you about quitting the employment contract, and the never-ending misunderstanding of how a thermostat works, are added to your main objective which normally is achieving business growth and not toilet paper storage optimization. Your day is already filled with tasks that you’re neither prepared for nor are you responsible for. However, rebellion on board is guaranteed if you don’t sort it out.
Companies are obssesed with acting
as office space managers.
The origin of all these blows is companies’ obsession with acting as office space managers. Since an office manager isn’t usually appointed apart from you, the problems always end up on your desk and pile up on top of the ones you didn’t manage to solve yesterday. Managing a company is complex, but your training is insufficient if you are also a concierge.
Technology and organizational modernization have enabled a workplace model in which you can limit your implication in space management by saying hello at the reception desk and lifting the lid of your laptop to enter the start-up password.
It is now seven years ago since we don’t have our own office space
As a result, we never had any servers, outsourced our switchboard and reception from the beginning, and didn’t need any maintenance staff, not even me. We have no tables or chairs, let alone for everyone.
Upon arrival this morning, I selected long coffee in the super-automatic Jura coffee machine, period. Restrooms are always provided with toilet paper, period. I have not interviewed anyone for years who are not in the business of what we sell, and that is media strategies.
What advantages do companies still see in having their building?
Not convinced, read this recent article in Wired: The Work-From-Anywhere War Is Beginning
Philipp Fürst 