Talking Coworking with Collaborative Lab’s Lauren Anderson

I recently caught up with Lauren Anderson, Chief Knowledge Officer at Collaborative Lab, speaker and thought leader in the collaborative consumption space. The Collaborative Lab helps businesses and governments worldwide understand and harness the power and potential of the sharing economy through strategic advisory services.

1 – Many shared office space platforms often choose between conservative or funky branding which can alienate the other half of the equation. What do you see as a way around this?

I actually believe it might be a positive thing!

While it’s good to push some people’s boundaries, it’s also true that we have very individual ways of working and we should feel comfortable to gravitate to the community that suits us best, which is usually aligned to the platform we find it on. I do think there is a grey area in between where most coworking space platforms currently sit, and the more ‘serviced office’ platforms are positioned so there is certainly an opportunity in the middle ground, but the diversity is good.

2 – Do you see this as impacting the growth rate of such platforms or is it simply a matter of picking the right battles?

I think the growth rates of these platforms will be more affected if we expect conformity in people’s approaches to working and finding work space. The different offerings appeal to different groups of people who may not otherwise try coworking, which is ultimately a good thing. Having said that, I do understand that it’s about cultivating an ethos as well, which requires people to look at the bigger picture of what they’re doing, which potentially some platforms aren’t doing as well as they could. 

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Three reasons to work closer to home

While working close to home brings with it many obvious benefits, many of us perhaps don’t fully appreciate just how large those benefits are from not only a time and financial perspective but from a mental and physical health perspective too.

A one hour commute represents about 480 hours a year in transit to and from work, that’s the equivalent to more than four waking hour weeks per year or almost 10% of your year.

The hidden dangers and pitfalls of commuting are only amplified the more time that we spend doing so, particularly if commuting by car

There’s the back pain that comes with long commutes, the high blood pressure caused by heavy traffic and congestion, the chronic stress that comes with steering through fog, rain or sudden changes in traffic and the exposure to pollutants in the air, particularly on freeways and highways.

Not only that, but the more time we spend commuting the less time we make for other habits such as getting enough sleep, exercising, preparing healthy food and perhaps most importantly, spending quality time with our loved ones.

This sets the scene nicely for our three reasons to work closer to home.

1 Save time – Even cutting down your commute by 30 minutes each way will save you 240 waking hours a year, equivalent to more than two weeks of waking time. This gives you more time to exercise, sleep, prepare healthy meals, rediscover old passions and hobbies and spend time with family and friends. 

2 Save money – RACQ[1] estimates the average running costs of a car at 50 cents per kilometer. Cutting down your distance to work by only 15 kilometres will save you $3,600 per year of your after tax income. Money that could perhaps be better invested in a holiday, a new car or perhaps invested into your mortgage which would have serious compound interest benefits over the life of the loan.

3 Be healthy – Less time in your car means less of the physical ailments that come with long commutes such as lower back pain and deep vein thrombosis as well as lower blood pressure as a result of not being stuck in heavy traffic while racing the clock to get to your 9am meeting. It also means more for personal relationships which are critical to long-term emotional and mental health.

Shared office spaces, teleworking hubs, serviced offices and co-working spaces all provide for flexible and affordable working solutions in various locations, bringing work closer to your home.

Large organisations, SMEs as well as the self employed and start-ups should consider such spaces as viable, OH&S friendly alternatives to the traditional CBD office lease, even if for only one or two days a week.

The financial, physical and emotional benefits can not be stressed enough and in the time poor, clutter and information rich digital world we find ourselves in, we need to do what we can to be not only productive but sustainable, healthy and happy.

 

Steve Glaveski is a former management consultant turned start-up writer, founder and managing director of Hotdesk.com.au, an Australian shared office space platform connecting businesses that have surplus workspace with those that need it, be it for an hour, day, week or month.

You can follow Steve on Twitter @steveglaveski

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[1] RACQ – http://www.racq.com.au/motoring/cars/car_economy/vehicle_running_costs_2013

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